Hall Equaled 120H World Record In 1969

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Hall Equaled 120H World Record In 1969

June 19, 1969

Erv Hall of Villanova started the excitement early at the 1969 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

In the first heat of the first track event of the first day, Hall equaled a world record of 13.2 in the 120-yard hurdles.

The record time caught everyone by surprise – including Hall.

As Tom Cushman of the Philadelphia Daily News reported, “Hall slumped onto a nearby bench, grinning broadly, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘It felt good. . . I thought it was fairly fast. . . but I can’t believe 13.2,’ he said. ‘Things like this can happen at the strangest times’.”

Hall came back the next day to win both his semifinal and the final in 13.3 – faster than the previous meet record of 13.4 that he had a share of from when he finished second at the 1968 NCAA meet.

Some observers believe credit for Hall’s fast times were due to the surface at Tennessee’s Tom Black Track, as the host site was sporting the same Tartan surface that was used the previous year at the Olympics in Mexico City.

Hall might have been more familiar with the surface than others – indeed, he was a silver medalist in the 1968 Olympics. Still, it was the same surface for everyone, and Hall won all three of his rounds in the 1969 NCAA meet by at least 0.2 seconds.

posted: November 18, 2020
1921-2021
The NCAA's First Championships

The NCAA and collegiate track & field will mark a momentous milestone in the spring of 2021 -- the 100th anniversary of the NCAA Championships and with that, the NCAA Track & Field Championships. In June 1921, the University of Chicago hosted the first track & field championships in NCAA history.

This point can’t be emphasized enough: Not only was the event the first for NCAA track & field, but the first championships for any sport under the sponsorship of the NCAA.

To celebrate, over each of the next 365 days, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will celebrate moments, student-athletes, and coaches that have made a century’s worth of championships special. From humble beginnings to important historical milestones to the modern-day, collegiate track & field has evolved with the American society.

The 2021 edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin with preliminary round action on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla., and College Station, Texas. The championships final site and culmination of the celebration is slated for June 9-12, 2021 at the newly rebuilt Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Memorable Moments
Hornbostel Left Mark As A Hoosier

Chuck Hornbostel of Indiana won three consecutive 800/880 titles between 1932 and 1934 and equaled the world record in the 880 yards in 1933.

LoJo Breaks Barriers, Records In Pole Vault

Lawrence Johnson of Tennessee won back-to-back pole vault titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with some of the largest margins of victory in meet history.

Smith Set Records That Will Last Forever

Karin Smith of Cal Poly won the javelin crown at both the 1982 NCAA Division I & NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships with meet records that will never be broken.

Rollins Rewrites Hurdling History
June 8, 2013

Brianna Rollins capped an incredible senior season at the 2013 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with the two fastest times in collegiate history in the 100 Hurdles.