Simpson Sprints To All-Time Mark In 1929
George Simpson of Ohio State was ahead of his time.
In 1929, Simpson used starting blocks – then a recent innovation – in the final of the 100 yards at the NCAA Track & Field Championships. To wit, the starting blocks hadn’t be around all that long, as the invention was credited to Australian Charlie Booth and his father earlier that year.
Simpson, then a junior for the Buckeyes, scorched the cinder in 9.4 seconds to not only win one of his three career NCAA titles, but set an apparent world record in the process. And while the NCAA allowed the use of starting blocks, the world and U.S. governing bodies did not at the time. Therefore, his 9.4 was never ratified as a world record (It was eventually recognized as the American record 15 years later in 1944).
The final field of the 100 yards was loaded, featuring four men who had equaled the existing world record of 9.5. The others, in order of finish: defending champ Claude Bracey of Rice, Eddie Tolan of Michigan and Cy Leland of TCU. Tolan and Simpson, in fact, equaled the 9.5 WR in prelims.
Simpson was a double winner in 1929, adding a 220-yard victory to help lead Ohio State to its first (and still only) team title at this meet. The Buckeyes won the meet with just four athletes – the smallest winning team until USC (1943) and Arkansas (1996) would match them. Amazingly, Ohio State could have won with just three athletes as the trio of Simpson (20 points), hurdler Richard Rockaway (18) and discus thrower Pete Rasmus (10) accounted for 48 of the Buckeyes’ 50 points (Runner-up Washington had 42).
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.
Merchant, Muller Led Cal’s Field Day In 1922
Jack Merchant and Harold Muller combined for six top-5 finishes in five field events at the 1922 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
NC State’s Springs Doubles Up Distance Titles
In 1983, Betty Springs became the first woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to sweep the 5K/10K titles.
“Marvelous Mal” Whitfield Stars Over Two Laps
“Marvelous” Mal Whitfield won back-to-back NCAA 800-meter/880-yard titles in 1948 and 1949.
Ewen Was A True Triple Threat At NCAAs
Maggie Ewen is the only woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with titles in three different throwing events.
Wanamaker Wins Inaugural Decathlon Title
Rick Wanamaker of Drake won the first-ever decathlon title at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1970!
SMU’s Connor Bounds To Triple Jump Greatness
It’s been 38 years and still no one has broken the meet record Keith Connor of SMU set in the triple jump at the 1982 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Provo, Utah.
Hail Lorenzo! Daniel Sprints To 200-Meter Records
Lorenzo Daniel of Mississippi State made four consecutive appearances in the final of the Men’s 200 Meters and set a collegiate and meet record in his last race.
Talented Twins Dominate Pole Vault Podium
Twin sisters Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard finished on the same podium five times in eight seasons at the NCAA Championships and each won an outdoor title.
Blozis Was A “Giant” In The Shot
“Giant” Al Blozis won three consecutive shot put titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships between 1940 and 1942.
Cameron Came Close To Standing Alone
Two one-hundredths of a second separated Bert Cameron of UTEP from standing alone in NCAA history.