“California Comet” Doubled Up At NCAAs

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

“California Comet” Doubled Up At NCAAs

Harold “Hal” Davis needed no introduction for his first foray into the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which was back in 1942 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Davis – nicknamed of the “California Comet” – had already equaled the world record in the 100 yards (9.4) and 100 meters (10.2), both initially set by Jesse Owens.

Most fans expected a pair of big sprint duels with Davis battling Penn State’s Barney Ewell, who won the 1940 and 1941 NCAA titles in both sprints while Davis was in Salinas JC (now Hartnell College).

Great duels came, but not with Ewell, who didn’t even start the preliminaries after an injury in the long jump trials. Instead the threat came from Leo Tarrant of Alabama State (then known as Alabama State Teachers College). Tarrant had beaten Ewell earlier in the year at the Penn Relays 100 yards.

The sprint prelims gave fans a taste of what was to come as Davis edged Tarrant in the 100-yard heats and Tarrant registered the fastest time in the 220 heats (21.7 to 21.9 for Davis).

The 100 final proved to be the closest, as Davis edged Tarrant with both receiving times of 9.6. Davis followed later with a much easier win in the 220 in 21.2 with Tarrant second.

Davis matched his double sprint wins in the 1943 NCAA meet at Northwestern’s Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. His second pair of wins made him the fourth such successful sprinter in meet history, joining Ralph Metcalfe (three times, 1932-34), Owens (1935-36) and Ewell (1940-41). Only three other men (and no women) have since had multiple NCAA DI double-sprint sweeps – Mel Patton (1948-49), Bobby Morrow (1956-57) and Justin Gatlin (2001-02).

posted: April 30, 2021
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
The Tie Goes To The Buckeye

Dave Albritton of Ohio State won three consecutive high jump titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships & remains one of just two men to do so.

No One Vaulted Like Nilsen At NCAAs

Chris Nilsen of South Dakota set meet records for height and win margin in the pole vault at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.