Dillard Hurdles To NCAA, World Glory
Jesse Owens gave Harrison Dillard a pair of track spikes.
Owens also gave Dillard some advice: Try the hurdles.
Dillard would end up being the best hurdler in the world – and a legend in the sport, just like Owens, who matriculated through Cleveland’s East Technical High School 10 years earlier.
Due to service in World War II, in which he served in the all-black 92nd Infantry Division known as the Buffalo Soldiers, Dillard did not enter college until 1945. He certainly made up for lost time, though, as a member of the Baldwin Wallace track & field team.
Dillard swept the 1946 and 1947 NCAA 120-yard and 220-yard hurdles – the last athlete with such a double-double – and his four titles remain the only ones in this meet won by an athlete from Baldwin Wallace, which now competes at the NCAA Division III level. When Dillard won the 220H title in 1947, he set a world record, American record and meet record of 22.3.
He was on track for more NCAA glory in 1948 when his focus shifted to the upcoming London Olympics, where he won gold – not in the high hurdles, but the 100. The change in events came most unexpectedly as he missed making the U.S. team in the 110H, ending an 82-race winning streak that included various sprints and hurdles (Only Edwin Moses would later record a longer streak, albeit in one event).
Affectionately known as “Bones” because of his slight weight, Dillard won gold in the London 100 and four years later captured the Olympic title in the 110 hurdles at Helsinki. He remains the only man to win Olympic golds in a sprint and hurdles event.
Dillard was born on this day in 1923. He passed away last November at age 96.
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.
Texas’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory
Destinee Hooker won three career high jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a massive victory in 2009 by more than two inches.
De Grasse Sprinted To Otherworldly Double
Andre De Grasse completed the 100-200 double at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with scorching times: 9.75 (+2.7) in the 100; 19.58 (+2.4) in the 200.
Merritt Broke Long-Standing 110H MR In 2006
Aries Merritt broke a 28-year-old meet record in the 110H when he won the crown at the 2006 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 13.21.
UGA’s Torrence Made NCAA History With Double
Gwen Torrence completed the 100-200 double at the 1987 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Torrence was also the first woman to finish top-8 four times in the 100.
Bayer Gave It His All For NCAA 1500 Title
Andrew Bayer won the 1500 at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in one of the closest finishes in meet history – 0.01 seconds.
Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT
Les Tipton led the first podium sweep of any event in the history of the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Tipton and his Oregon teammates went 1-2-3 in the 1964 javelin.
K-State’s Jones Captured Heptathlon Crown In 2015
Akela Jones won the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with 6371 points. That is the fourth-best score in both collegiate history & meet history.
Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs
The LSU foursome of Bennie Brazell, Pete Coley, Robert Parham, Kelly Willie swept the 4×100 & 4×400 crowns at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Martin Won Distance Titles For Two Programs
Francis (Frank) Martin made history twice in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
FSU’s Williams Soared To Jumps Double In 2009
Kim Williams swept the horizontal jumps at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Williams was particularly dominant in the TJ, winning at 14.38m (47-2¼) & by nearly 2 feet.