The 440-220 Double Is So Nice, McKenley Did It Twice
The 440 yards-220 yards or 400 meters-200 meters double at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships is so tough that it has only been completed three times in meet history. It requires an athlete to win the 440/400 and then double back to win the 220/200 less than one hour later.
Herb McKenley of Illinois was so good that he did that double twice – once in 1946 and then again in 1947. George Rhoden of Morgan State is the only other athlete to accomplish said feat in NCAA history four years later. That’s not the only similarity that McKenley and Rhoden share: They’re also both Jamaican.
McKenley made history each year he stepped on the track at the NCAA Championships with the Illini. When he won the 1946 440 for his first NCAA title, he also became the first athlete from any Caribbean nation to win an NCAA title. Then in 1947, he tied his own world record in the 440 of 46.2.
The Illini won the national team title in each of those years that McKenley, the team’s top scorer at the meet, completed the difficult double. Those were the program’s third and fourth official titles at the meet, as they also won in 1921 and 1944 (It should be mentioned that they earned the title of “unofficial champion” from the NCAA in 1927).
Illinois was not McKenley’s first destination in the U.S., though. He began his collegiate career at Boston College in 1943, then the first Jamaican to earn a track & field scholarship to a U.S. institution. He was second in the NCAA 440 as a sophomore in 1944 before transferring to Illinois. After sitting out the 1945 collegiate season, he won the AAU national championship that summer before his doubles in 1946 and 1947.
McKenley showed even more range at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, becoming the only athlete to make Olympic finals in the 100, 200 and 400, although not in the same year. He would later coach at Calabar High School (his alma mater), the Jamaican national team for 20 years and serve 12 years as president of the Jamaican Amateur Athletic Association.
McKenley was born on this day in 1922. He died in 2007 at age 85.
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.
ON THIS DAY: Kerley Set 400-Meter CR In Austin
Fred Kerley set a collegiate record in the 400 on this day in 2017. Kerley went 43.70 at the NCAA DI West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas.
Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
Brittney Reese won the long jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). Reese missed the meet record by just 1cm (½ inch).
Foster Won All-Time Classic 110H In 1978
Greg Foster won an epic 110H race at the 1978 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Foster beat Renaldo Nehemiah & set an AR, CR & MR in the process with his 13.22.
D’Agostino Won By Slim Margin In 2012
Abbey D’Agostino won back-to-back 5K titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2012 & 2013. When D’Agostino won in 2012, it was by just 0.03 seconds.
Tupuritis Shocked The Field In 1996
Einars Tupuritis won the 800 at the 1996 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 0.14 seconds! Turpiritis crossed the finish line in 1:45.08.
Arkansas’ Brown Notched All-Time 100H Mark
Janeek Brown won the 100H at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 12.40, narrowly missing the collegiate record and meet record.
Brown Paced Tennessee To 1974 Team Title
Doug Brown won back-to-back steeplechase titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1973 & 1974. His victory in 1973 was by 17.2 seconds!
EMU’s Jones Hurdled Into NCAA History
Hayes Jones completed the 120H-220H sweep at the 1959 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Jones won the last 220H title ever awarded at the meet.
Ellis Sent USC To A Thrilling Victory
Kendall Ellis had a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the 4×400 relay at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships that sent Southern California to the meet title.
Paige Turned Three NCAA Mid-Distance Titles
Don Paige won three career titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a 800-1500 sweep in 1979.