The 440-220 Double Is So Nice, McKenley Did It Twice

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

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.

posted: July 10, 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
Mikkola Set Javelin MR With Huge Win

Esko Mikkola was a two-time JT winner at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Mikkola won in 1998, he set a MR of 81.86m (268‑7) and won by 17 feet!

Little Made Big 400H History
June 11, 2016

Shamier Little won three consecutive 400H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships between 2014 & 2016. Little became the No. 2 performer in collegiate history with her 53.51 winner in 2016.

Ellerbe Won After Film Review In 1939

Mozelle Ellerbe won back-to-back 100-yard dash titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1938 & 1939. His victory in the 2nd year was confirmed by a film review.

McCullouch Ran Legendary Times At NCAAs

Earl McCullouch of Southern California won back-to-back 120H titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and was a member of a WR-setting quarter-mile relay team.

Walton Started It All In The 800

Delisa Walton won the first women’s 800 at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1982. Walton is the mother of Ebonie Floyd, who finished 2nd in the 2007 100.

Gipson, Ugen Made Long Jump History

Whitney Gipson & Lorraine Ugen were the first teammates to win women’s long jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in consecutive years (Gipson in 2012; Ugen in 2013).