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.
Lawson Completed “Jesse Owens Triple” In 2016
Jarrion Lawson won the 100, 200 and long jump at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Plab Reached Lofty Heights In NCAA HJ
Darrin Plab won back-to-back HJ titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1991 & 1992. Plab cleared 2.34m (7-8) in 1992 & tied the 2nd best bar in meet history.
Dahlgren Won Back-To-Back HT Titles, Set MR
Jenny Dahlgren won back-to-back hammer titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2006 & 2007. Dahlgren set a MR of 70.72m (232-0) in that second year.
Peoples Made History One Lap At A Time
Maurice Peoples won the 440-yard dash in 1973 & then really turned up the heat. Peoples split 43.4 on the Sun Devils’ mile relay team that finished third in the final.
KU’s Lokedi Set 10K MR In 2018
Sharon Lokedi won the 10K at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in a meet-record 32:09.20. Lokedi led five other women under the old final-site best, too.
Can Ereng Kick It? Yes, He Can!
Paul Ereng won back-to-back 800-meter titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1988 & 1989. Ereng is still the current indoor record holder in the event.
“California Comet” Doubled Up At NCAAs
Hal Davis completed the 100-200 double twice at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Tolbert Clocked 100H Meet Record In 1988
Lynda Tolbert won two career 100H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1988 & 1990. When Tolbert won in 1988, she set a MR of 12.82.
Dwight Stones Set High Jump WR In 1976
Dwight Stones set a world record in the high jump of 2.31m (7-7) at the 1976 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Stones also raised the MR by more than 3 inches!
Walker Completed Only Hurdling Triple
George Walker is the only athlete in NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships history to win all three hurdling events: 110H (120H), 400H & now-defunct 220H.