Robinson Brothers Make NCAA T&F History
Can you name the first set of siblings to win NCAA track & field titles?
We’ll give you a hint: Their last name is Robinson.
Jackie Robinson and older brother Mack went to different colleges in different years: Jackie to UCLA in 1939; Mack several years earlier to Oregon. Both topped the podium at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, coincidentally at the same location (University of Minnesota’s campus in Minneapolis).
Mack – a nickname for Matthew – gave the Robinson family its first NCAA title in 1938 when he won the 220-yard dash in a meet-record 21.3, breaking the mark of 21.5 formerly held by Jesse Owens from 1936. While Mack wasn’t in that 1936 NCAA final, he did compete later that year at the Berlin Olympics, earning the silver medal behind Owens in the 200 meters.
Jackie, four-and-a-half years younger than Mack, added another NCAA crown to the Robinson family trophy case two years later in 1940 when he won the long jump in 24-10¼ (7.57m). He was in second place entering the final round of the event before uncorking his winning attempt. Just a few weeks earlier, Jackie opened his season at the Pacific Coast Conference Championships with a world-leading 25-0 (7.62m).
Many know Jackie for famously breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Baseball was one of four sports in which Jackie excelled while at UCLA, alongside basketball (led the conference in scoring), football (led the nation in punt return average) and, of course, track & field. He remains the only athlete in UCLA history to letter in four sports.
Jackie and Mack were honored by the city of Pasadena in 1997 with nine-foot-tall bronze sculptures of their heads outside of City Hall.
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.
Spearmon Sprinted Past Stacked 200 Field
Wallace Spearmon Jr. won back-to-back 200m titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2004 & 2005. He ran 19.91 (-0.7 m/s) in 2005 to beat a loaded field by 0.17 seconds.
Collegiate Record For BYU’s Andersen
Kassi Andersen set a collegiate record in the steeplechase of 9:44.95 at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, capping a three-year streak in which BYU athletes won the event.
Hook ‘Em, Ivan: Wagner Tied Best HJ Margin
Ivan Wagner won the high jump at the 1997 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships by more than four inches to tie the largest margin of victory in meet history.
Mason’s Muzzio Starred In Decathlon
Rob Muzzio won back-to-back decathlon titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1984 & 1985. His victory in 1985 was by 3 points, the smallest margin in meet history.
Roesler Dusted The Competition In 2014
Laura Roesler won the 800 at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships with a negative split (61.06/60.16) & the 2nd largest margin of victory in meet history (1.70 seconds).
Fuchs Went Back-To-Back In Shot Put
Jim Fuchs won back-to-back shot put titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1949 & 1950. He set a meet record in that first year, heaving the orb 17.10m (56-1½).
Lash Led Indiana Dominance In NCAA’s First 5K
Don Lash led a 1-2-4 finish by Indiana in the 5K at the 1936 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. It was the first time in meet history that one team had three top-4 finishers in that event.
Surprise! Brown’s Win Sent Texas A&M To Title
Kamaria Brown beat Jenna Prandini by 0.007 seconds for the 200-meter title at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. It was the smallest margin of victory in meet history.
Coleman Cruised To The Bowerman In 2017
Christian Coleman dazzled at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and set a collegiate record in the 100!
Blanford Blitzed 100H Record Book
Rhonda Blanford set an all-conditions meet record in the 100 Hurdles of 12.70 at the 1985 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships. She also won the race by 0.30 seconds!