Indoors? Outdoors? Johnson Starred In The PV
The pole vault competition at the 1970 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships started outdoors, but an injury on the slippery runway convinced officials to move the event indoors.
That’s where “Jan Johnson of Kansas was born as a great vaulter,” as Cordner Nelson wrote in Track & Field News.
Johnson matched BYU’s Altti Alarotu, the pre-meet favorite, and Paul Heglar of UTEP in clearing 17-0 (5.18m), the first time in meet history that more than one vaulter was above 17-feet at low altitude.
Still, Johnson – whose PR was 16-6¼ (5.03m) prior to the meet – aimed higher. Having gone 17-2 (5.23m) in practice, Johnson would need to clear a better bar in order to give Kansas its first NCAA title in the event, as he sat in third place. While Johnson was the only one able to get over 17-4 (5.28m), the competition wasn’t over as Alarotu passed after a single miss.
The bar went to 17-7 (5.36m), equal to the NCAA meet record and – as the event was being conducted inside Drake’s field house – a potential world indoor best.
Johnson sailed over on his first attempt, causing the many fans who followed the competition inside to erupt in celebration.
With victory in hand, the bar was next set at the barrier-breaking height of 18-0 (5.49m), a height confirmed by none other than Dutch Warmerdam, vaulting royalty as the world’s first 15-footer in 1940. Johnson came closest to being history’s first 18-footer on his third attempt, the bar falling after being grazed on Johnson’s descent.
“I hit it with my armpit on the way off,” he said. “If I could have relaxed more, I would have been all right.”
Johnson eventually got over 18-feet, making 5.50m (18-0½) at the 1972 Olympic Trials before earning a bronze medal in the Munich Olympics.
Johnson’s daughter, Chelsea, won the pole vault at the 2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships while competing for UCLA, making them the first parent-child combination of champions in meet history in the same event. Chelsea later earned a silver medal in the 2009 World 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.
Cal’s Hudson Wins Epic Triple Jump With World’s Best
On this day in 1987, Sheila Hudson of California set world best in Women’s Triple Jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships when she bounded 13.78m (45-2½).
Track. Field. Houston’s Lewis Does It All!
On this day in 1981, Carl Lewis of Houston became the first athlete since Jesse Owens to win a track event and field event at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
UCLA Men’s 4×400 Clocks NCAA’s First Sub-3
On this day in 1988, the UCLA men’s 4×400 relay team became the first collegiate quartet to break three minutes, clocking 2:59.91 with Steve Lewis, Kevin Young, Danny Everett and Henry Thomas.
LSU’s Sowell Dominates 1989 NCAA Championships
On this day in 1989, Dawn Sowell of LSU culminated one of the most dominant performances in the history of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Givens’ Quad Leads Florida State to Team Title
On this day in 1984, Randy Givens of Florida State completed a remarkable – and still, unmatched – feat, winning a quadruple set of titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Rono Rolls Into The Record Books
On this day in 1978, Henry Rono of Washington State became the first (and still only) man to set two different NCAA Championships meet records in distance races on the same day.
Jackie Joyner Doubles Down On Multi Crowns
On this day in 1983, Jackie Joyner of UCLA became the first woman to win an event twice at the NCAA Championships, claiming her second consecutive crown in the heptathlon with a then-collegiate-record-setting score of 6390 points.
Connect Four: Prefontaine Makes History
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon became the first athlete to win titles in the same outdoor event four times, claiming the 3-mile/5000m from 1970-73.
Ralph Metcalfe Is Mr. Triple-Double
Ralph Metcalfe, who was born on this day (May 29) in 1910, won three consecutive 100 and 200 titles while at Marquette from 1932-34, becoming the first athlete to win three NCAA titles in two separate events.
Georgia’s Orji Jump-Starts Record-Breaking Career
On this day in 2016, Keturah Orji of Georgia set her first collegiate record in the triple jump of 14.29m (46-10¾) at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida.