Fuchs Went Back-To-Back In Shot Put
Even on a bad day Jim Fuchs of Yale was hard to beat.
Fuchs was the world record holder in the shot put and riding a 12-month winning streak when he entered the 1950 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
But, after the trials, Fuchs found himself leading by only 1¾” (5cm) over Otis Chandler of Stanford, as both were superior to the NCAA meet record of 56-1½ (17.10m) Fuchs had set the year before.
The closeness of the competition caught many by surprise, despite the world-class caliber – Fuchs had set the WR of 58-5½ (17.81m) in April, while Chandler’s best of 57-4⅜ (17.48m) in May made him No. 3 on the all-time world (and collegiate) list.
After the trials, only Fuchs improved — albeit marginally to 56-11 (17.34m), another NCAA meet record. Chandler, though, finishing second at 56-5½ (17.20m), gave Fuchs the closest scare he would receive in a winning streak that would eventually stretch post-collegiately into 1951 at 88 meets – then the longest of any event in history.
Fuchs had become an innovator in the shot put, creating a technique he called the “Sideways Glide” to compensate for an injury. Parry O’Brien not only ended Fuchs’s win streak but would eventually set an even longer one of 116 meets using a modification called the “O’Brien Glide.”
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!