Joe Dial Vaulted To NCAA History
Joe Dial of Oklahoma State was eagerly looking forward to the 1985 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
“Austin is one of my favorite places to jump – like Manhattan is now,” Dial told Don Steffens for Track & Field News in mid-May.
Manhattan – as in Manhattan, Kansas, site of the Big Eight Championships, where Dial had just become the first collegian to clear 19 feet (5.79m). But Dial wasn’t even done, continuing that day to scale an American record of 5.83m (19-1½).
In Austin, Dial was predictably the favorite, but the field turned out to be the deepest yet in meet history and Dial actually needed to better the meet record twice to seal up the victory in his final collegiate competition.
Baylor’s Todd Cooper and Fresno State’s Doug Fraley followed Dial over the first meet-record height of 5.56m (18-2¾) – a notch higher than the MR that Dial had helped set in previous years (along with two other vaulters). Only Dial could negotiate the next height of 5.64m (18-6) for the win.
A total of seven vaulters cleared 18 feet or better to smash the meet’s previous best collection of three set in 1983. An NCAA meet would not have more over that barrier until 1991 saw eight over 18.
Dial’s achievements in the pole vault began as a high schooler in Marlow, Oklahoma. In 1981 he famously became the first prep to clear 18 feet.
As a post-collegian, Dial would set an indoor world best – 5.91m (19-4¾) in 1986. The last of his eight outdoor American records – 5.96m (19-6½) in 1987 – would last seven years, the longest duration for a pole vault AR since the nearly 15 years of Dutch Warmerdam’s last record in 1942.
After retiring from competition in 1992, Dial became a full-time coach – and since 1994, has led the programs at Oral Roberts. One of his pupils – Jack Whitt in 2012 – won the NCAA pole vault title.
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.
Clemson’s Ross Kept Getting Faster In 1995
Duane Ross PR’d twice in the 110H at the 1995 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. When Ross won in 13.32, he became the No. 3 performer in collegiate history.
Illinois’ Kerr Went Back-To-Back At NCAAs
George Kerr won back-to-back 800/880 titles at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1959 & 1960. Kerr set a meet record of 1:46.4 in the 800 meters in 1960.
UCLA’s Baucham Bounded To TJ CR In 2005
Candice Baucham won the triple jump at the 2005 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a collegiate record of 14.07m (46-2). Baucham took the event by more than one foot.
San Romani Went From Unknown To Legend
Archie San Romani won back-to-back 1500/mile crowns at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in 1935 & 1936.
Auburn’s Glance Made Them Look Twice
Harvey Glance completed the 100-200 double as a freshman at the 1976 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. He set a meet record of 10.16 in the 100.
Nova’s Rhines Did NCAA 5K Three-Peat
Jen Rhines was the first female athlete in the history of the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships to win three consecutive 5K titles.
Georgia’s Erm Cruised To 2019 Decathlon Title
Johannes Erm won the decathlon at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 342 points with his 8352 total. That was also the fifth-best score in meet history.
McMillen Adapted, Set 1500 MR In 1952
Bob McMillen set a meet record in the 1500 meters of 3:50.7 at the 1952 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
LSU’s Duhaney Destroyed NCAA 200 Field In 1992
Dahlia Duhaney owns the largest margin of victory in meet history in the 200 with her 0.44-second winner at the 1992 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Rice’s Roberts Cooked Up Pole Vault Greatness
Dave Roberts was the second man to win three consecutive pole vault titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, doing so from 1971 to 1973.