Falcon Flew To NCAA Distance Glory
Like his surname, Joe Falcon always swooped in at the right moment.
Known for his ferocious kick late in the race, Falcon captured seven individual NCAA titles between cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field while competing for the University of Arkansas under legendary USTFCCCA Hall of Fame coach John McDonnell.
Falcon’s winning ways nearly started in the fall of his sophomore year at the 1986 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Tucson, Arizona, but a recessed sprinkler head had other ideas. The Razorback standout ran on the shoulder of eventual winner Aaron Ramirez for most of the race before pulling away as they ascended the final hill. Shortly after, Falcon stepped in a sprinkler hole on the golf course, tumbled to the ground and had to settle for a runner-up finish (Don’t worry: Falcon atoned for that mishap the following year to become the program’s first individual national champion in cross country).
That incident most likely fueled Falcon’s fire over the next few years as little kept him from NCAA glory from that point forward.
After winning his first NCAA title the following March in the indoor 3000 meters, Falcon closed in a scintillating 55.1 to capture the 10,000-meter crown at the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. That would be the first of seven 10K crowns for the Razorbacks over the years, which has helped them become the highest-scoring program in that event in meet history.
Falcon went back-to-back in the indoor 3000 the following year and added the mile crown to his ledger for good measure. When he returned to the outdoor meet a few months later, Falcon had his eyes squarely set on the 1500-meter title, something only one other man in program history was able to bring back to Fayetteville (Frank O’Mara in 1983).
True to form, Falcon stayed right behind the leader (Steve Balkey of Penn State) and blew past him in the final 500 meters. Falcon had company, though, as the Indiana duo of Mark Deady and Charles Marsala went with him. The Razorback runner held off the Hoosiers’ harriers to win by one second, 3:38.91 to 3:39.91 (Marsala) and 3:39.92 (Deady).
To this day, Falcon remains the only man in meet history to win national titles in both the 1500/mile and the 10,000 meters — and is just one of two men to score in both of those events at the national meet in his career (Two-time The Bowerman finalist Lawi Lalang is the other, winning the 10K title in 2013 and finishing runner-up in the 1500 one year later).
Falcon snagged another NCAA indoor mile crown in 1989 and anchored the Arkansas DMR team to an all-time world best in the DMR at the Penn Relays that same year. However, Falcon’s quest to defend his 1500-meter crown fell 1200 meters short in June after he was tripped and pushed to the ground less than one lap into the NCAA final, in what would be his final collegiate race.
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.