Fromm Rewrote NCAA Javelin History

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Fromm Rewrote NCAA Javelin History

John Fromm’s first collegiate record almost never happened.

The junior javelin thrower from Pacific Lutheran was in danger of not qualifying for the finals of the 1957 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin.

That changed on his last throw of the trials.

Despite having won the NAIA Championships a week earlier with the year’s top collegiate effort of 243-11 (74.34m), Fromm was the last and final qualifier in the NCAA meet at 213-11 (65.20m).

As Track & Field News co-founder Bert Nelson reported, a sleepless night seemed to help Fromm as the next day “he moved into fourth with 225-0 (68.58m), then uncorked the winner on his ultimate try.”

The distance of 247-1 (75.32m) wasn’t just a PR, but also a new meet and collegiate record.

Fromm’s uneasiness was a result of his unfamiliarity with using a new Held javelin, the en vogue model designed by Dick Held, brother of three-time NCAA champ Bud Held of Stanford. Held javelins had just begun a rage of popularity in the mid-1950s.

Fromm was a heavy favorite for the 1958 NCAA meet in Berkeley, especially having improved his own CR to 252-10½ (77.06m). But still Fromm entered the finals trailing New Mexico’s Buster Quist, who had PRed 239-9 (73.08m).

On his last effort Fromm unleashed a huge throw which landed with its middle on the concrete curb of the track. It was ruled fair, and the measurement of 257-1 (78.36m) gave the Lute another CR as he won by a then-meet record margin of 17-4 (5.28m).

Fromm’s NCAA titles were the first in any sport for the small school in Tacoma, Washington, which now competes in NCAA Division III. He remains the only javelin thrower to set CRs in more than one NCAA meet.

posted: April 4, 2021
1921-2021
The NCAA's First 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.

Memorable Moments
O-H-I- Oh, Reynolds Was Fast!
June 6, 1987

Butch Reynolds set a meet record in the 400 of 44.13 at the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships. He barely missed his own collegiate record of 44.10.

Fynes Won NCAA Titles For Two Programs

Sevatheda Fynes won three career titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. What’s even more impressive is that she did it for two programs – Eastern Michigan & Michigan State.

El Moutawakel Had Legendary Year In 1984

Nawal El Moutawakel set a meet record in the 400 hurdles of 55.84 at the 1984 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also won Olympic gold that year in the event.

Florida State’s England Kicked To 1500 CR
June 15, 2008

Hannah England set a collegiate record in the 1500 of 4:06.19 at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships & led two other women under 4:08 in one of the meet’s fastest finals.