Three-For-Three: Woodruff Made It Look Easy
The half-mile or 800 meters is a beautifully chaotic race.
Just about anything can – and just might – happen during a two-lap race of an outdoor track, especially at the highest level of competition, such as the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships. Go ahead and multiply that by infinity when it comes four laps of a 200-meter indoor track.
In the near 100 years since the first NCAA Track & Field Championships were established in 1921, there have only been three men who won three consecutive outdoor titles: Charles Hornbostel of Indiana from 1932 to 1934, John Woodruff of Pittsburgh from 1937 to 1939 and Jose Parrilla of Tennessee from 1992 to 1994.
Woodruff was already quite accomplished by the time he won his first NCAA title in 1937. As a freshman with the Panthers in 1936, Woodruff won the U.S. title with a world record of 1:49.8 and then came from behind to capture the Olympic gold medal later that summer, even after being boxed in so severely by other runners that he had to slow to a moderate jog to correct his path.
When Woodruff returned to the collegiate scene the following season, he left no doubt that he was the best to come through those ranks in a long time. After all, his first NCAA victory in 1937 resulted in a meet record of 1:50.3 that wasn’t broken for 15 years.
By the time he graduated from Pittsburgh in 1939, Woodruff added two more 880-yard titles to his ledger, including a full-second victory to cap his undefeated collegiate career against collegians in that event outdoors. That wasn’t just in the 880, either: According to track & field historian Dave Johnson of the Penn Relays, Woodruff never lost an outdoor race in collegiate competition in the 800/880 or 400/440.
Woodruff had high hopes for the future, which he thought would include a title defense at the 1940 Olympic Games. World War II broke out in 1941 and soon after graduating from New York University with a master’s degree in sociology, Woodruff enlisted in the military as a second lieutenant and was discharged as a captain in 1945. He re-joined the military to serve during the Korean War and left in 1957 as a lieutenant colonel.
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.
Merchant, Muller Led Cal’s Field Day In 1922
Jack Merchant and Harold Muller combined for six top-5 finishes in five field events at the 1922 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
NC State’s Springs Doubles Up Distance Titles
In 1983, Betty Springs became the first woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to sweep the 5K/10K titles.
“Marvelous Mal” Whitfield Stars Over Two Laps
“Marvelous” Mal Whitfield won back-to-back NCAA 800-meter/880-yard titles in 1948 and 1949.
Ewen Was A True Triple Threat At NCAAs
Maggie Ewen is the only woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with titles in three different throwing events.
Wanamaker Wins Inaugural Decathlon Title
Rick Wanamaker of Drake won the first-ever decathlon title at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1970!
SMU’s Connor Bounds To Triple Jump Greatness
It’s been 38 years and still no one has broken the meet record Keith Connor of SMU set in the triple jump at the 1982 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Provo, Utah.
Hail Lorenzo! Daniel Sprints To 200-Meter Records
Lorenzo Daniel of Mississippi State made four consecutive appearances in the final of the Men’s 200 Meters and set a collegiate and meet record in his last race.
Talented Twins Dominate Pole Vault Podium
Twin sisters Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard finished on the same podium five times in eight seasons at the NCAA Championships and each won an outdoor title.
Blozis Was A “Giant” In The Shot
“Giant” Al Blozis won three consecutive shot put titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships between 1940 and 1942.
Cameron Came Close To Standing Alone
Two one-hundredths of a second separated Bert Cameron of UTEP from standing alone in NCAA history.