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.
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.