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.
Texas’ Hooker High Jumped To NCAA Glory
Destinee Hooker won three career high jump titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a massive victory in 2009 by more than two inches.
De Grasse Sprinted To Otherworldly Double
Andre De Grasse completed the 100-200 double at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with scorching times: 9.75 (+2.7) in the 100; 19.58 (+2.4) in the 200.
Merritt Broke Long-Standing 110H MR In 2006
Aries Merritt broke a 28-year-old meet record in the 110H when he won the crown at the 2006 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 13.21.
UGA’s Torrence Made NCAA History With Double
Gwen Torrence completed the 100-200 double at the 1987 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Torrence was also the first woman to finish top-8 four times in the 100.
Bayer Gave It His All For NCAA 1500 Title
Andrew Bayer won the 1500 at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in one of the closest finishes in meet history – 0.01 seconds.
Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT
Les Tipton led the first podium sweep of any event in the history of the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Tipton and his Oregon teammates went 1-2-3 in the 1964 javelin.
K-State’s Jones Captured Heptathlon Crown In 2015
Akela Jones won the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with 6371 points. That is the fourth-best score in both collegiate history & meet history.
Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs
The LSU foursome of Bennie Brazell, Pete Coley, Robert Parham, Kelly Willie swept the 4×100 & 4×400 crowns at the 2003 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Martin Won Distance Titles For Two Programs
Francis (Frank) Martin made history twice in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
FSU’s Williams Soared To Jumps Double In 2009
Kim Williams swept the horizontal jumps at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Williams was particularly dominant in the TJ, winning at 14.38m (47-2¼) & by nearly 2 feet.