
LoJo Breaks Barriers, Records In Pole Vault
“LoJo” was just one of the nicknames Lawrence Johnson garnered while pole vaulting at Tennessee.
His teammates also called him “Black-ba, as in the Black Bubka,” Merrell Noden wrote in Sports Illustrated, referring to then-world record holder Sergey Bubka.
In 1995, Johnson became the first Black pole vaulter to win the event at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Then the following year, Johnson defended his title, a feat that has only happened eight times since 1960.
By any nickname, the native of Norfolk, Virginia, was a barrier- and record-breaking vaulter, whose 1996 NCAA title came with a meet record of 5.82m (19-1) that would last 22 years until Chris Nilsen of South Dakota broke it with a 5.83m (19-1½) clearance in 2018. The former Volunteer star’s margin of victory that year – 27 centimeters (10½ inches) – currently sits third all-time in meet history behind Nilsen (2019) and Bob Seagren (1969), who are tied at 28 cm (11 inches) each.
Johnson was the last male vaulter to set NCAA DI meet records both indoors and outdoors. He jumped 5.83m (19-1½) to win the NCAA title at the 1994 NCAA DI Indoor Championships prior to leaving his mark on the outdoor record book the following year. Johnson also previously owned both the indoor and outdoor collegiate records, the latter of which held strong for 23 years until Mondo Duplantis erased it last year.
As a prep athlete at Lake Taylor (Va.) High School, Johnson was steered toward the vault, because his team was loaded with hurdlers. Another story has it, though, that he was caught doing backflips off the bleachers in the gymnasium and the track coach at the time told him, “Boy! You are a pole vaulter if I ever saw one. I need you to come to the track today and try out this pole vault thing.”
Johnson did – and the rest was history.
“People kept saying, ‘He’s a Black pole vaulter. He won’t succeed,’” Johnson told Noden in that Sports Illustrated article. “I knew if I worked hard enough, I could do it. I watched ‘Rocky’ movies growing up.”
Johnson succeeded on the international stage as well. In 2000, Johnson earned Olympic silver at the Sydney Games to become the world’s first Black vaulter to reach the podium. A year later, Johnson won a world title at the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.
NOTE: Upon arriving at Tennessee, Johnson initially joined the Vols’ strong decathlon group and combined his initial love of hurdling, pole vaulting and eight other disciplines. True to form, Johnson excelled at that, winning the 1993 SEC title as a freshman with 7576 points, then the second best total by an American under the age of 20.
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.

ON THIS DAY: Kerley Set 400-Meter CR In Austin
Fred Kerley set a collegiate record in the 400 on this day in 2017. Kerley went 43.70 at the NCAA DI West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas.

Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
Brittney Reese won the long jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). Reese missed the meet record by just 1cm (½ inch).

Foster Won All-Time Classic 110H In 1978
Greg Foster won an epic 110H race at the 1978 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Foster beat Renaldo Nehemiah & set an AR, CR & MR in the process with his 13.22.

D’Agostino Won By Slim Margin In 2012
Abbey D’Agostino won back-to-back 5K titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 2012 & 2013. When D’Agostino won in 2012, it was by just 0.03 seconds.

Tupuritis Shocked The Field In 1996
Einars Tupuritis won the 800 at the 1996 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 0.14 seconds! Turpiritis crossed the finish line in 1:45.08.

Arkansas’ Brown Notched All-Time 100H Mark
Janeek Brown won the 100H at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 12.40, narrowly missing the collegiate record and meet record.

Brown Paced Tennessee To 1974 Team Title
Doug Brown won back-to-back steeplechase titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1973 & 1974. His victory in 1973 was by 17.2 seconds!

EMU’s Jones Hurdled Into NCAA History
Hayes Jones completed the 120H-220H sweep at the 1959 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. Jones won the last 220H title ever awarded at the meet.

Ellis Sent USC To A Thrilling Victory
Kendall Ellis had a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the 4×400 relay at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships that sent Southern California to the meet title.

Paige Turned Three NCAA Mid-Distance Titles
Don Paige won three career titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, including a 800-1500 sweep in 1979.