Calhoun High Hurdled Into The Record Book
Lee Calhoun was virtually unknown before 1956, but Dr. LeRoy Walker knew him well.
A young Calhoun was NAIA high hurdles runner-up in 1953 for Dr. Walker’s North Carolina Central track team before leaving to serve two years in the U.S. Army.
It is possible that even Dr. Walker was surprised by Calhoun’s progress, as the native of Gary, Indiana, opened up the 1956 season beating some of the best in the world when he claimed the AAU national indoor hurdles title.
Outdoors that year, Calhoun set meet records in becoming his school’s first champion in any event at the NAIA or NCAA meets, sweeping the 110 Hurdles with meet records of 14.0 and 13.7, respectively.
While that was impressive for someone who entered the year with a best of 14.5, the best was still yet to come. Calhoun culminated his 1956 season with an Olympic gold medal in Melbourne, edging fellow American Jack Davis as both ran 13.5 – only Davis had ever run faster (a then-world record 13.4).
Calhoun caught no one by surprise in 1957.
At the slightly shorter 120-yard distance, he again swept NAIA and NCAA titles with meet records, both at 13.6 as he became the first – and still only – man to break NCAA meet records in different years in the high hurdles.
Calhoun continued making history after college, becoming the first man to win multiple Olympic high hurdle golds after his 1960 victory in Rome. A month earlier he equaled the 110H world record of 13.2 – a time that would not be bettered until 1973.
Dr. Walker, who eventually became chancellor of North Carolina Central as well as the first Black president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, saw his protégé also become an Olympic coach as well as leading programs at Grambling, Yale and Western Illinois. The latter’s campus – Calhoun’s final stop before his death in 1989 – displays a life-sized bronze sculpture of his likeness entitled “Excellence on Winged Feet” inside the stadium at Hanson Field.
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.