Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Tipton Led 1-2-3 Oregon Finish In 1964 JT

The first 1-2-3 finish in any event at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships wasn’t as easy as the saying goes.

Host Oregon had a favorite in the javelin with Les Tipton, the year’s leading American as the 1964 NCAA meet returned to Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The 1964 NCAA meet was the final one in which marks from the trials carried over to the next day’s finals in field events.

In Friday’s trials Tipton provided a solid starting point, topping all throwers at 249-10½ (76.16m), but he was joined by two unlikely teammates advancing to the finals – unlikely only because of the previous several weeks.

The Ducks’ Ron Gomez was third in the trials at 230-7½ (70.28m), which gave him some sweet satisfaction – a year earlier he threw 233-4½ (71.12m) yet failed to reach the finals at the 1963 NCAA meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“I can get up for a meet like this,” Gomez told Jerry Uhrhammer of the Eugene Register-Guard. Gomez related that he’d been throwing “lousy” the past few weeks, but here he was relaxed.

Even more surprising was the UO’s Gary Reddaway, who qualified fifth at 219-10 (67.00m) after having not thrown even in practice the previous six weeks due to a sore elbow. He took a cortisone shot for this meet but his list of ailments had grown to having a cold and hay fever, plus being kicked in the thigh by a horse the week before.

In the first round of Saturday’s finals, Gomez moved into second place at 232-8½ (70.92m), putting Oregon at 1-2-6 (Reddaway had moved down a notch).

Reddaway provided the final touch in Round 2 after his first throw in the final “hurt like a fury” as he told the Register-Guard. He said his next try didn’t hurt at all as the spear sailed to a PR of 246-1½ (75.02m) which gave Oregon a 1-2-3 that survived the final round (Tipton did not improve).

The javelin was the first event on the meet’s final day, and the 24 points Oregon gained started an avalanche that saw the Ducks amass 70 points, 30 more than second-place San Jose State.

posted: April 21, 2021
1921-2021
The NCAA's First Championships

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.

Memorable Moments
O-H-I- Oh, Reynolds Was Fast!
June 6, 1987

Butch Reynolds set a meet record in the 400 of 44.13 at the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships. He barely missed his own collegiate record of 44.10.

Fynes Won NCAA Titles For Two Programs

Sevatheda Fynes won three career titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. What’s even more impressive is that she did it for two programs – Eastern Michigan & Michigan State.

El Moutawakel Had Legendary Year In 1984

Nawal El Moutawakel set a meet record in the 400 hurdles of 55.84 at the 1984 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also won Olympic gold that year in the event.

Florida State’s England Kicked To 1500 CR
June 15, 2008

Hannah England set a collegiate record in the 1500 of 4:06.19 at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships & led two other women under 4:08 in one of the meet’s fastest finals.