Emordi Led Texas Southern 1-2 LJ Finish In 1987

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Emordi Led Texas Southern 1-2 LJ Finish In 1987

June 5, 1987

The setting: LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium for the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The event: the men’s long jump.

Although the event was taking place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it turned out to be a Texas intrastate showdown.

Sophomore Eric Metcalf of Texas entered as the defending champion, and the Longhorn led through the first four rounds with a wind-aided jump of 8.13m (26-8¼).

However, a pair of Texas Southern Tigers had other ideas. Entering the finals, teammates Vernon George and Paul Emordi stood second and third, respectively.

Overall, it was a furious final two rounds with seven jumps over 8 meters (26-3). In Round 5, James Madison’s Dezalya Manns moved from eighth to third, at 8.02m (26-3¾). Emordi then took over second place with a leap of 8.10m (26-7), but teammate George responded with a new stadium record 8.24m (27-½) to take over the lead from Metcalf by over four inches.

Metcalf fouled his fifth jump which returned the order back to the top for the sixth-and-final round with George in the lead, Metcalf in second, Emordi in third. JMU’s Mann retook third place early in the round with his best-of-the-day, 8.12m (26-7¾).

Emordi took the runway with three jumpers remaining in the competition and uncorked the new-leading mark, a 8.25m (27-1) jump that moved his teammate George to second by a centimeter. Next up was George who nearly repeated the same mark for his final retort, but came up an inch short with an 8.21m (26-11¼). Metcalf had one last chance to defend his title, but it was a foul: Emordi and George — the Texas Southern duo — finished one-two.

In the history of the men’s long jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, never before, and never still has the same program claimed the top two spots in the event.

posted: December 25, 2020
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
McWilliams Ran Into The 1500 Record Book

Tiffany McWilliams won back-to-back 1500-meter crowns at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which included a three-second victory in 2003 where she set the collegiate record of 4:06.75.

Lendore Capped Dream Year At NCAAs
June 13, 2014

Deon Lendore won the 400, clocked a 44.10 anchor leg on the winning 4×400 relay team and guided Texas A&M to a runner-up finish in the 4×100 relay at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Thomas Rose To Occasion In The High Jump
June 6, 1987

Mazel Thomas won the high jump at the 1987 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships after finishing runner-up to a teammate at the NCAA DII meet two weeks earlier.