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
The Tie Goes To The Buckeye

Dave Albritton of Ohio State won three consecutive high jump titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships & remains one of just two men to do so.

No One Vaulted Like Nilsen At NCAAs

Chris Nilsen of South Dakota set meet records for height and win margin in the pole vault at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.