Villanova’s Delany Starred In NCAA 1500/Mile
A duel of collegiate miler greats was one of the features of the 1956 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Edwards Stadium on the campus of California at Berkeley.
The headliners were about as big as possible, pitting the first two collegians to break the 4-minute mile barrier with each having done so impressively.
Defending NCAA mile champ Jim Bailey of Oregon was the first sub-4 collegiate miler at 3:58.6, upsetting Australian countrymate and mile world record holder John Landy in early May with a ferocious last lap of 55.5. Bailey’s time was a PR by seven seconds.
A well-beaten third in that race was Villanova’s Ron Delany, but the sophomore showed amazing improvement a month later when he chopped nearly six seconds off his PR with a 3:59.0 to edge Denmark’s Gunnar Nielsen – a co-world record holder in the 1500 and indoor mile WR holder. Delany’s last 120 yards was clocked in 14.4 – then the fastest finish of any sub-4 miler.
With 1956 being an Olympic year, the NCAA held a 1500 meters instead of the then-normal mile.
Nobody was surprised that neither fast-finisher wanted the early lead, but no one else was extremely interested to lead so the pace dawdled – 2:06.6 for the first two laps with all 16 runners in the field bunched together.
At the bell lap, Don Bowden of the host Cal Golden Bears shot to the front and still led with half a lap to go, although Bailey was right with him and seemed well poised to unleash his kick.
However, Delany beat Bailey to the punch, emerging from the pack and going wide around the last curve to take the lead. Bailey followed as the two sprinted furiously, quickly separating themselves from the rest.
Delany held the lead all the way to the tape, winning by some five feet in a meet-record 3:47.3. Bailey (3:47.6) followed as the top five all bettered the previous 1500 meet record. Delany’s last lap was timed in 54.1, while Bailey’s was 54.6.
Delany would add global superiority in the fall, winning the Melbourne Olympics 1500 for his native Ireland. No other miler has ever won the 1500 or mile titles in the NCAA and Olympics in the same year.
Delany added three more career NCAA mile titles, winning the mile in 1957 and 1958 – the latter part of a double with the 880. During his senior season at Villanova he set the first of three career indoor mile world records.
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.
Cal’s Hudson Wins Epic Triple Jump With World’s Best
On this day in 1987, Sheila Hudson of California set world best in Women’s Triple Jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships when she bounded 13.78m (45-2½).
Track. Field. Houston’s Lewis Does It All!
On this day in 1981, Carl Lewis of Houston became the first athlete since Jesse Owens to win a track event and field event at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
UCLA Men’s 4×400 Clocks NCAA’s First Sub-3
On this day in 1988, the UCLA men’s 4×400 relay team became the first collegiate quartet to break three minutes, clocking 2:59.91 with Steve Lewis, Kevin Young, Danny Everett and Henry Thomas.
LSU’s Sowell Dominates 1989 NCAA Championships
On this day in 1989, Dawn Sowell of LSU culminated one of the most dominant performances in the history of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Givens’ Quad Leads Florida State to Team Title
On this day in 1984, Randy Givens of Florida State completed a remarkable – and still, unmatched – feat, winning a quadruple set of titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Rono Rolls Into The Record Books
On this day in 1978, Henry Rono of Washington State became the first (and still only) man to set two different NCAA Championships meet records in distance races on the same day.
Jackie Joyner Doubles Down On Multi Crowns
On this day in 1983, Jackie Joyner of UCLA became the first woman to win an event twice at the NCAA Championships, claiming her second consecutive crown in the heptathlon with a then-collegiate-record-setting score of 6390 points.
Connect Four: Prefontaine Makes History
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon became the first athlete to win titles in the same outdoor event four times, claiming the 3-mile/5000m from 1970-73.
Ralph Metcalfe Is Mr. Triple-Double
Ralph Metcalfe, who was born on this day (May 29) in 1910, won three consecutive 100 and 200 titles while at Marquette from 1932-34, becoming the first athlete to win three NCAA titles in two separate events.
Georgia’s Orji Jump-Starts Record-Breaking Career
On this day in 2016, Keturah Orji of Georgia set her first collegiate record in the triple jump of 14.29m (46-10¾) at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida.