Fight On, Sim! Iness Set World Record In 1953
Something was missing when Sim Iness of Southern California threw a world record 190-0⅞ (57.93m) at the 1953 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“Iness got off his throw with such ease he omitted his usual grunt,” reported Cordner Nelson of Track & Field News.
“The discus left my hand so easy I figured it wasn’t going very far,” explained Iness, repeating his title from 1952. “I never spun in the ring as fast as I did today.”
The ease of the throw belied the difficulty Iness experienced during the 1953 season.
Earlier in the year Iness – whose first name of “Sim” is actually short for “Simeon” – was dominating his collegiate competition much the way a 1952 Olympic gold medalist would be expected to. But a fall down some steps set him back some 25 feet from when he threw 185-5¼ (56.52m) in April – merely the longest by an American on U.S. soil.
Then, a week before the NCAA Championships, Iness was hit squarely in the mouth by a flying disc, leaving him questionable for the meet. But, when he eventually arrived in Nebraska and launched a meet record of 183-0 (55.78m) in the trials, everybody knew he was good to go.
The WR effort came on his third and final effort the next day in the finals as Iness successfully defended his NCAA title. Second place – for the second-straight year – went to teammate Parry O’Brien, who would go on to win repeat as NCAA shot put champion.
Fun fact: Iness was a high school teammate of Bob Mathias. Both graduated from Tulare (California) High School in 1948 and Mathias went on that summer to win the first of two Olympic golds in the decathlon. As the 10-eventer would not become part of the NCAA meet until 1970, Mathias was NCAA runner-up for Stanford in the 1951 discus and 1952 120-yard hurdles.
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.
Gerber Graduated To Elite Company
Farley Gerber of Weber State turned the steeplechase at the 1984 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships into an ultimate game of “Catch Me If You Can.”
Jenkins Set Low-Altitude Meet Best In 1999
LaTasha Jenkins of Ball State set a low-altitude meet best of 22.29 in the 200 meters at the 1999 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships!
Rice Cooked On The Course & Track
Greg Rice, winner of the first NCAA cross country title OTD in 1938, also won two career crowns at the outdoor championships, both in the 2 mile.
Prandini Dazzled At NCAAs In 2015
2015 The Bowerman winner Jenna Prandini scored 26 points at the NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships that year, winning the 100 and finishing runner-up in the 200 and long jump.
Devers Reached Legendary Status In 1988
Gail Devers scored 28½ points at the 1988 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships: 100 (1st, 10.86w), 4×400 (1st, 51.4 split), LJ (2nd, 6.55m | 21-6), 4×100 (2nd), 100H (3rd, 12.90).
Hall Equaled 120H World Record In 1969
Erv Hall won the NCAA title in the 120 Yard Hurdles at the 1969 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships, one day after setting the world record of 13.2 in the prelims.
Tulloch Shook Nerves, Dominated Javelin
Valerie Tulloch became the first woman in NCAA DI history to win three javelin titles, doing so in 1992 and then back-to-back in 1994 & 1995.
Seagren Vaulted Into The Record Book
Bob Seagren won two career pole vault titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He set meet records with victories in 1967 (5.28m/17-4) and 1969 (5.35m/17-7).
Gophers’ Gordien Golden With The Disc
Fortune Gordien finished runner-up in the discus at the 1943 NCAA Championships, spent two years in the Navy during World War II and then won three consecutive titles between 1946 and 1948.
Price Was Right In The Hammer
DeAnna Price won back-to-back hammer throw titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2015 and 2016.