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.
Oregon’s Burleson Races To Meet’s First Sub-4 Mile
ON THIS DAY: Dyrol Burleson of Oregon recorded the first sub-4 minute mile in meet history at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Burleson finished in 3:59.8 and used a 55.2 closing lap to seal the deal.
Nebraska’s Greene Equals 100-Yard World Record
ON THIS DAY IN 1967: Charlie Greene of Nebraska equaled the world record in the 100 yards with his time of 9.1 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Twice As Nice For Texas’ Richards In 2003
ON THIS DAY: Sanya Richards of Texas became the first freshman (man or woman) to win the 400 & double back to anchor the winning 4×400 relay team.
Hubbard Makes World History At NCAAs
ON THIS DAY: DeHart Hubbard of Michigan achieved the first ratified world record ever set at the NCAA Championships in 1925.
Barringer Caps Legendary Collegiate Career
Exactly 11 years ago, Jenny Barringer of Colorado became the first woman to win the steeplechase three times in a career at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Villanova’s Reid Completes Historic 1500-5K Double
Sheila Reid of Villanova completed the first 1500-5K double at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 11, 2011!
Brazier Makes History Two Laps At A Time
Donavan Brazier of Texas A&M set the collegiate record of 1:43.55 in the Men’s 800 Meters at the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
Wottle Leads Eight Men Under Four Minutes
On this day in 1973, Dave Wottle of Bowling Green led eight runners under the 4-minute barrier for the mile – just the second time such depth had occurred anywhere in the world.
Fight On! Southern California’s Historic Day
Three collegiate records in 80 minutes is what Southern California’s men’s team did ON THIS DAY back in 2018.
Holloway’s Texas Two-Step Into The Record Book
On this day in 2019, Grant Holloway of Florida broke Renaldo Nehemiah’s 40-year-old collegiate record in the Men’s 110 Hurdles.