Walt Murphy News and Results Service ((email protected))
This day in athletics – November 9
(1895 Vassar Games, 1906-1 Inside USA/Born on this day-Jana Pittman, Leah Pels/RIP-Egil Danielsen, Alice Coachman, Dee Bockman)
1895— The Vassar College Games, the first college field day for women in the United States, were held in a light rain in Poughkeepsie, New York. Restricted to Vassar students, the meet saw the first American records in their respective events Annie Wilkinson (100y heat/15-1/4), Helen Haight (220y/36-1/4), Laura Brownell (high jump/4-0 (1.22m)) and Emma Baker (long jump/11-5 (3.48m)). Team scores were 97/24 class, 98/14 class, 96/5 class
(Louise Tricardi’s “American women’s track and field. history, from 1895 to 1980″)
1906– The first US Indoor Championships were held at Madison Square Garden in New York (November 9-10). Winners included Mel Shepard, who set the indoor record in the 1000 (2:17.8), AC Gilbert in the pole vault (10-9/3.25) and Martin Sheridan, who won three of the five events he entered. Irish-American AC member Sheridan won the 8-pound shot put (61-8/18.79+), the long jump (27-1). 1/4/8.26) and the 56-pound shot put for the height (15-3/4.64+). He also finished 2nd to Ray Eury in the standing long jump and 3rd in the triple jump (known in those days as the hop-step and jump).
(From Wally Donovan’s Indoor Track Story)
Past indoor champions
https://www.flipsnack.com/USATF/usatf-indoor-champions/full-view.html
1941– Future Hall of Famer Greg Rice (29:18.7) won the USA X-Country title (just under 6 miles) at Empire City Race Track in New York. 2:th and 3th His NYAC teammates were Jim Rafferty (29:56) and Joe McCluskey (30:23) as the club won the team title.
The National Marathon Championships, held after the XC race at the same venue, were won by an unknown Joseph Smith in 2:36:06.8.
NY Times obituary.
Past winners (XC). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Cross_Country_Championships
NY Times coverage (for subscribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1941/11/10/87688617.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
Born on this day*
Jana Rawlinson-Pittman-Australia 43 (1982) 2-time world champion: 400m hurdles (2003, 2007)
Two-time champion of the Commonwealth Games (2002, 2006)
Participant of the final round of the 2004 Olympic Games (5th)…2000 (1:St round);
1999 Junior World Champion; 2000 World Junior Champion — 400m, 400m hurdles;
PBs: 50.43 (’03), 53.22 (’03); At the 2014 Winter Olympics, he participated in bobsleigh
Wiki Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jana_Pittman
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/83273
2007 WC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAODbAQFON4
Debra Edwards-Armstrong 71 (1954) 2 times US Olympian (1972-400/1)St round), 1976-200 (semi-final/4×100-7th)
A 17-year-old student at Houston’s Worthing HS when she made the 1972
1975 US Champion – 200m
Married to Ainsley Armstrong, 2-time Trinidad and Tobago Olympic sprinter. Son Aaron was a gold medalist
4×100 at the 2008 Olympics — ran in the 1stSt tour in Trinidad and Tobago
PBs: 22.96 (1976), 52.72 (1976)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Armstrong
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77818
Dead
Egil Danielsen – Norway 85 (1933 – July 29, 2019) 1956 Olympic Gold Medalist – Javelin
Using a javelin borrowed from Poland’s Janusz Sydlo, he threw 281-2 (85.71) in the final round.
Sydlo’s 5-month world record at the Olympics: 274-6 (83.66)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74124
Wiki Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egil_Danielsen
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPmM56XXFHI
IAAF obituary. https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/egil-danielsen-obituary
World record progress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_javelin_throw_world_record_progression
https://www.usatf.org/statistics/calculators/markConversions/
Alice Coachman 90 (1923 – July 14, 2014) 1948 Olympic gold medalist – high jump (1St A black woman will win Olympic gold
in any sport).
Could have been a 3-time Olympic medalist if the 1940 and 1944 games had not been canceled due to World War II
Won 10 consecutive US titles from 1939-1948 (15 when he won his first title).
3-time US champion (1941, 1945-1946);
3-time US champion – 100 m (1942, 1945-1946); 5-time US champion – 50 m (1943-1947)
2-time US indoor 50m champion (1945, 1946)
Set two American records in 1948 (5-5 1/5/1.86, 5-6 1/4/1.88+)
Former high school record holder (5-4)
Named to National Hall of Fame in 1975;
member of the inaugural class Inductees into the National High School T&F Hall of Fame (2018)
In her hometown of Albany, Georgia, an elementary school is named Alice Coachman Elementary in her honor.
school
Video of the interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovwmULL2-f0
NY Times obituary. www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/sports/alice-coachman-90-dies-groundbreaking-medalist.html
Behind (2016). https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/obituaries/archives/alice-coachman
HOF Organic. https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/alice-coachman
HS HOF Organic. http://nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org/showcase/alice-coachman/
Wiki Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Coachman
Delores “Dee” Boeckman 82 (1906-April 25, 1989) 1928 US Olympic – 800m (1:St round)
From Olympiad.
Was one of the US women who competed in the first women’s Olympic track and field competition in 1928.
A pioneer of the sport in the United States, and was chosen for his efforts to promote the sport over the years
USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1976. Bockman was the first US Olympic women’s coach in 1936.
Berlin Games. She was the first woman to chair a national Olympic committee when she assumed the role
for track and field and the first female national chair of the AAU track and field team.
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77761
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/delores-dee-boeckmann
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Boeckmann
