Former prep star hoping for his 70-year-old record to fall
My paper carried the touching story yesterday about a Coronado High School jumper, now 87, who went 23 feet in 1938, a school record — and now cheers on a kid at the same school with a 22-10 PR. Made me wonder: How many of us still hold records at our old high school? I attended two — Valencia HS in Placentia, California, and Harry A. Burke Sr. High School in 1971-72 in Omaha. At both schools, I set records that still stand. I ran the 120 lows in 13.7 at VHS as a sophomore and the 180s (around the turn) in 19.9 at Burke. Of course, it helps that they don’t contest these hurdle events anymore! (But my 14.4 record in the 120HH is still on the books at Burke.) What prep records of yours still stand? Don’t be shy.
26 Responses
Hey, Ken–14.4 is pretty darn impressive!
For me, all have gone with the wind as have my college records. Records are made to broken, but you oughta be proud of having yours 40 years later.
Bill
I ran the 110 yard hurdles in 14.2 and the 80 yard hurdles in 10.3 at Arapahoe High School in Littleton, CO. I remember those times because they were engraved on a award I was given as a senior. Those were league records as well, but note they are in yards, not meters! Even though the events are no longer contested, my former coach told me that no one came close to the 110 yard league record until 9 years later when it was eclipsed by someone running the metric equivalent. Per my niece who attends AHS, the HS records still stand 30 years later.
OK, I just had my 2 minutes of semi-fame.
MIke Lewis (throws coach at College of San Mateo, CA) still holds the discus record at Lincoln HS in San Francisco (1957)
The discus record I set at Bethesda-Chevy Chase (MD) HS in 1964 still stands — 157’11”, and no one has been within about 30′ since 1966.
10.19 wind-aided and a LJ of 23-11.5 still stands at my HS (1984)
With my relay teamates of Dennis Doucette, Paul Neves and James Mckinnon we broke the national indoor mile relay record with a time of 3:17.8 running for Brockton High School in 1979. I do not know how that time stands now….MIke Sullivan
43’9′ tj at Groton high in NY in 1973…michael shufelt
I didn’t set a record in HS (only participated my senior year)- that summer after graduation I threw the 12 lb. shotput further than the existing school record, but it didn’t count due to being out of season…..then later in the eighties my HS shotput record got set by- C.J. Hunter, US Olympian 1996, 1999 World Champion, and we probably all know the sordid other details…..
anyway- a new “response addition”– if your HS record got broken- was it broken by an Olympian or World Championship team member?
FR: David E. Ortman (M55) Seattle, WA
1970 – Freeman Academy (a High School), Freeman, South Dakota. I helped set a school record in the Mile Relay (3:32.6). Subsequently broken in the early 1980s by a team that included Larry Miller who later ran for Antigua and Barbuda in the 1984 Olympics Mile Relay.
1971 – Freeman Academy. School Record: 120 yd HH (15.0). That’s 37 years and no better 110m HH equivalent.
1972 – Freeman Junior College, Freeman, South Dakota. School Record in the 440 yard Hurdles. It will never be broken because FJC closed in 1986.
1975 – Bethel College, Kansas. School Record in the 440 yard Hurdles (54.6); 480 yard Shuttle Hurdle Relay (61.6); Mile Medley Relay (3:26.8). The yard records were retired in the 1980s. My hurdle mark was bettered with a 400m Hurdle time, but I do not believe that the relay marks have been bettered by metric equivalents. That’s 33 years for a college record.
I ran 2:14.6 for 800 meters at the VA state meet for James Madison HS in 1981, and I THINK it’s still a school record. Kinda surprising no one has run faster than that in 27 years…
4×200 1:21.06 Baylor (1985) @ Drake Relays
Hi everyone,
Here’s a nice story. I held the CIF Southern Section Div. 2 girls long jump record for over 25 years! That is until
Ashika Charan of Claremont High broke it in 2006. No problem there, I was her high school jumps coach at the time!
p.s.
My maiden name is Veronica Bell.
V.
At Navy, I don’t still have the IH record, but the academy all-time bests list has only one mark faster than my 440 IH time set in 1965. (For comparison, the marks are converted from 440y to 400m IH with the customary .3 adjustment.) The time was a 51.5, I believe, on a soft cinder track at Yale. I never ran on an an all-weather track in my real track life. I don’t recall any long hurdlers taking 12 and 13 steps on cinder tracks like they can now.
I held 3 school records at Martin Behrman High in New Orleans when I graduated in 1964 – 440 yard dash – 52.3/Long Jump – 21’11″/Triple Jump 44′. The 440 record, which I think was the weakest of the 3, only lasted 2 years. As far as I know the two jump records were never broken, but here’s the catch. Behrman High went out of existence as a high school in 1971(its still a middle school) replaced by a new school building with a new name (O.P. Walker). But the standards in horizontal jumping in this area haven’t changed much in the last 40 years. An O.P. Walker jumper won the Louisiana 4A state meet this year with a 22’4″ jump and the same guy did 45’3″ for 4th in the triple jump. So my jumps from long ago still stack up reasonably well.
i held the LJ record at red bank catholic hs,nj for 33years.i jumped 21-11-1/2″ on my third jump at the njsiaa meet of champions ’71 as a junior to break my coaches record of 21-7-1/2(the late tom lalli)he set in 1962.my senior year i went a foot further 22-11-1/2″ ’72 and that record stood till a kid named donald brown jumped 22-11-3/4 on his third jump, as a junior at the njsiaa meet of champions 2004, 33 years later. donald is tearing it up on the football field for the u conn huskies as their tailback.i tied the 120HH record of 14.6 which still stands and still hold the TJ at 44-11-1/2. at seton hall, i had the honor to run on the record setting hurdle relay that won at u of tennessee’s dogwood relays ’74 57.4..and the following week was in the lead at penn against the great hal schwabb(penn switched their order to rattle us)and came through the zone a couple of strides in front to exchange to our great joe myatt( plainfield hs nj)(who earlier beat penns anchor bruce collins in the open hurdles) joe took off and i was assured a penn watch and a place in history. clearly leading, joe pulled his hamstring at the 6th hurdle and shot up then down .the results showed SHU DNF. until my mom passed away in 2004, that was the worst day in my life.my other teamates were the great larry bunting(neptune hs nj) and the multi talented kevin webb(cranford hs nj)… SHU won penn without me two years later ’76 setting a new record…albert
I’m more than a little impressed by Mike Sullivan & Friends blazing 3:17 4x400m relay time in 1979…in High School no less! I have no HS records, but my Pomona College team 4x400m relay record (Mark Egland, Hubert Dubrulle, Graham Cook and myself) from 1987 still hangs in there at 3:11. Was also a SCIAC conference record at the time, but not sure if it still exists.
Now I’m just trying to break 55 seconds in the 400M. Ah, to be young again….
Top this one folks. In 1960..we had 5 track stars…with a handfull of others..Here is what we accomplished.
John Redgrave broke 440 yard dash
Wayne Powell broke the 880 yard run, Earl Clibborn broke the Mile
John Duda broke the 120 lows (12.8) 180 lows (19.3), BJ (22’7″) 120 highs (14.7). The sprinters plus 4 others broke the 8 man mile relay.
Do you think any other HS had that type of output in one year.? If we just had 1 other that could have given us a few points here and there we would have won our league and finished in the State higher.
Records remaining earls, John Redgraves 440. My BJ both lows the HH were broken 2 years later.
PS it was Benjamin Franklin High School in Los Angeles, CA Northern League
Red went on to place 5th in the 440 and Duda won the City 180 YD lows in 19.3 ( only 2nd time he ever ran it.)
One more thing. I still hold the BJ record for class “F” in Burbank Jr. HS in Los Angeles of 14’7″ or 8″ dang its so long ago it could have been 14’11” LOL that would be 1957
I still have the school record of 13.9 at Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, CA in 1973.
I ran for Oliver Ames High School in 1979/80. I believe our best time was 3:21.3 in the mile relay. Our relay team consisted of Doug Hatcher, Ross Muscato and Glen Gage and we won the 1980 New England Championships that year. I remember that 1979 team ot Brockton and they were incredible! Dennis Doucette, Paul Neves and James Mckinnon were outstanding! Mike Sullivan used to run 48 second quarter miles! He ran with his hands open and would just blow away the competition. I don’t think any High school team will ever match them.
ALSO, THE RECORD FOR THE 4 man mile relay was run in 3:23 By john Redgrave, Wayne powell, Earl Cliburrn and Jack Heller.
records broken that year were BJ, HH, LH ,180 LH 2 relays, 440, 880, Mile. Also, Northern Leagurnrecords were broken also in the 880, Mile HH and LH. Not to shaby.
I ran against the Brockton team that set the record. sullivan was the best HS sprinter I have ever seen. he was simply amazing.
1961 won LA CITY 180 yd. LH. 19.3. Still stands as does my BJ of 22’9″. And my 120 LH OF 12.8. FRANKLIN HS IN Los Angeles. Hey at my age I can brag aliterate now :))
Oh yeah. I still hold the BJ record from Jr. High class F Lol little guys 7th grade of 15’4″ 1958
Also Franklin HS John Redgrave tied the 100 yard dash in 9.9
Leave a Reply