Bill Collins really is the poster boy of masters track. In a special issue of Sports Illustrated devoted entirely to the 50 years of “Faces in the Crowd,” Bill is among the current crop of FITC. The weekly feature has become renowned for spotlighting up and coming stars (or notable oldies). Track has been the most well-represented sport since the department debuted in 1956 — accounting for 1,980 faces in the 15,672 published. (Among the masters shown have been our Phil Raschker and M100 sprint stud Erwin Jaskulski.) In this week’s FITC, Bill is described thusly:

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James Lofton, our local Pro Football Hall of Famer and sprint stud, will interview this week for the head coaching vacancy at Stanford. If he gets the gig as head football honcho, he might have more time to train and compete. Last season, an abbreviated one for him, he nearly nailed the M50 world record for 400 meters. He has a hot hand now. As wide receivers coach for the San Diego Chargers, he has a good shot at seeing his team go all the way to Miami and Super Bowl XLI.

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In the Global War on Dopism, you’re either with us or against us. “Us” is the axis of IAAF/WADA/WMA. Add to that list the European Veterans Athletic Association, which has trotted out the latest PR campaign against evil drug-doers. It’s called the “Anti-Doping Declaration and Personal Pledge by Master Athletes” (and it’s copyrighted for some inane reason.) It was devised at the European masters championships in Poland this past summer. And at the next Eurovets meet (Helsinki 2008), “all athletes will receive this declaration in their registration package.” Great! That’ll stop them there cheats once and for all!

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Geezerjock magazine has announced its second annual set of Geezerjocks of the Year. (Last year, our Bill Collins won top honors.) This year’s top geezerdog is a 54-year-old racquetball champ from Staten Island, N.Y., named Ruben Gonzalez. This puts to rest the notion that Geezerjock’s editors are trackcentric. But two track stars made the age-group award list — M55 middle-distance stud Nolan Shaheed of Pasadena and W60 vaulter/sprinter Nadine O’Connor of Del Mar, California. (Bill Collins apparently wasn’t eligible to repeat, although he was the world masters Athlete of the Year in the IAAF’s estimation. Interesting fact: Bill also was 54 when named GJOTY.)

Remember the strange case of the reported M55 world record in the 800? It wasn’t a record after all. And it wasn’t quite a typo. As Rex Harvey of WMA reports: “It appears that Julio Quirino M55 BRA ran an actual 2:27.65 in the 800, which age-grades to 2:03.09. That is probably where the mistake crept in. It should have been obvious that it was not correct as he didn’t even win the race.” Well, uh, we weren’t in Rio to watch the event, so pardon our relying on posted meet results. But how funny! And what a great in-your-dreams precedent! The next time I run a 13.50 for 100 meters, I’d prefer that the results posted online for my M50 race give me credit for having run the age-graded equivalent — 11.9.

Gawd, what took so long!? After years of lapdog inaction, a legit mainstream newspaper has become a snarling watchdog when it comes to the illegitimate system of catching “drug cheats.” The system is bad enough when it comes to elite athletes, but it’s beyond insane when it’s applied to masters athletes — punishing (and tarring) the innocent more often than the guilty. In Part 1 of a two-part series, Pulitzer Prize winner Michael A. Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times writes of the WADA/USADA system under the headline “Presumed guilty/Athletes’ unbeatable foe.”

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Henry Rono, who turns 55 in eight weeks, tackled a 5K yesterday in Cincinnati, taking third in the M50 age group in 19:20. Race results from Cincy are here: As I’ve noted, Rono’s goal remains running a record mile when he enters M55. Rono’s Jingle Bells race was fodder for the letsrun.com Rono message thread and a growing thread at Track & Field News. They make fun of his size. I give him kudos for running a 105 percent effort on the nonexistent Weight-Graded Tables.

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Pete Magill turned 45 six months ago, but someone forgot to tell him. At today’s USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco, only two M40s beat him to the finish line in the 10K race: Tracy Lokken (32:44) and Danny Martinez (32:51). A second back was Pete, whose 32:52 was nearly 50 seconds ahead of the second M45 — Todd Coffin (33:41). Track stars Brian Pope and Tony Young, both 44, showed their age, however, taking 18th and 22nd in the M40 race. No matter. It’s all good conditioning for the spring and summer.

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It’s not true that USATF officials supply the bulk of mall Santas this time of year (despite their tendency to sport bellies of jelly). But they do display Christmas spirit (Hanukkah spirit as well) on their national Web site: a little parody of “Jingle Bells.” “Weird Al” Yankovic it’s not. But it’s nice to see them showing some levity in an all-too-serious sport where now even coaches are on notice they can be suspended. Sing along with us . . . .

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We’re so used to seeing our fellow athletes in their skivvies that we don’t appreciate how suave and debonair they look dressed up. Phil Raschker graciously sent some photos she and others took at the Jesse Owens/National Track and Field Hall of Fame induction ceremony at last week’s USATF annual meeting in Indianapolis. Guess they’re starting a new event — Best Dressed Masters Athlete.