Wyatt has unique status in the Masters Hall of Fame
Last week, M70 jumper Tom Langenfeld sent me a note with an interesting revelation: Of the hundreds of members of the USATF Masters Hall of Fame, only 2007 inductee Herm Wyatt is strictly a high jumper. Many multi-eventers are in the Hall, but only Herm can say he was a HJ specialist. Interesting. Here’s what Tom shared: “I’m delighted to see that Herm Wyatt has been inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame –- for several reasons. I believe he is the first “pure” high jumper to make the hall.” (And speaking of the new Hall of Famers, USATF still hasn’t put out a press release on the inductees! Tsk-tsk)
Tom continued:
There are several very good high jumpers among those previously inducted, but none voted in solely on the strength of high jumping success. Burl Gist, who went into the hall in 2001, comes close. He was a top high jumper back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but he was also a world champion hurdler. Nick Newton and Emil Pawlik both have outstanding high jump credentials (something I can testify to, having jumped against both of them on numerous occasions with mixed results).
But both of them were/are also outstanding in other events – Nick in the sprints and Emil in practically everything. Same is true of some of the other hall of famers – Morcom, Held and Raschker among them.
What’s really remarkable about Herm is that he achieved his records using the old side-clearance western roll – the aesthetically pleasing but relatively inefficient style popular in an era when pits often weren’t much softer than take-offs (early 1920s into the 1950s).
Despite the limitations of the western roll, Herm’s 6’2” at age 51 and 5’10½” at age 55 are heights that very few M50-M55 floppers can handle today. In fact, these marks are still listed by USATF as American age group records 24 years and 20 years after they were set. Pretty amazing.
From a personal standpoint, I have a special respect for Herm as one of just two Americans I was never able to beat in masters competition (among those I competed against more than once, anyway). Phil Fehlen is the other. One thing these guys have in common is that they are both very tall — 8 or 9 inches taller than I am. Another is that they aren’t just tall — they both could/can really get off the ground. A high center of gravity and leaping ability – a formidable combination in high jumping!
I admittedly have a high jump bias, but it seems to me that Phil is also an obvious choice for the hall on the basis of his records alone. Another strong candidate from this general age range would be the late Dick Richardson, a straddler from Bradley University whose credentials include three head-to-head victories over Herm Wyatt in world championship competition.
Anyway, that’s a long lead-in to my wish to you for good healing and good health in 2008 – a rewarding rehab and competitive rebound!
Happy landings!
Thanks, Tom. And best of luck to you this coming season!
Anyone else notice any underrepresented events in the Masters Hall of Fame?
