TRACKNEWSLETTER SupplementingTRACK & FIELDNEWS Vol. 13, No. 11 March 16, 1967 Page 79 Tracy, Tommie Smith in Exciting Wins in AAU smoothly around the 160-yard track, catching them in a lap and a half as the crowd went wild. In the next half lap, Smith forged into by Cordner Nelson a two-foot lead, but he was in the second lane. Very tired, he held Oakland, Calif. , Mar. 3-4--0nly three meet records fell in his lead around the turn and down the stretch to win by two feet over the 79th national AAU indoor championships, but lively competition BOC and three feet over the 49ers. His 440 was timed in 46. 5. excited a two-day crowd of 13,823 in the new Oakland Coliseum (Times in this event are open to question since they do not equate to Arena. Five defending champions were successful as the Southern observed distance between runners at the handoffs.) California Striders defended their team title over the 49er Track Another thriller was the mile run. With defending champ Club, 33 to 32. Jim Grelle still so weak from the flu that he withdrew from the race Blond Tracy Smith, first American three-miler to finish in on Wednesday and only to reenter on Saturday, it was wide open. last year's meet, won the outstanding performer award this year BYU freshman Tim Danielson led through quarters of 59. 2and 2:00, 6. with a powerful three-mile victory in world indoor record time of With the pace slowing, Rich Romo took over the lead at three quar­ 13:16. 2. Smith trailed Oscar Moore by as much as 25 yards around ters in 3:04, followed by Danielson, Grelle, tiny Sam Bair of Kent the two-mile mark after Moore had spread -eagled a strong field in State, and Harry McCalla. Bair moved quickly to second and Daniel­ 8:52. 4. Smith closed the gap to five yards with three laps to go, son faded. Romo led to the home stretch but he swung wide allowing then won by 40 yards with his last 880 in 2:05. 7. The old indoor re­ Bair to shoot out of a box a -la - Farrell. Grelle went past Romo on cord was 13:18. 4 by Ron Clarke. Van Nelson gained 40 yards on the outside and barely missed catching Bair as both clocked 4:03. 2, Moore in the last half mile to record the fourth best indoor mark One of the best competitions ever was the high jump. John ever. All ten finishers set personal records. The others had to Rambo did not jump until 6'10", clearing on his first 2.ttempt to take leave the track when they were lapped. the lead. Otis Burrell, who was snowbound in Nevada and almost Lanky Bob Beamon, a recent transfer to the building power­ missed the meet, arrived late and took no warmup jumps and no house at Texas Western, astonished everyone with a long jump of visible warmup except for some ankle-limbering movements. His 26'11½", an American indoor record and onJ.y half an inch behind first jump of the evening was at 7 -feet and he cleared it. Ter-Ovanesyan 's world mark. Beamon, a 9, 5 sprinter, looked ex­ Rambo countered by passing at 7 -feet and so he was fifth tremely fast and well coordinated on his one great jump. His only when jumping began at 7'1". John Hartfield cleared 7'1" on his first other mark was 24 '3", although he fouled one of 26'2". He passed attempt, as did Rambo. Defending champ John Thomas went out and his last two. Ralph Boston, who spends much of his time encourag­ so did John Dobroth. Burrell passed. At 7'2", Hartfield missed bad­ ing other jumpers, came through with 26'7½" on his last jump, bet­ ly three times. Rambo, leading the event with only two attempts ter than his former US record. was in a dilemma. If he and Burrell both cleared 7'2" equally, Bur­ The other meet record was Bob Seagren's vault of 17'¾", half rell would be ahead on fewer attempts. Rambo passed. Then Burrell an inch higher than his 1966 mark, then a world record. Seagren, missed badly three times and Rambo was the winner, even though he who again lost his poles, reported late and missed his first vault at tried 7'3¼" three times without success. 16'0". He missed once again at 16'6" and twice at 17'¾". With only In the 600, Jim Kemp fought off Theron Lewis on the first one chance left, he found himself in third place behind veteran Jeff turn, running the first 160 in 17. 3. Then he slowed the pace to 19. 9 Chase and Oregon State's Dennis Phillips. Seagren cleared 17'¾" while balding 28-year-old Jack Yerman moved to second and tiny with inches to spare, then tried 17 '7". He hit the bar with his knees Tom Farrell trailed. Kemp passed the 440 in 52. 2 and the order on his first vault, with his thighs on the second, and with his waist remained unchanged at three laps. On the backstretch Kemp ran on the third. away from the others to win in 1:10. 6 while Farrell pulled up on Art Walker repeated his triple jump victory of 1966, when Lewis. Around the last tum, Farrell shot past Lewis on the inside the event was only an exhibition. This time he had trouble with fouls and barely caught Yerman at the finish. Farrell and Yerman ran on two long jumps. Once his heels cut into the sand over 55-feet 1:11. 4 with Lewis at 1:11. 6. but he sat back. The early lead changed hands several times before The 1000 was another gun to tape victory, for Preston Davis. Walker took charge on his fourth jump. He passed the 440 in 57. 4 and the 880 in 1:54. 6 on his way to a fair The 60-yard dash was exciting as four men were timed in 6- 2:09. 4 victory. Defending champion Ted Nelson trailed at first and flat in the final, and George Anderson, who won the first heat in 6. 0, moved up to second on the last lap. Terry Thompson, who trans­ was only fifth. Jim Hines led at 20 yards, about two inches ahead of ferred from Missouri to Oregon State to be near his commercial defending champion Bill Gaines. Bobby Brown, a high-tail starter, fishing boat, was in trouble all the way. Full of run, he was banged did not get his lightning start in the final but his speedy pickup pull - back to fifth at the start. Unwilling to run wide, he was forced to ed him past Anderson and almost even with Gaines at 20 yards. break his stride half a dozen times on the turns. He almost caught Gaines, wearing shoes borrowed from Wyomia Tyus, caught the Nelson at the finish. American record holder Tom Von Ruden suf­ judges' eyes to win again. Olympic medalist Harry Jerome of Can - fered from the flu. ada, off slowly because of a jump called against him and Larry Dunn, In the shot put, George Woods of Southern Illinois showed the closed to fourth place. potential, as he became the fourt.h best of all -time. All of his puts Willie Davenport, defending his high hurdles title, trailed were better than the second place 61'1o½" of Dave Maggard, who Richmond Flowers by six inches at the first hurdle, then pulled a - came out of the hospital on Wednesday after a serious virus infec­ way to win handily in 7. 0 while the five other finalists clocked 7. 1. tion. Woods barely fouled on one put of 65'6", Flowers knocked over his last three hurdles to lose second to Don Ed Burke won the 35-pound weight throw at Berkeley's Ed­ Shy. wards Field. His 69'2" was an outdoor best and half a foot better Only other successful title defender was the 49er Track Club than George Frenn, who posted a 72'9" exhibition mark recently. in the two-mile relay. They barely held off four indoor specialists In the sprint medley relay, the race was broken wide open from the New York AC in the mediocre time of 7:36. 9. on the shortest leg. Larry Dunn took over a five-yard lead from Greatest crowd pleaser was the final event on the program, Ron Whitney and more than doubled it in 9. 5 seconds. Bob Frey the mile relay. Jim Kemp put the 49ers 15 yards ahead of the Balti­ gained some more yardage and decathlon champion Bill Toomey held more Olympic Club, with San Jose another four yards back. Kent the lead on the 300-yard leg. The Striders missed the world indoor Bernard put BOC back into the race on the second leg, handin.g off record of 1:51. 3 by only three-tenths. only three yards back. San Jose looked to be 30 yards behind, but The mile walk was exciting although the various leaning and they still had Lee Evans and Tommie Smith. floating forms might have been subject to more criticism. Ron Dan­ Evans made up almost 15 yards in the first 220, then hung on iel of the NYAC ,)with one infraction already against him, edged one in a real test of courage. Smith was off about 15 yards behind the foot past Don DeNoon with 15 yards to go, but he was waved out.