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University Daily Kansan, April 16, 1985
KANSAS RELAYS '85
Page 8
History of KU Relays weathers 60 years
By DAVID O'BRIEN Sports Writer
Former KU sprinter Clifford Wiley has seen a lot of things happen at the Kansas Relays. His current stands out in his mind.
"The year Madeline Manning (Olympic 800 meters gold medalist) sang the national anthem," he said. "She was singing rockets red glare." and the lightning was flashing in the sky.
"Then she hit the last note, and the sky just lift up, and you could see the rain come over the Camel tail and the people start running
"That was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen in my life."
Rain and the Kansas Relays seem destined to come to Lawrence at the same time each spring.
Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, athletic director when the Relays began, took out insurance against the likelihood of rain for the first three years. He insured the Relays for $5,000. If one-tenth of an inch of rain fell between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the Saturday of the meet, Kansas would receive the money.
But after 1925, the insurance companies refused to cover the Relays because they proved to be a losing proposition. The Relays have almost never been run on a cloud-free weekend.
DESPITE THE SEEMINGLY inevitable wetness of the whole affair, the Kansas Relays have enjoyed a rich tradition as the second stop on the Texas-Kansas-Drake Midwest relays circuit. This is the 60th anniversary of the Relays.
Former KU football All-America John Outland is known as the "father of the Relays." The meet program from the first
Kansas Relays describes how Outland came up with the idea for the meet while working toward his doctoral degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where the Penn Relays were becoming the "biggest athletic event in the history of the world, and Outland "was filled with the spirit of the games."
Outland wanted his alma mater to have its own relays, but KU didn't have the facilities for such an undertaking.
"It was only when Kansas students and alumni built the
KANSAS RELAYS
memorial stadium," the program reads, "in token of the sacrifice of the 120 students in the World War, that the Relays became a possibility."
THE MEMORIAL STADIUM track, built in 1923, boasted one of the longest straightways in the country. Only Harvard, Princeton and Yale had larger ones
Outand persuaded Allen, along with track coach Karl Schlademan, to help make his dream of a KU track carnival a reality. Since 1923, the Relays have been held every October since 1904 was canceled from 1943-45 because of World War II.
Allen was most responsible for making the Relays such a popular event. He gained notoriety for the many publicity stunts he used to drum up support for the meet
He and four other Relays officials made a 1,000-mile airplane trip around the state in 1930 to promote interest in the meet. The group wore white jumpsuits with "Kansas Relays"
emblazoned across the backs and stopped in all of the state's major towns.
THAT SAME YEAR, a rope and barbecue were held in conjunction with the meet. In a move that would be difficult with today's artificial turf, a buffalo soon to be the star of the Memorial Stadium's barbecue — grazed on the Memorial Stadium football field
Norwegian pole vault champion Charles Hoff and Swedish spinner Adrien Paulen competed in the 1926 Relays. Hoff cleared 13 feet, 4 inches to win the pole vault. Today the meet record of 18-4 is by another foreigner, Alexzander Krupsky of the Soviet Union.
Allen also began the practice of inviting big-name performers — including foreign athletes — to participate and meet and bring dignitaries.
KRUPSKY WAS A member of the Soviet delegation that competed in the 1983 Relays in a highly-publicized visit that brought international media attention.
The first world record to fall in the meet was the 440-ry relay mark. A team from KU ran a time of 42.9 seconds, of 42.4, 9.2 seconds in 1925.
Harrison Dillard of tiny Baldwin-Grace College won the meet's first Most Outstanding Performer award in the 1948 Relays. Dillard won the MVP award on the strength of his world record timing, and he dazzled. That mark stood for a quarter of a century until KU's Greg Vandaver lowered it to 13.5 in 1973.
KU's Glenn Cunningham drew large crowds to the Relays in the early 30s. Cunningham, a two-time Olympian and former world record holder in the mile, is now a member of the National Track
and Field Hall of Fame. Today the Relays mile run is named in honor of he and another KU great, Wes Sante.
SANTEE, WHO HELD world records in the mile and 1,500-meter runs during the middle 50s, won the Relays MVP award in 1952 and again in 1954. Santee accomplished the rare "triple crown" in 54, winning the MVP awards at the Texas, Kansas and Drake relays in the same year.
More than 32,000 spectators — the largest turnover ever — came to see Jim Ryun run in 1972. The year before, Ryun had become the only four-time winner of the Relays' MVP award. He also won it in '66, '67 and '69. Ryun was a member of the KU distance medley relay team that set a new world record at the '69 Relays.
Wiley, a former Jayhawk sprint great who still competes internationally, won the MVP award in '77 and again in '81. Wiley was a KU junior when he won the 100- and 200-meter dashes in '77. He was also a member of KU's second-place 800-meter relay and third-place 400-meter relay teams.
WILEY RECALLED THE significance of the '77 Relavs.
"That was a threshold meet for me," he said. "It was the first time I had gone out and actually beaten a world class field.
"That was the start of my first year of international competition and it was the first time I ran world class times."
This week, athletes from around the country will add to the rich tradition of the Relays. And from KU grad Jeff Buckingham, former American record holder in the pole vault, to freshman Ann O Connor, the current school record holder in the high jump, Kansas athletes hope to be a part of that tradition.
KU freshman Ann O'Connor will compete against a field that includes four current or former All-Americans in the women's high jump Friday at 1 p.m. O'Connor already holds the school record in the event.
She will be trying to clear the 6 foot 1 mark.
Joe Wilkins III/KANSAM
Freshman leaps for higher goals
High jump brings top competitors
By SUE KONNIK
Sports Writer
Sports Writer
There was no applause as Ann O'Connor's arched back gracefully cleared the vertical bar last week. Memorial Stadium was silent.
"I don't even think about the crowd," she said. "I just block them out. They're usually not cheering for me anyway. They cheer for the races."
The freshman high jumper didn't seem to mind. It was just another day of practice in front of 51,500 empty seats.
The five entrants are: Jane Chee bri, competing unattached. Phyllis Blunton, competing for Puma Track Club. Jane Clough, Oklahoma University senior, Shelly Ferbman.
O'Connor is competing in the women's invitational high jump Friday against five of the country's top athletes. Jumpers the event begins at 1 p.m.
NONE OF THE participants is a stranger to O'Connor. She won the Texas Relays last weekend with a jump of 5 feet $11\frac{1}{2}$ inches, which cleared Bluntson and Clough's best efforts. That mark set a new school record in the women's division at the National collegiate Athletic Association Outdoor Championships.
University of Texas sophomore, and Rita Graves. Kansas State junior.
O'Connor has also defaced Ferhman and Chesbro in meets this year. Graves will be her biggest challenge.
Graves, a two time All-American indoors and one time All-American outdoors, defeated O'Connor in the Big Eight indoor championship last season and was the national indoor championship with O'Connor taking third place.
O'Connor has performed well against her opponents, despite being much younger than most of them, and track coach Cliff Rovetoil said
O'Connor's best jump is 6 feet, and to reach that mark she improved a lot in a short amount of time. Her best before entering KU was a 5 foot 9 inch jump during her senior year at Sacred Heart High School in Salina.
"In high school she was a 5-5 or 6-jumper," Rovello said. "Rita jumped 5 feet 11 inches in high school, and Shelly jumped 6 feet 1 inch. Ann's improvement is nothing short of remarkable."
"ANN IS VERY young and by far the least experienced," he said. "It's a very new position for her to be in, but she has handled it very well."
Although her improvement has been steady and quick, she hasn't quite reached 6 feet 1 inch, a height that supports have all reached at least once.
she said.
"I get the height now, but I just get lazy on top of the bar and screw up!"
O'Connor, who stands a little over feet, is presently undefeated outdoors.
Ferman is a two time All-American and former Western Athletic Conference champion She won the NCAA national indoor competition this year.
Blunton is a two time Division II All-American and was 6th at the 1984 Olympic trials.
Clough is the Big Eight record holder at 6 feet $ 1^{2} $ inches and has
won the Big Eight outdoor championship twice. Chesbro has also hit 6 feet 11 inches.
'THE REASON THEY were picked was that they jump well at the big meets and are very consistent at those big heights洛西 told so.
Despite the tough competition, O'Connor said she didn't feel that much pressure.
"I'm just a freshman, so people don't expect me to do real well," she said. "I do know that there are people out there with me, and people wanting me to do well, but whatever I do is good enough."
Former Kansas great Jim Ryun is the only athlete to win four Most Outstanding Performer Awards in the Kansas Relays.
Multi-talent events to lead off Relays
By TONY COX Sports Writer
The decathlon and heptathlon events will start off the 60th annual Kansas Relays tomorrow at Memorial Stadium.
There is a standardized statistical scoring system in the decathlon and heptathlon, so all athletes can be compared by their results.
In the decathlon, a ten-event competition, KU will be represented by Craig Branstrom and David Greenheck. Branstrom has the second best previous score, 7.476 points, of the ten decathletes in the competition. A score of 7.450 is necessary for a place in the Athletic Association Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, which began May 27.
Greenlee's best score so far this season is 6.202. He is ranked ninth in the competition. Tom Lentz of North Dakota State has the best previous decodable with 7.637. He has already qualified for the national meet.
KU HEAD TRACK coach Bob Timmons said it would be difficult to predict how the decathlon competition would go.
"At this time it's hard to say. There are seven of them that have scores from 6,900 to 7,600," he said. "It will be very competitive.
"Dave's just getting started with
it. I think Craig will do well. He's trying to get qualified for nationals."
John Lollar of Adams State University is the third ranked decathlete in the field with a previous best of 7,060.
THE HEPTAPTILION. A seven event competition, will include three athletes from KU. Rosie Wadman, Jaci Tyma and Julie Hall will represent the the Jayhawks women's track team.
Wadman's score of 4,379 is ninth best in the field of 16 heptathletes. Tyma's previous best score is 4,650. 14th in the field.
A score of 5,230 electronically-timed or 5,340 manually-timed points is necessary to qualify.
KU women's head track coach Carla Coffey said the Kansas Relays would be a good opportunity for KU's win against the NCAA Championships.
DEB CLARK OF Nebraska has the best previous score of the 16 competitors with a 5.897
"It should be one of the best competitions in the nation," she said. The Big Eight Championships begin May 10 in Manhattan.
KU assistant coach Cliff Rovelo,
who is in charge of multi-events for
the team, said Wadman has a chance
for national if she is at her best.
"She'd have to really put it all together," he said.
Tyma also has a chance to qualify, Rovelto said.
Starting times
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY Jim Bausch Decathlon—men Heptathlon—women
10.30 Women's 100 hurdles
11.00 Men's high jump
11.15 Men's 100 meters
11.45 Men's long jump
12.00 Women's shot put
1.00 Men's shot put
1.00 Men's 200 dash
2.15 Men's high jump
3.30 Men's 400 dash
THURSDAY
THURSDAY
Jim Bausch Decathlon—men
Hentathlon—women
10 30 Women's long jump
11 00 Men's 110 hurdles
11 30 Men's 120 hurdles
11 45 Women's javelin
12 45 Women's pole vault
1 00 Women's 800 run
1 30 Women's javelin
2 45 Men's 1,500 run
2 50
8:40 Women's 800 prelims
8:53 Men's 800 prelims
9:05 Boys 100 meters
9:25 Girls 100 meters
9:35 Boys 100 meters
9:50 Women's 100 hurdles
10:05 Women's 100 meters
10:25 Men's 100 meters
10:35 Men's 100 meters
10:50 Men's 110 hurdles
11:05 Men's Juice distance
11:18 Men's 880 relay finals
FRIDAY
11:18 Men's 880 relay finals
Afternoon session
1:00 Men's pole vault prelms & finals
1:00 Boys' shot put prelms & finals
1:00 Women's high jump prelms & finals
1:00 Men's long jump prelms & finals
1:00 Women's discus prelms & finals
2:00 Girls triple jump prelms & finals
3:00 Men's javelin prelms
Time Track events
8:00 Girls' mile relay prelims
8:20 Boys' mile relay prelims
Morning Session
| | Time | Track events |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 0:00 | Field events | 12.45 | Women's Billy Mills 10,000 |
| 0:00 | Boys' disc prelims & finals | 1.17 | Men's soft meet medially finals |
| 0:00 | Girls' high jump prelims & finals | 1.30 | Men's Jim Ryun mile finals |
| 0:00 | Girls' high jump prelims & finals | 1.50 | Girls' mile finals |
| 0:00 | Boys' pole vault prelims & finals | 1.57 | Women's 5,000 meter finals |
| 0:00 | Boys' pole vault prelims & finals | 2.18 | Women's 400 hurdles |
| 0:00 | Boys' triple jump prelims & finals | 2.30 | Women's 400 primes |
| 0:00 | Boys' triple jump prelims & finals | 2.43 | Women's Cliff Cushman 400 hurdles |
| 0:00 | Boys' triple jump prelims & finals | 2.55 | Women's 300 hurdles finals |
| 0:00 | Men's Al Oster discus prelims & finals | 3.00 | Women's 300 hurdles finals |
| 0:00 | Girls' shot put prelims & finals | 3.06 | Women's 400 hurdles prelims |
| 0:00 | Girls' shot put prelims & finals | 3.23 | Men's 200 primes |
| 0:00 | Girls' shot put prelims & finals | 3.38 | Women's 200 primes |
| 0:00 | Men's Chuck Cramer mile relay prelims | 3.52 | Men's Chuck Cramer mile relay prelims |
**Time** | **Track events** | Time | **Track events** |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 0:00 | Girls' mile relay prelims | 4.05 | Women's mile relay |
| 0:00 | Boys' mile relay prelims | | |
3:00 Men's javelin prelims