REGINENTIAL TRAUNANDFIELDS
POLICE OWN
KANSAS RELAYS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY APRIL 16, 1997
Kansas' best athlete is also its least known
SECTION B
Here are five clues to help you figure out who is arguably the best athlete on campus.
He has been able to dunk a basketball since the ninth grade. He has run the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds. He earned a 1996 NCAA All-America certificate. He's 6-foot-3 and can bench press 275 pounds.
Give up?
And he doesn't play basketball or football.
The answer is decathlete Michael Evers
Never heard of him? He's only one of the top 25 decathletes in the country.
If you've never heard of Evers, a senior majoring in exercise science, chances are it's because he competes in a non-revenue sport. And like many athletes in non-revenue sports, Evers doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
He was an All-American last year in the decathlon, but it happened during summer break so few students heard the news. He finished sixth at the 1996 NCAA Outdoor Championships, scoring 7,613 points, less than 75 points shy of first place.
What is more amazing is that he's considered in the top tier of decathletes in the country, and he still hasn't received notoriety. Evers' score of 7,701 at the 1996 Alabama Relays was the 22nd best score in the nation last year.
The best decathletes in the world are often considered top-flight athletes because the 10 events test an athlete's ability in running, throwing, jumping, strength, speed and endurance. The gold medalist in this category of the Olympics is often considered the best athlete on the planet.
"What does it take to get noticed as a decathlete? You have to be an Olympic gold medalist," Evers said.
Olympian Dan O'Brien won the gold medal in the decathlon and earned world-wide exposure and financial success. He has hosted the TV show "Later" and now co-hosts a workout program on ESPN2.
But he represents a small percentage of decathletes who make it big.
It's not like kids are wearing Dan O'Brien-jer-
See ADAM. Page 2B
Two titles still remain for Kansas decathlete
By Matt Woodruff Kansan sportswriter
It takes a special type of athlete to compete in 10 sports at once.
But that might be the only way that Kansas All-American decathlete Mike Evers can keep from getting hose
"I love competing and I love to play sports, no matter what it is," said Evers, who lettered in track, golf, football and basketball at Eisenhower High School in his hometown of Marionette Park, Ill. "I decided it would be a great idea for me to do the decathlon because that's almost like having 10 sports in one. It's perfect for me."
Evers demonstrated just how perfect he was for the event last season when he broke the Kansas school record in the decathlon with 7,701 points and earned All-America status last June, finishing sixth at the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore.
"Mike proved last year that he was one of the best decathletes in the country," Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said. "There's no doubt in my mind that he'll die."
Mike Evers runs the 40-yard dash.
Evers, a senior, had no remaining eligibility in the indoor season, but has one more shot at accomplishing his goals during the outdoor season. He has eligibility remaining because he redshirted the 1993 outdoor season because of compartment syndrome, which is similar to shin splints.
do the same this year."
Evers goals this season include two championships—the first Big 12 Conference Outdoor title and a first-place finish at the NCAA championships in Bloomington, Ind., in June.
But Evers' career might not end there.
"I don't think there's a limit to what he can do, depending on how hard he works," said
Doug Hedrick, Kansas coach from 1992-1995 and Evers' mentor his first three seasons at Kansas. "He can go all of the way to the Olympics," he said.
ence this May.
"For a decathlete, it can take a good seven years or more to really hit your prime," Hedrick said. "Essentially, he's only in his fourth year. He's not even close to where he will be when he hits his prime."
If Evers does not compete in the 2000 summer games at age 26 or in 2004 when he's 30, it probably won't be because of a lack of practice or commitment.
"I're really excited because, now that I'm getting out of school, I'm going to make the decathlon a career for a while," Evers said. "I'm going to spend eight hours a day making
Evers said he practiced four hours a day, six days a week and planned to step things up when he earned his degree in exercise sci-
See Evers, Page 2B
Chris Hamilton/KANSAN
A Kansas pole vaulter practices in the afternoon sun at Memorial Stadium for the upcoming Kansas Relays. The annual event will start today at Memorial Stadium and will last through Saturday.
The 72nd annual Kansas Relays will begin at 10 a.m. today with the men's 100-meter dash in the Jim Bausch decathlon.
Today's and tomorrow's events are the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon. Tomorrow afternoon's schedule also includes the hammer throw and the 5,000- and 10,000-meter individual for men and women.
A full range of track and field events for high school, collegiate and post-collegiate competition will be held Friday and Saturday, with events starting at 8 a.m. each day.
Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said that the turnout for this year's Relays was as strong as he had seen in his nine-year coaching career at Kansas.
"I'll say honestly that I'm more excited for this Relays than any other since I've been here," Schwartz said. "The response on the post-collegiate side of the field has been phenomenal, and we've really landed some pretty big names."
Among those big names are pole vaulters Scott Huffman and Jeff Hartwit, who have each cometed in the Olympic games.
Huffman was a two-time All-American at Kansas (1986, 1988) and formerly held the American record in the pole vault.
Steve Fritz, a 1996 Olympic decathlete who has been ranked as high as second in the United States in his event, will also compete.
The strongest event in this year's Relays may be the men's mile, which will feature eight runners who have run the event in less than four minutes. Included in the group is defending U.S. National Champion Paul McMullen.
Tickets for the Relays are $5 for adults and $3 for anyone college age or younger. Tickets are good for all four days of the Relays and can be purchased at Memorial Stadium.
For a schedule of track events see page 3
For Ryun, money is more important than granting child's wish
For the rest of my life I will remember the Kansas Relays because of the performance of Olympic runner and famous Kansas miler Jim Ryun.
In 1891, the Kansas Relays honored three of its greatest athletes. Ryun, along with Glenn Cunningham and Wes Santee, all former Kansas track stars, returned to Lawrence for the royal treatment.
The devout Christian, the now Kansas congressman, the man who once said he believed in the axiom people should give, not receive, told a 5-year-old boy that he wanted money for an autograph.
Not for the way that he ran but because of how Rynn treated me.
That day, a friend of my family took me to the Relays and I had the privilege of going on the track and meeting these three men.
There they were, three nationally known Kansas legends. For a 5-year-old,
it was a dream come true.
They said hello, and for a few minutes, we talked and joked. Three heroes and a young Spencer Duncan.
I stood on the track and was introduced to these three men.
It soon became a dream shattered.
Through all this I had clutched in my small hand a Kansas
Relays poster. On the poster were three figures, representing Santee, Ryun and Cunningham.
I held the poster up and asked the men if I could have their autograph.
Santee and Cunningham instantly
kyun, however, posed a problem. In what must have been practice for his future political endeavors, the congressman from Kansas would sign the poster on just one condition. He wanted money
granted my wish. They understood how important it was to make a good impression on a young mind.
Ryun, however, posed a problem.
I do not remember the amount, but I know that as a 5-year-old, I did not carry a wallet yet, and the friend of the family was so offended she would not pay.
Jim Ryun had broken my heart.
To this day, hanging on my wall in a brass frame is that poster. On it are the signatures of Cunningham and Santee. There is a blank space where Ryun would have signed.
Ever since that day, a dream of mine has been to complete the poster. To get that signature.
Last summer I thought I had found my
The person who traveled with me was talking to Ryun one night at a dinner during the convention. He did not tell my story to Ryun, but he mentioned that I had a poster and asked if it would be possible to get the runner's signature on it.
chance.
I served as a page at the Republican National Convention in San Diego. Ryun, in the midst of his campaign for the United States House of Representatives, was also there.
The message was clear: no money, no autograph. Some things never change.
For the next five days, more than 3,000
Ryun said he would sign it. But as the words came out of his mouth, he passed a donation card for his campaign across the table.
Although I have this emotional scar, let me make something clear: It has not clouded my enjoyment of the Relaws.
high school, college and post-college track and field athletes will descend on Lawrence. They will put on a display of pure athleticism that no other athletic event held at Kansas has ever, or will ever, exude.
The athletes competing are not only some of the hardest working athletes in the world, but also some of the least appreciated
Hopefully, when one of these great athletes makes it big, he or she will remember this story. It can serve as a reminder that young kids look up to athletes, and if they turn their backs, it is never forgotten.
My poster is still blank, and while I would still like to have Ryan sign it, I am starting to wonder if Billy Mills wouldn't mind filling in the white space.
Comments? E-mail Spencer at sports@kansan.com