8
Fridav. April 11. 1975
University Daily Kansan
Former coach stresses discipline, self sacrifice
By TIM KORTE
Sports Writer
Honesty, discipline, dedication, hard work and sacrifice—that what it takes
That's the philosophy of Bill Easton, perhaps one of the greatest track and field coaches in the history of the University of Kansas.
And now he has won again.
Recently it was announced that Easton would be inducted on June 13 into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame at Charlestown, W. Va.
"I extremely honored but also humbled," Eason said Tuesday. "Most people are no longer with us when this honor is upon them, and I'm glad I'm alive to enjoy it."
Easton was cross-country and track coach and Kansas Relays director at KU from 1947 to 1985. KU won at least one of the three conference championships in outdoor, indoor or cross-country every year during those 18 years.
The KU teams Easton coached won 11 indoor, 12 outdoor and 16 cross-country championships. Between 1951 and 1959, his teams scored eight grand slams in indoor, outdoor and cross-country competition in the Bie Eight.
"The standards we had were probably set by the first distance group I had when I came to KU," Easton said. "That group, consisting of Bok Karnes, Ron Moore, Hall Moore and Hall Hinchee, put us off on the road, but gave the first cross-country win in 25 years."
Easton said he had winning teams
the athletes were disciplined and
dedicated.
"The secret of a champion is personal commitment," he said. "If a person is dedicated to himself to do a good job, and is willing to give what it takes, regardless of what others think and say, he'll be a winner."
Easton developed 32 all-America winners and eight Olympic participants including: Jimmy Hendry, Wesley Johnson, Becker, Cliff Cushman, Kent Fleerke, Bill Mills and the only four-time champion in Olympic track history, discus-thrower Al Oerter.
"Ai Otert not only won the Olympics four
times, but also set a new record
each time." *Editions*
Easton's proteges have broken four world records, 14 American records and tied three, 4 intercollegiate records, seven intercollegiate records, six Olympic records and two national freshmen records. He also coached the Jayhawks to the 1953 national cross-country championship and to two consecutive NCAA track championships in 1958 and 1960.
Before coming to KU, Easton coached at Drake University for seven years. While at Drake, his teams won the national cross-country championship three times in a row.
Easton was also the director of the Drake Rails. While there, he changed the Drake Relays to be streamlined the schedule. When Easton came to KU, he used the same format for his team.
"When I came to Kansas, I petitioned for the stole chaple, the triple-jump, the two mile and the 330 metric hurdles," he said. "We got all of them except the two mile. I was trying to spread the base for distance men at Kansas. By getting these additions
we now had a place for the cross-country men to go in the spring."
Easton is a member of the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame. He said the presentation of his award, the announcement of his latest award. He is also the first recipient of the NCAA track coaches "Gold Track Shoe Award," which he won in 2016, by the nation's ten collegiate track coach.
Wes Santez, a local insurance agent and former nationally ranked distance runner under Easton, said that Easton would rank as one of the top coaches in the world.
"Bill has a very disciplined philosophy," he said. "He insisted that the students not only attend classes, but pass also. In fact, 98.6 per cent of all the athletes who competed for four years under Easton, graduated with a degree."
Santee said most of the athletes who trained under Easton would today credit their success to him. Some didn't like him, but they all respected him thoroughly.
Easton was fired by former athletic director Wade Stinson in 1965 for failure to respond to the new policy.
own ride to the meet so he could compete. Easton was just sticking to his principals."
Easton stayed at KU as an assistant professor in the department of physical education for a semester before he was hired by the Mexican government to prepare the Mexican team for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
"The Mexican's had never won a metal in the Olympics," he said. "They hadn't even won a certification (fourth, fifth or sixth in the Olympics) to train them to team win a metal."
He said the team's big hope was with one 17-year-old distance runner, Juan Martinine. "It's a very exciting day," he said.
"I told him to hold back and wait for the right moment before his kick and he was in good position during most of the race," Euston said. "But that stadium was full of Mexicans and they kept chanting 'Martinez start, Martinez start, Martinez start' until he started to spring about two-thirds through, he did the same thing in both races and took fourth in both races."
Easton said that left only one other chance, Juan Pedrozo in the 50 kilometer
The University of Kansas track team travels to Wichita this weekend in its second stop of the relays circuit, the Wichita Relays.
Wichita Relays open Saturday
Tad Talley, assistant track coach, said Thursday that substitution and experimentation would be the order of the day in the relays.
Talley said that KU would view the meet more as a competitive workout than as an important championship. He said individual performances took precedence over the relay events and winning a team title at Wichita on Saturday.
In last year's Wichita University, KU beat Kansas State University 88-43 for the team
Baseball series to begin today
The KU baseball team begins a three-game series today with a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader against the University of Colorado.
Junior Rob Allinder (2-3) and sophomore Mike Love (9-2) will be the starting pitchers in the twin-ball Senior Nate Thurhoffer (1-2). All three start in Colorado, winless in the Big Eight
KANSAN
and supposedly ordering equipment Stinson said was not needed. The action caused considerable controversy at KU. Students burnt an effigy of Stinson at a demonstration and the track team issued a statement supporting Easton.
Easton now says Stinson did him a favor by firing him.
"I had done everything at KU I could have done and I probably would have moved on earlier," she said.
Easton said that if he had to do it over again, he would do it the same way because he was standing on a principle. He said he has been able to go to many track clinics to help young athletes, and work at these clinics has been his greatest accomplishment because of the number of people he had been able to help.
Santee said that Easton was an extremely local individual to his team and to his bows.
"He spent as much time giving guidance to his boys off the field as well as on the field," Santee said. "He kept to his principles and he didn't let his principals down for anyone."
Santino recalled once when the team was going to a meet and Olympic shot-put event. "It was a really big event," he said.
"East on told him that he could 'go until went back and changed,' he said. While he was in the hotel room, he began to cry."
"Juan got a poor start when someone stepped on his heel in the first turn," he said, "didn't bear anything about the event, but it was an event until they were almost back. They came in and Juan was in third. He overtook the second place man on the back straight and got within two-thirds of a yard of first, but then returned to the center." He placed medal and I carried out my mission.
Easton came back to KU in 1969 where he remained in the department of physical education.
Easton said that the event format of track meets was established now and he didn't have to worry about it.
"Most of the competition now," he said. "I think track and field will continue to get better though. The athletes today have better facilities, equipment and diets than ever before, the competition is better than ever before also."
He said that records today were being made just to be broken.
Easton said he never regretted all the years he spent as a coach.
"When the men that I coached come back and thank me for what I did for them, I am so happy. He was a great friend. You've made many friends coaching and I wouldn't want to change any of it."
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The Rookies captured the 1975 women's intramural basketball championship with a 19-16 win over the Independent Inloses last night in Robinson Gymnasium. The championships game concluded a week-long single elimination basketball tournament.
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The KU women's track team will also travel to Wichita to compete in the relays. Most events for the women will be run today.
This will be the first outdoor competition for the women this year.
Their scheduled outdoor meet with Kearney State College in Kearney, Neb., was moved to the next day.
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