Page 6
Summer Session Kansan
Tuesday, July 3. 1962
- The Bill Dotson Story -
Bill Dotson is Bill Easton's prize and joy.
Dotson became one of the nation's top milers and the Big Eight's first sub-four minute miler when he ran 3:59 at the National AAU meet nine days ago.
WHEN DOTSON BROKE the four-minute barrier. Easton was not there. The Kansas track coach would probably gladly have given his right arm to watch Billy run, but he is in Malaya on a state department tour using his talents and reputation to build good will for our country. That is the type of guy Bill Easton is.
We would have given our right arm to see the expression on Eas-
lows no freshmen meets except postals, he ran against the clock alone. He won the 880, 1000, mile and two-mile runs in the Big Eight indoor postal and the mile and two-mile outdoors. His fastest time in the mile was 4:16.1.
HE MISSED the cross-country season his sophomore year, but ran during the indoor and outdoor seasons finishing second in the 880 and third in the mile indoors and winning the mile outdoors. His fastest mile time was 4:09.5 in a triangular meet with Stanford and San Jose.
When cross-country season started his junior year, Dotson was there. Both Dotson and Coach Easton believe cross-country work is essential for a good distance runner,
terviewing the "quiet lad" and walking out of the interview with a pad full of no notes whatsoever and having to write an article, shall we use a favorite journalistic term, "off the wall."
Dotson was "the story" this year, however, and he even developed into a conversationalist. Our own personal nickname for Dotson was "invincible."
came at the national championships. During the indoor and outdoor seasons, Dotson became a "point man." He had to sacrifice any "personal glory" for the good of the team. Coach Easton switched him around from the 440, 880, mile and two-mile so that the team could pick up more points.
At the indoor meet which KU won by 11/12 of a point Dotson won the mile and then came back to win the two-mile. Most people thought Dotson would unleash a blazing mile at the Big Eight, but Dotson was running only to win. He ran no harder than he had too, and as a result won with his slowest time in several years, 4:20.9. He did, however, conserve his strength to allow him to double in the 880.
AND THAT WAS WHAT HE was, almost. Time-and-time again we watched him step to the starting line knowing that he was going to win. One could tell by looking at Dotson he knew he was going to win and that's exactly what he was going to do.
Along the JAYHAWKER trail
nothing, because of his devotion to the team.
He was run-down and at a low physical ebb. Easton prescribed lighter workouts and Dotson responded. He returned to his previous peak.
WHILE WE THINK OF DOTSON as "invincible," he is not. There are still four or five better milers than he! Dotson's superiors are all older than he. He is now 21 years old and still has some maturing to do.
Dotson says he can go lower than 3:59. That's his present goal. The future holds many opportunities in store for Dotson, one which may be the title "America's top miler." The invincible tag would really fit then.
ton's face when he heard the news. Dotson has always been Easton's boy. The coach went out on a limb after the NCAA meet and predicted that his boy would break four-minutes. As usual Dotson didn't let his coach down.
ton's face when he heard the news.
By Steve Clark
THE STORY OF DOTSON is a real success story and one that can't all be told at one sitting. We got part of the "Bill Dotson" story bit-by-bit from Easton, because he always likes to talk about his boy Billy.
Four years ago Dotson was a good high school miler. His times were in the 4:20's which is good for high school, but yet, no key to the sub-four minute mile.
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DOTSON HAD A CHANCE at San Romani during his sophomore year at the KU Relays. San Romani had come to KU and then transferred to Wichita University. In what still is remembered as one of the most exciting Glenn Cunningham 1500-meter races, Dotson edged ahead of San Romani coming down the stretch to win in a photo finish.
While Dotson "tried the mile" and succeeded, a Wichita East High School lad by the name of Archie San Romani, Jr., was receiving all the attention. San Romani's father, Archie, Sr., had been a great miler for Emporia and sportswriters were predicting him to break four-minutes. He hasn't yet.
A year later Dotson still listed his greatest track thrill outdoors as "beating Archie San Romani". At the NCAA and NAAU meets this year, Dotson beat San Romani again as the now Oregon miler did not place in either as Dotson finished third and fourth respectively.
BIS JUNIOR YEAR he placed second in the state with a 4:28 time and his senior year he dipped to 4:20.8 to become the state Class A mile champion.
Hew did Dotson get interested in the mile. "I had a cousin who was a year older than I who was a miler at Concordia," Dotson says. "He enjoyed running and was their number one miler so I thought I would like to try the mile. I never had any desire to run the sprints.
As a high school sophomore at Jamestown he finished fifth in the Class BB state meet with a time of 4:43. He moved into the Class A bracket his junior and senior years by attending Concordia High School.
Dotson looked as if he might be a "comer" his freshman year at KU Since the Big Eight conference al-
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DOTSON WAS INVICIBLE. He ran to win, and usually did. Suddenly though, Dotson was no longer invincible. The Jayhawkers went to San Jose and Dotson was beaten in the mile. They traveled to Southern Illinois and Dotson again lost. The Big Eight meet came around and Dotson who had won the two previous outdoor mile championships lost to Mike Fleming of Nebraska.
Dotson went through a season of cross-country winning the Big Eight and not losing a race until the NCAA. Before the NCAA, Easton told me, "I think we have the NCAA cross-country champion," and for the team, "we have a real good chance."
When Easton talks about a good freshman prospect he invariably says, "He will really come-around after cross-country season."
THE RACE HAD BEEN held at Lansing, Mich., on a cold day and the Jayhawkers had their inevitable "cold day." They had been hot as firecrackers, and their one bad day
It was a sad day in Mudville when the teletype machines typed out the words saying KU had finished fifth and Dotson placed 20th.
What was wrong with Dotson was the $64,000 Question. Dotson had nothing to say. Coach Easton finally discovered that Dotson had not been feeling well. He had said
KU's top cross-country man that year was Billy Mills who won the Big Eight while Dotson finished fifth. Missing cross-country the year before had hurt Dotson and Easton said "he is going to have to work hard to catch up."
DURING HIS JUNIOR YEAR Dotson won the Big Eight indoor mile and came back to place fourth in the 880. He repeated as outdoor mile champion and came back to place fourth in the two-mile. At the NCAA meet he finished second to Daryl Burleson with a 4:02.9, his fastest time until his 4:00.5 at the NCAA this year.
This year was the "big one" for Dotson, his senior year. He had been elected both cross-country and track captain, the first time this had happened since Bob Karnes had held both positions in 1949-50.
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Dotson was a good choice, because he is a leader. The respect he has by his teammates comes from his "Let's do, not talk" policy. When Dotson says anything it's important, and usually everyone listens.
COACH EASTON WAS READY for the big year. Everytime this writer dropped by the track office Easton would say, "If you want somebody to write a story on, write it on Dotson. You watch, that boy's going to be great. He's going to break four-minutes."
This writer remembered an experience the year before when in-
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