by Larry Eder
This Day in Track & Field–October 29
1911—Competing at Celtic Park on NY’s Long Island, Matt McGrath made good use of his one throw in the hammer, setting a pre-IAAF World Record of 187-4 (57.10).
4-time Olympian was the gold medalist in the hammer in 1912 and won silver medals in 1908 and 1924, the latter when he was 46-years old!
The native of Ireland was inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame in 2006
HOF Bio(2006): https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/matt-mcgrath
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_McGrath
http://www.wingedfist.org/McGrath_article_by_Dooley.pdf
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78764
Born On This Day*
Jaida Ross 23 (2002) 2024 NCAA Champion—Shot Put (Oregon), 2nd Indoors;
NCAA: 2022-5th, 2023-5th, 8th/indoors
Set 3 Collegiate Records in 2024: 64-8 (19.71/twice!), 65-7 ¾ (20.01)
Finished 3rd at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials; 4th at the Paris Olympics; 8th at the 2025 World Championships
Best in High School was 48-5 (2019)
Has a twin sister–Jazzlyn
PBs: 66-1/2 (20.13/2025/#6 All-Time U.S.)’ 65-7 ¾ (20.01/2024/CR, 62-3 1/4i (18.98/2025);
196-0 (59.74/2024)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaida_Ross
https://citiusmag.com/articles/catching-up-with-collegiate-record-holder-jaida-ross
Martin Lel-Kenya 47 (1978) 2003 World Half-Marathon Champion
5th in the Marathon at the 2008 Olympics
2-time winner of the NY City Marathon (2003,2007)
3-time winner of the London Marathon (2005,2007,2008/2nd in 2006,2011,2012)
3rd in the Boston Marathon in 2003 and 2004
2018 inductee into the NY Road Runners Hall of Fame
PBs:59:30 (2006), 2:05:15 (2008)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Lel
https://www.nyrr.org/about/hall-of-fame/martin-lel
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/kenya/martin-kiptoo-lel-14208864
2005 Article: https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20841997/martin-lel/
Vonetta Flowers-Jeffery 52 (1973) 2002 Olympic gold medalist—in the 2-woman bobsled! First African-American woman
to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics
All-American in T&F at Alabama—1995 NCAA: 100 (5th), 200 (8th), 1996 NCAA: Long Jump (5th)
Turned to the bobsled after failing to make the U.S. team in the Long Jump at the 2000 Olympic Trials
PBs: 7.28 (1999), 11.32 (1995), 23.05 (1995), 21-8 ¾ (6.62/1994)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vonetta_Flowers
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/101654
2002 OG: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0K7bAI37CGA
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: https://ashof.org/inductees/vonetta-flowers/
https://www.vonettaflowers.com/
Michael Carter 65 (1960) 1984 Olympic silver medalist—Shot Put
7-time NCAA Champion—Shot Put (SMU)
Outdoors(3)-’80,’81, ‘83(2nd-’84, despite throwing PB of 71-4 ¾ (21.76); Indoors(4)-’80,’81,’83,’84)
Was an All-Pro nose tackle on a San Francisco 49er’s football team that won three Super Bowls.
Set an “unbreakable” High School record of 81-3 ½ (24.775?) with the 12-pound Shot Put in 1979
Three of his children have also had success in the sport. Daughter Michelle won the shot put at the
2016 World Indoor Championships and 2016 Olympics and is the co-American Indoor and former Outdoor
Record holder. Her sister D’Andra was the 2009 NCAA Discus Champion (Texas Tech) and her
brother, Michael, Jr., was the 2009 Junior College Indoor Champion in the Shot Put
From This Day in T&F(June 16, 1979)
Senior Michael Carter (Jefferson-Dallas,TX) already owned the National H.S. Record in the shot put, having thrown 77-0 (23.47m) earlier in the season (almost five feet farther than the 2nd-best prep in history), but no one was prepared for what he did at the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento.
With a win in the discus already under his belt (201-2/61.32m?), Carter opened with a solid 75-1(22.88m?), followed by a modest 67-7 ½ (20.61m). He improved to 75-4 1/4 (22.96m?) on his 3rd toss, fouled on his 4th, and approached his own record with a 5th round put of 76-4 ¼ (23.27)
Stepping into the ring for his final effort with the 12-pound implement, Carter unleashed his monster throw, reaching out to an incredible, “Beamonesque”, 81-3 ½ (24.775m?), a mark that may last for many generations, if not forever. Carter also won the 16-pound event with a toss of 62-11 (19.17m?), and raised the National Record in that event to an equally “untouchable” 67-9 (20.65) in post-season competition. (At least it was thought to be untouchable at the time—Jordan Geist threw 68-4 [20.82] with the indoor implement in December, 2016)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMVgbAgDSzg&feature=related
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/michael-carter-014360982
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Carter_(nose_tackle)
Herman Frazier 71 (1954) 1976 Olympic gold medalist—4×400 (bronze-400); PB: 44.95 (1976)
1977 NCAA Champion—400m (Arizona State/Anchored teams that finished 2nd in the 4×100 and 4×400 to help
the Sun Devils win the team title.
Finished 2nd in the NCAA 400 in 1975 and 1976.
1976 NCAA Champion—4×400
Anchored Arizona State to victory in the 4×100 (39.57), 4×200, and 4×400 at the 1977 Penn Relays. The
4×200 team set a World Record of 1:21.4, and the 4×400 team set a Collegiate Record of 3:01.9, a
mark that stood as the Penn Relays Record for 27 years (Florida ran 3:01.10 in 2004).
Attended Germantown H.S. in Philadelphia. Competed for Denison University in Ohio for one year
before transferring to Arizona State.
Currently the Senior Deputy Director of Athletics at Syracuse and the Chair of the Bowerman
Advisory Board
PBs: 10.36 (1977), 20.75 (1977), 44.95 (1976)
Syracuse Bio: https://cuse.com/staff.aspx?staff=265
The Bowerman: http://www.ustfccca.org/the-bowerman/the-bowerman-advisory-board
Sports Illustrated Vault (’77 Penn):
https://vault.si.com/vault/1977/05/09/the-old-order-holds-at-penn
Denison: https://denisonbigred.com/honors/varsity-d-association-hall-of-fame/herman-frazier-/72
Gary Wilson 79 (1946) Former coach at Wisconsin-LaCrosse and Minnesota
Inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2015
http://www.ustfccca.org/awards/gary-wilson-ustfccca-class-of-2015
Retirement: https://mndaily.com/200705/uncategorized/coach-wilson-calls-it-career/
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/05/31/retirement-cant-stop-legendary-track-coach-gary-wilson/
Deceased
Frank Wykoff 70 (Oct.29,1909-Jan.1, 1980)
3-time Olympic gold medalist—4×100 (1928,1932,1936)
All 3 teams set World Records—41.0, 40.0, 39.8
2-time NCAA Champion (USC)—100y (1930,1931); 3-time IC4A Champion—100y (1930-1932)
2-time U.S. Champion—100m (1928), 100y (1931)
Former World Record holder in the 100-yard dash (9.4,1930)
Set U.S. High School Records in the 100y (9.5) and 200m(20.8) in 1928…won the 100-meters at the 1928 U.S.
Olympic Trials—finished 4th in the 100 at the 1928 Olympics.
Inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame in 1977
Inducted into the National H.S. T&F Hall of Fame in 2018.
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79221
HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/frank-wykoff
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Wykoff
H.S. HOF Induction: http://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&do=videos&video_id=236376
Video(9.4): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIapTkqgZrY
Larry Ellis 70 (1928-Nov.4, 1998) Head coach of the U.S. team at the 1984 Olympics.
Men’s coach at Princeton from 1970-1992 (1st African-American coach at an Ivy League school
Coached at Jamaica H.S. (Queens,NY) for more than a decade—one of his athletes was Bob Beamon
Served as the President of USA T&F from 1992-1996. One of the runners he coached at Princeton, Craig Masback,
was the CEO of USATF from 1997-2008).
Ran X-Country and Track for DeWitt Clinton H.S. in the Bronx, NYU, and the NY Pioneer Club
Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1999
Member of the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/larry-ellis
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/06/sports/larry-ellis-olympic-coach-for-us-track-dies-at-70.html
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/usatf-past-president-and-coach-larry-ellis-ha
https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2018/7/26/mens-track-and-field-larry-ellis.aspx
http://www.ustfccca.org/awards/larry-ellis-ustfccca-class-of-1999
https://gonyuathletics.com/honors/hall-of-fame/larry-ellis/114
