This Day in Track & Field/X-Country–November 30, Milt Campbell wins his second Olympic medal, this time the gold in the decathlon (1956), written by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  ([email protected])

This Day in Track & Field/X-Country–November 30

1956–Milt Campbell, who won the silver medal at the 1952 Olympics before entering his senior year at Plainfield H.S. in New Jersey, led the Decathlon at the Melbourne Games after the first day (11-29) by almost 200 points over U.S. teammate and World Record holder Rafer Johnson (4564-4375). Johnson entered the Games with a knee injury, then was further hampered when he suffered an abdominal muscle pull in the Long Jump.

Campbell virtually wrapped up the gold medal by adding another 336 points to his lead over Johnson in the 2nd-day’s first event, the 110-hurdles (14.0). A world class hurdler (he was the 1955 NCAA & U.S. Champion while at Indiana), Campbell had just missed making the U.S. team in that event, finishing a close 4th at the Trials behind Joel Shankle, who would win the bronze medal in Melbourne. Campbell finished in first with an Olympic Record of 7,937 points (under the scoring tables in use at the time), with Johnson taking the silver (7,587), and the Soviet Union’s(and Russia’s) Vasily Kuznetsov the bronze (7,465).

The versatile Campbell, who was an outstanding swimmer in high school and played in the National and Canadian Football Leagues, might have challenged Johnson’s World Record (7,985) if he hadn’t had a sub-par performance in the Pole Vault. Campbell’s dominating performance made many wonder if a healthy Johnson still would have had to settle for 2nd place. Finishing in 8th place was Taipei’s C.K.Yang, who would become a teammate of Johnson’s at UCLA and would win the silver medal behind Johnson’s gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. (See below for more on Campbell)

   Australia’s  Betty Cuthbert, the World Record holder in the event, won her 2nd gold medal of the Games, taking the Women’s 200-meters by .3s over Germany’s Christa Stubnick (23.4-23.7). Cuthbert’s teammate, Marlene Mathews (23.8), duplicated her 3rd-place finish in the 100.

   Galina Zybina, the defending champion from the Soviet Union (and Russia), had improved the World Record in the Women’s Shot Put an additional twelve times after getting her first at the 1952 Olympics, and was the heavy favorite to win the gold in Melbourne. She led from the start and got her best mark on her last throw (54-2  ¾ [16.53]), but was then overtaken by teammate and fellow Russian Tamara Tyshkevich, who threw a personal best (and Olympic record) of 54-5  ¼ (16.59) in the final round to “steal” the gold medal. The bronze went to Germany’s Marianne Werner  (51-2  ¾ [15.61])

   Milt Campbell excelled at every sport he tried, including swimming, wrestling, judo, and professional football. A native of Plainfield, New Jersey, Campbell started winning early, finishing first in the 60-yard hurdles and High Jump at the 1953 National H.S. Championships at Madison Square Garden. And that was less than a year after he had won the silver medal in the decathlon at the 1952 Olympics!

   Despite his failing health at the time, Campbell was able to participate in 2012 in Decathlon 100^th-year celebrations in Eugene, Oregon (during the Olympic Trials) and Marburg, Germany. Check out the links below for much more on this amazing athlete, who passed away in November, 2012, at the age of 78.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1956_Summer_Olympics

Olympedia Reports: https://www.olympedia.org/editions/14/sports/ATH

NY Times Obituary

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/sports/milt-campbell-olympic-decathlon-champion-dies-at-78.html?ref=obituaries

Frank Zarnowski on Campbell

http://decathlonusa.typepad.com/files/volumexxxviinumber-57nov12012.pdf

New Jersey T&F Community Remembers Campbell

http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/11/new_jersey_track_elite_reacts.html

Indiana

https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2012/11/5/IU_Athletics_Mourns_the_Passing_of_Hall_of_Famer_Milt_Campbell

Johnson Photos: http://tinyurl.com/y2bgxa

Hall of Fame Bios

Campbell: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/milt-campbell

Rafer Johnson: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/rafer-johnson

1965—Early in a 19-day tour of New Zealand, Kenya’s Kip Keino set a World Record of 13:24.2 for 5000-meters in Auckland. The previous mark of 13:25.8 was set earlier in the year by Australia’s Ron Clarke.

WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres_world_record_progression

X-Country

1905—Yale’s W.J. Hail (33:00), cheered on by fellow NYAC members, came from behind to win the U.S. title in cold and windy conditions on NY’s Travers Island, the club’s home facility. 2^nd was Harvey Cohn (33:02), who led from the gun until being passed by Hail just 40 feet from the finish. Runners had to negotiate a water jump on the TI track, where the race finished!  Hail was a winner the week before on the same course at the “Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships”(the precursor to the IC4A Championships).

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/12/01/101333114.html?pageNumber=7

1930—William Zepp pulled away from the field halfway through the race and went on to win the U.S. title in Lincoln Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. A fast-closing 2^nd was 19-year old Fordham sophomore Joe McCluskey, who went on to win the 1932 title after winning the bronze medal in the Steeplechase at the L.A. Olympics. 10^th was 2-time defending champion Gus Moore, who hadn’t fully recovered yet after running a 10-mile cross country race just 4 days earlier!

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/12/01/96174966.html?pageNumber=29

1946—Robert Black, a 24-year old freshman at Rhode Island State (now URI), ran away from the field to win the U.S. title at Van Cortlandt Park. Black, who had served in the U.S. Army during WWII before entering college, would win again in 1948 and won NCAA titles in 1948 and 1949.  5^th was Penn State’s Curt Stone, who would win the following year. Don  Lash, the winner of 7 straight U.S. titles from 1934-40, finished 7^th in his 1^st race in six years! Other notable finishers included Horace Ashenfelter (8th/would win in 1955 &1956) and Joe McCluskey (13th/1932 winner).

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/12/01/88384383.html?pageNumber=164

1952—After battling each other the entire race on a snow-covered course in Buffalo, Fred Wilt (32:31/10k) pulled away from fellow FBI agent Horace Ashenfelter (32:32), who had won the Steeplechase at the Helsinki Olympics 4 months earlier, to win his 2^nd U.S. title. A close 3^rd was Syracuse junior Ray Osterhaut (32:34).

      Wilt also competed in Helsinki, finishing 21^st in the 10,000 meters. He was 11^th in the same event at the 1948 Olympics. He went on to become a renowned running author and was the Women’s  coach at Purdue from 1978-1989.

USTFCCCA HOF:

http://www.ustfccca.org/ustfccca-hall-of-fame/ustfccca-hall-of-fame-special-inductees/fred-wilt-ustfccca-special-inductee

Running Times Article: http://www.runnersworld.com/running-times-info/fred-wilt-fbi-the-double-agent-of-running

1963—It remains one of the best head-to-head duels in the long history of the U.S. Championships. 20-year old Bruce Kidd, the “Canadian Gerry Lindgren”, had won this race in 1961 and was going up against defending champion Pete McArdle on the New York veteran’s home course at Van Cortlandt Park.

McArdle went out hard, with Kidd trailing by as much as 70-yards in the early stages of the race.  Kidd, who had recovered from a foot injury that had hampered his track season, eventually caught up to McArdle in the back hills, but was repeatedly rebuffed as he attempted to take the lead.

As the two past champions emerged on the open flat for the final ¼-mile, Kidd finally went into the lead and was

able to hold off McArdle down the stretch as he secured a narrow victory (30:47.2-30:47.6).

Finishing 3^rd was one Billy Mills (31:12) and 4^th was Ron Larrieu (31:34), who would win this event in 1965 and 1966. A disappointing 49^th was Vic Zwolak, Villanova’s NCAA Champion, who suffered a side-stitch midway through the race.

To acknowledge McArdle’s history at Van Cortlandt, two cement slabs identify the “Pete McArdle Finish Line” on the Broadway side of the park. (See below)

Other Notable Finishers:6.Canada’s Dave Ellis, who would win the 1964 title, 9.Norm Higgins, the winner of the 1971 NY City Marathon, 10.Future Arkansas coach John McDonnell, newly arrived from Ireland, 34.Current TV announcer Larry Rawson, 40.Ed Bowes, the former long-time director of the Bishop Loughlin Games and the Manhattan College X-Country Inv., 44.Norb Sander, the man most responsible for the rebirth of NY’s Armory.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/12/01/105229029.html?pageNumber=260

Pete McArdle Finish Line at VCP

1968—Fort Hays senior John Mason (30:35), the 1968 U.S. Champion at 1500-Meters, was the winner at the U.S. Championships on a cold and windy day at NY’s Van Cortlandt Park. 2^nd was Holy Cross junior Art Dulong (30:44), 4^th was Amby Burfoot, and 7^th was Kenny Moore.

Getting top-25 finishes from Chris Mason (13^th), Dick Buerkle (17^th), Frank Murphy (22^nd), and Tom Donnelly (25^th), Villanova completed a hat-trick by adding the U.S. team title to the ones they had won at the IC4A and NCAA Championships earlier in the season. And the Wildcats did it without David Wright (9^th) and Donal Walsh (19^th), who ran on the school’s freshmen team!

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/12/01/91242417.html?pageNumber=413

1974—Washington State’s John Ngeno (29:59/10k) had little trouble winning the U.S. title in Belmont,CA, over Ireland’s (and the NYAC’s) Neil Cusack (30:16). Ngeno, a junior from Kenya, had finished 2^nd at the NCAA meet five days earlier after getting boxed at the start.

Among the many familiar names trailing the two leaders: 3.Ted Castaneda, 4.Greg Fredericks, 11.Frank Shorter (who was more concerned with the upcoming Fukuoka Marathon), 12.Ric Rojas, 16.Marty Liquori, 17.Charlie Maguire, 20.Don Kardong, 27.Paul Stemmer, 28.Mike Boit, 29.Tracy Smith, 30.Reggie McAfee, 33.Mike Manley, 36.Jeff Galloway, 40.Eric Hulst, 45.Barry Brown, 46.Tom Fleming, 49.Jack Bacheler, 54.Doug Brown. (From T&F News).

1974—A year after winning the Junior title, 16-year old Lynn Bjorklund (17:31/5k) stepped up to win the U.S. Women’s senior crown in Bellbrook,Ohio, over the UCLA duo of Julie Brown (17:41) and future Hall-of-Famer Francie Larrieu (18:03).  (From T&F News)

Marc Bloom’s 2-part article on Bjorklund’s career

https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=658383

https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=658517

1975—50 years later, it still remains one of the most exciting finishes ever at the U.S. X-Country Championships. Six men were still in contention with 300 yards to go on the 10k course at Eisenhower Golf Course near Annapolis, Maryland.

John Gregorio was the first to make a break from the pack, but he was soon overtaken by Penn State grad Greg Fredericks, who went on to win in 28:57, a mere .1s ahead of Gregorio. Garry Bjorklund (28:58) was next, followed by Glenn Herold (28:59), Don Kardong (29:01), and Garry Tuttle (29:01).  Finishing 24^th was 17-year old prep Alberto Salazar!

Many agreed that the race would have played out much differently if 4-time winner Frank Shorter hadn’t missed the race because he was snow-bound in Taos, New Mexico. As Fredericks told Bob Hersh, who covered the event for T&F News, “Shorter remembers 1972, when I outkicked him”, referring to the AAU 10k track race in which he set an American Record. “so he would have thrown in a hard mile somewhere in the middle of the race”.

Other notable finishers: 8.Steve Flanagan (Shalane’s dad), 9.George Malley, 10.Marty Liquori, 11.Ted Castaneda, 12.Doug Brown, 13.Amby Burfoot, 16.Paul Stemmer, 17.Charlie Maguire, 21.Barry Brown, 23.Pete Squires, 26.John Treacy, 29.Grant McLaren, 35.Neil Cusack, 38.Denis Fikes, 40.Mike Keogh, 45.Curt Alitz, 48.Ric Rojas, 49.Reggie McAfee, 52.Dick Buerkle;

1985— Pat Porter won the 4^th of his 8 straight Men’s titles,  while Lynn Jennings won the first of her nine Women’s crowns at the U.S. Championships, which were held on a very muddy course (“worst” was the adjective most heard after the race)  in Raleigh, NC

Among those trailing Jennings were past and future champions Lesley Welch-Lehane (2^nd/’82, ’86), Betty Jo Springs-Geiger (4^th/’83), Cathy Branta (5^th/’84), Jan Merrill (6^th/’76, ’77), Joan Nesbit (14^th/’95), and Margaret Groos (15^th/’79).

Other Notable Finishers(Men): 2.Bruce Bickford, 3.Ed Eyestone, 4.Tim Hacker (1985 NCAA Champion), 8.Yobes Ondieki, 9.Marcus O’Sullivan, 14.Craig Virgin, 36.Eamonn Coghlan, 37.Ray Treacy.

1991—Running on her favorite course in Boston’s Franklin Park, Lynn Jennings won her 6^th U.S. title to break the record winning total of five that she had shared with Doris Brown-Heritage. She would extend the record to 9 wins before she was done.   

Todd Williams (29:18), taking the lead from 8-time champion Pat Porter (29:34) in the final mile, was the winner of the Men’s race. Tennessee grad Williams started off cautiously, then patiently worked his way towards the front through the field of more than 400 runners.

Other Notable Finishers

Women:2.Gwynn Coogan, 4.Anne Marie Letko, 6.Sylvia Mosqueda, 7.Elaine Van Blunk, 8.Gina Procaccio, 9.Ceci St.Geme, 11.Carmen Ayala-Trancoso,

Men:3.John Scherer (29:35), 4.John Trautmann (29:36), 5.Reuben Reina (29:38), 9.Mark Coogan, 11.Mark Plaatjes,

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/sports/cross-country-jennings-sets-record-with-6th-women-s-title.html

Born On This Day*

Habtom Samuel—Eritrea 22 (2003)  2024 NCAA Champion—10,000m (New Mexico-‘27)…despite falling with 2 laps to go!

2025 NCAA X-Country Champion…2^nd to Harvard’s Graham Blanks in 2023 & 2024  (one foot shoeless, the other

    one bloody). https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a62996507/habtom-samuel-ncaa-xc-one-shoe/

Other NCAA Placings: 2024-3000i (7^th), 5000 (4^th), 2025-3000 (9^th), 5000 (2^nd ind & out), 10,000 (2^nd)

PBs: 3:38.60 (2025), 3:57.09i (O.T./2025), 3:59.12i, 7:40.63i, 13:04.92i (2025/#3 All-Time College,

    also13:05.87 (2025/#5 performance), 26:51.06 (2025, #2 All-Time College, also 26:53.84/2024, #4

    performance)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habtom_Samuel

https://worldathletics.org/athletes/eritrea/habtom-samuel-14919315

https://golobos.com/roster/habtom-samuel/!

https://www.instagram.com/habtom_samuel_/?hl=en

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a69518380/mens-ncaa-cross-country-championships-2025/

Olga Rypakova—Kazakhstan 41 (1984)  Has a complete set of Olympic medals in the Triple Jump:

Gold-2012, Silver-2008, Bronze-2016

Also a full set at the World Indoor Championships: Gold-2010, Silver-2012, Bronze-2008

3-time medalist at the World Outdoor Championships: Silver-2011, Bronze-2015,2017

3-time Asian Champion—2007 (Long Jump, TJ), 2009 (TJ)

3-time Asian Indoor Champion—2006 (Pentathlon), 2008 (TJ), 2016 (TJ)

Other Global Placings:

OG: 2008 (LJ-qual.), 2024 (TJ-qual.)

WC: 2019 (TJ-qual.)

Started out as a heptathlete

PBs: 6-3  ½ (1.92/Dec.-2006), 22-5  ¾ (6.85/2007), 50-1/2 (15.25/2010-#9 All-Time World), 6122 (2006)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_Rypakova

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/114474

https://worldathletics.org/athletes/kazakhstan/olga-rypakova-14288693

https://www.worldathletics.org/news/series/olga-rypakova-triple-jump-heptathlon

Scott Huffman  61 (1964)  Former American Record holder—Pole Vault (19-7 [5.97], 1994/now #9 All-Time U.S.)

3-time U.S. Champion (1993-1995)

1996 U.S. Olympian-13^th; 2-time World Championships finalist (1993-5^th, 1995-6^th)

All-American at Kansas: NCAA-’86 (4^th-indoors), ’88-2^nd indoors, =7^th outdoors)

Known for his unique style of clearing the bar—“The Huffman Roll”

AR Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4yKRw9LEL8

Beach Vault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEoZSYCbocE

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Huffman

https://www.kshof.org/team/scott-huffman

Innocent Egbunike—Nigeria 64 (1961) 1984 Olympic bronze medalist—4×400;

1987 World Championships silver medalist—400m;

2-time Olympic finalist—400m (1984-7^th, 1988-5^th); 6^th-1991 World Championships

Set the Nigerian Record of 44.17 in 1987

Helped Azusa Pacific win the first three of their seven consecutive NAIA team titles(1983-1985)

8-time NAIA Champion—100 (1982-1985), 200 (1983-1985), 4×400 (1983)

T&F News’ World Rankings:’84 (10), ’85 (4), ’86 (2), ’87 (3), ’88 (7)

Among the athletes he’s coached—Angelo Taylor and the Bahamas’ Chris Brown.

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74012

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocent_Egbunike

44.17 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J021pNZnlw

Vic Zwolak 87 (1938) 3-time NCAA Champion at Villanova (1963: X-Country, Steeplechase, 1964: Steeplechase)

NCAA XC-1961 (14^th), 1962 (4^th)

1964 U.S. Olympian-Steeplechase (1^st round); PB: 8:42.0 (1964)

5-time IC4A Champion-1962 (X-Country), 1963 (x-country, 3-mile), 1964 (3-mile, steeplechase)

Anchored the winning DMR and 4-mile teams at the 1964 Penn Relays

Started his collegiate career at Oregon State, then spent some time in the U.S. Marines before entering Villanova

http://villanovarunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/three-time-ncaa-champ-vic-zwolak-still.html

Delaware Hall of Fame: http://www.delawaretrackandfieldhof.org/zwolak-v/

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79237

https://pennrelays.com/honors/wall-of-fame/vic-zwolak/62

Deceased

Paul Winder 81 (1937-June 20, 2019)  2-time U.S. Indoor Champion—60y (1959, 1960)

1959 NAIA Champion—100y (Morgan State); 2^nd in the 100-meters at the 1960 NCAA (3^rd in the 200) and AAU

      Championships

Finished in a tie with Dave Sime for 3^rd in the 100 at the 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials, but Sime was selected to run

    the 100 in Rome based on post-Trials form. Was added to the U.S. team as a member of the 4×100 pool, but

    never got to run at the Rome Olympics.

Was a 1^st Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps

https://morganstatebears.com/hof.aspx?hof=56

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston/obituary.aspx?n=paul-louis-winder&pid=193233256&fhid=23122

Pauli Nevala—Finland  84 (1940-June 20, 2025)  Unexpected winner of the gold medal in the Javelin at the 1964

        Olympics.  Wasn’t much of a factor the next few years—was eliminated in the qualifying round at the 1968

        Olympics.

PB:303-11 (92.64/1970-old implement/#2 All-Time World at the time)…He later openly attributed his

    resurgence in 1969/1970 to anabolic steroids, which were not banned at the time.

Ranked #1 in the world by T&F News in 1970

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_Nevala

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67717