This Day in Track & Field/X-Country, November 16, Jean Bouin runs 30:58.8 for 10,000m (1911), first WR ratified by I.A.A.F. ! written, edited and curated by Walt Murphy

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

This Day in Track & Field/X-Country–November 16

1911—France’s Jean Bouin ran 30:58.8 for 10,000-meters in Colombes, France, to set the first World Record ratified by the IAAF. Bouin would win the silver medal in the 5000-meters at the 1912 Olympics. He was killed in action in 1914 during World War I.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres_world_record_progression

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

1912–Brown University’s Norman Taber won the first New England Intercollegiate (NEICAAA) x-country title at Larz Anderson Park in Brookline, Mass. Taber had earlier won a bronze medal in the 1500 meters and a gold medal in the team 3000 meters at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Taber would later run 4:12  3/5  for the mile to break the amateur (4:14.4) and Walter George’s professional (4:12  ¾) records.

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

1968—Bolstered by top-10 finishes from three international freshmen, including individual “winner” Maurice Benn, Nevada “won” the NCAA College Division X-Country title by 63 points over Eastern Illinois (56-119). Benn, representing Great Britain, had competed in the first round of the 1500 meters at the Mexico City Olympics.

However, the NCAA ruled a few months later that some of Nevada’s runners were academically ineligible, stripping the school of its title and retroactively giving Eastern Illinois its 2^nd straight win. Benn was one of those runners and he also lost the individual title, with Portland State’s Dave Robbins moving up to 1^st place.

https://sagehens.com/sports/2023/8/28/d3-cross-country-historians-report.aspx

https://www.eiurunning.com/pages/?page=10

1974—Mike Boit, already one of the best ½-milers in the world, finished 1^st to lead Eastern New Mexico to its 2^nd straight NAIA X-Country title as the team scored a record-low total of 28 points in Salina, Kansas. Boit, who was tripped in the 1973 race, would win his 2^nd NAIA title in 1975.

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

1996—Led by the 3^rd straight individual win by Cari Rampersad, Simon Fraser (75) defeated 4-time defending champion Puget Sound (114) to win the Women’s team title at the NAIA X-Country Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Lubbock Christian won its 7^th consecutive Men’s team title (they would win again in 1997). Life’s Silah Misoi was the individual winner.

1996—Winners at the NCAA Div.III X-Country Championships in Rock Island, Illinois, were (Men) Wisconsin-LaCrosse and North Central’s Matt Brill and (Women) Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Luther’s Turena Johnson.

Results: Women  Men  M-Teams

NCAA Div.III History: https://sagehens.com/sports/2023/8/28/d3-cross-country-historians-report.aspx

NAIA History:

Men: https://www.naia.org/sports/mxc/Records/MXC_Championship_Records.pdf

Women: https://www.naia.org/sports/wxc/Records/WXC_Championship_Records.pdf

Born On This Day*

Mario Sategna  53 (1972) Assistant Coach at Texas A&M

        Formerly coached at Texas and Arkansas…coached 2-time decathlon World Champion Trey Hardee throughout

           his career; Assistant U.S. Coach—2016 Olympics

        1995 NCAA Champion—Decathlon (LSU/NCAA-1993-6^th, 1994-5^th)

        Married to Dahlia Duhaney, a member of Jamaica’s winning 4×100 relay at the 1991 World Championships

      PB:8107 (1997)

      Texas A&M Bio:

        https://12thman.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/coaches/mario-sategna/1681

        http://kxan.com/2016/07/26/longhorns-mario-sategna-to-coach-for-team-usa-in-rio/

Mel Mueller   53 (1972) 2000 U.S. Olympian—Pole Vault (qual.round)

        One of the early stars of the women’s PV

        2003 Pan-American Games Champion

        5^th at the 1999 World Indoor Championships

        Ranked among the top-5 U.S. women 7 years in a row (1997-2003/#2-1999)

        PB: 15-1 (4.60/2002)

        https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/89153

        https://www.facebook.com/neovault/videos/mel-mueller-clears-145/10150120032913203/

        https://www.facebook.com/neovault/videos/mel-mueller-big-clearance/10150120027388203/

Reuben Reina 58 (1967)  1990 NCAA Indoor Champion—3000m(Arkansas)

        1992 U.S. Olympian-5000m (1^st round)

        2-time U.S. X-Country Champion (1994,1996)

        6^th in the 3000m at the 1995 World Indoor Championships

        1985 Foot Locker Champion—set the current Balboa Park Record of 14:36.8

      Comes from a running family (all competed for Arkansas)—wife Joell, son Reuben, Jr, daughter Valerie, brothers

          Randy and Roland, niece Janice.

        PBs: 3:40.81 (1990), 4:02.38 (1992), 7:43.02 (1991), 13:24.78 (1991), 28:33.12 (1997)

        https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/reuben-reina-14249346

        FL Record:

        http://www.espn.com/blog/high-school/track-and-xc/post/_/id/570/for-26-years-reinas-record-has-held

        https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78937

Bert Cameron—Jamaica  66 (1959)  3-time NCAA Champion—400m (UTEP/’80,’81,’83—lost the 1982 title by .02s)

        1983 World Champion.

        Was one of the favorites heading into the 1984 Olympics. Made it through the first two rounds in L.A., but a cramp in

            his left hamstring almost forced him to come to a complete stop in his semi-final race. As the rest of the field

            started to pull away, he somehow recovered from the cramp and wound up qualifying for the final with his 4^th-place

            finish. Unfortunately, he was unable to go to the starting line in the final 2 days later.

        Was the flag-bearer for Jamaica at the 1984 Olympics

        1988 Olympic silver medalist—4×400 (6^th-400); PB: 44.50 (1988)

        Inducted into the Collegiate T&F Hall of Fame in 2025

        www.ustfccca.org/2025/02/featured/introducing-the-collegiate-athlete-hall-of-fame-class-of-2025#102545

        http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/72262

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

        1984 OG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=739obUjfV9I

        Bad Luck

Mark Nenow  68 (1957)  Ran 27:20.56 for 10,000-meters in Brussels in 1986 to break Alberto Salazar’s

              American Record of 27:25.61…Mark lasted for 15 years until Meb Keflezighi ran 27:13.98 in 2001.

        Silver medalist (team) at the 1981 World X-Country Championships

        All-American at Kentucky-NCAA: 10,000 (7^th-1980); XC (17^th-1979)

        Son Jacob is currently a member of the Princeton track team (’28)

        PBs: 7:43.01 (1989), 13:18.54 (1984), 27:20.56 (1986), 2:14:21 (1988)

        A Look Back (2011): http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/25-laps-25-years-later

      T&F News Interview: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/mark-nenow.pdf

        https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=411546

Herb Washington  75 (1950) 2-time NCAA Indoor Champion—60y (Michigan State/1970,1972)

        “Played” baseball for the Oakland A’s (signed by Charlie Finley)…was used exclusively as a pinch-

          runner. He played 104 games without batting, pitching, or fielding. He stole 30 bases & scored

           33 runs.

        Chairman of the committee in Youngstown, Ohio, that helped create a statue commemorating “The Handshake of the

            Century”—Making his debut as the only Black player in an otherwise all-White League, Jackie Robinson hit his first

            home run for the Montreal Royals, the farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Shaking his hand as he crossed home

            plate was the next batter, George Shuba (a native of Youngstown).  Check out the links below for the full story.

        http://www.msuspartans.com/genrel/021907aac.html

        (2009): http://www.mlive.com/living/flint/index.ssf/2009/02/former_pro_athlete_herb_washin.html

        Handshake of the Century

        https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jackie-robinson-george-shuba-and-the-handshake-of-the-century/

Deceased

Mel “Pell Mell” Patton  89 (1924-May 9, 2014) 1948 Olympic gold medalist—200m, 4×100 (finished a disappointing 5^th in

            the 100); 6’-0”, 148

        OG 4×100-Barney Ewell, Lorenzo Wright, Harrison Dillard, Mel Patton

        5-time NCAA Champion—100 (USC/1947y,1948m,1949y); 200/220 (1948, 1949y)

        Ran 9.3 for 100-yards at the 1948 West Coast Relays to break the World Record of 9.4 that he had shared with,

            among others, Jesse Owens. Broke another Owens record (20.3) when he ran 20.2 for 200 meters on the straight

            in 1948.

        Anchored USC to two World Records in the 880y-relay in 1949 (1:24.4, 1:24.0)

        Overcame a serious leg injury as a youngster

        Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1985

        Frank Litsky’s NY Times Obituary:

        https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/16/sports/mel-patton-dies-at-89-sprinted-for-two-gold-medals-at-1948-olympics.html

        https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78882

        OG 4×100 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3geJSt3geSw

        HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/mel-patton

        Time Magazine Cover: http://olympics.time.com/2012/07/02/time-covers-the-olympics/slide/track-star-mel-patton/

Don Gehrmann 94 (1927-July 23, 2022) 1948 Olympic finalist—1500m(8^th)

        4-time winner of the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games

        3-time NCAA Champion (Wisconsin)—1500 (1948)/mile (1949,1950)

        All-American in x-country—2^nd in 1948 and 1949

        2-time U.S. Indoor Champion—1000y (1952-set a World Record of 2:08.2, 1953)

        A Look Back (2012): http://tinyurl.com/DonGehrmannLooksBack12

        And Again in 2017: https://uwbadgers.com/news/2017/6/20/general-camp-randall-100-don-gehrmann.aspx

        https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78443

        Wisconsin Hall of Fame: https://uwbadgers.com/hof.aspx?hof=71

        Videos:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be5CsqXDIRo

        1951 NYAC Games: https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-6267026-circa-1950s—don-gehrmann-jim-fuchs

Chick Hislop  86 (1936-Feb.22, 2023)  Was the head coach at Weber State for 38 years

        Assistant U.S. coach—1996 Olympics

        Member of the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Assn.) Hall of Fame

        Author of “Drills, Techniques & Training For Championship Steeplechase” (coached Farley Gerber to the 1984 NCAA

             title in the Steeplechase)

        https://weberstatesports.com/news/2020/5/13/mens-track-field-50th-anniversary-of-first-big-sky-meet-for-chick-hislop.aspx

        Tributes:  Weber State  USTFCCCA

        Podcast (2020): https://soundcloud.com/wsuwildcats/chick-hislop-051320

        http://www.ustfccca.org/awards/chick-hislop-ustfccca-class-of-2010

Don Lippincott 68 (1893-Jan.9, 1962)  2-time medalist at the 1912 Olympics—100(bronze), 200(silver)

            Set the 1^st IAAF-ratified World Record in the 100-Meters when he ran 10.6 in his heat at the Olympics

            1913 IC4A Champion-220y/straight (Penn)…equaled the World Record of 21.2

            1915 Penn Relays Champion-Mile Relay—team set a World Record of 3:18.0 (WR at the time in the 4×400 was

    3:16.6)

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78705

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

https://pennathletics.com/sports/2016/7/6/_131485204760460180.aspx

Emil Breitkreutz 88 (1883-May 3, 1972)  1904 Olympic bronze medalist—800m

            The first of many USC Trojans to compete (and win a medal) at the Olympics

            Also USC’s first basketball coach

            https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78145

            USC Pioneer:

https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2020/07/04/emil-breitkreutz-a-usc-pioneer-in-more-ways-than-one/