History of the male varsity track and field program at Florida

Robert Manning Strozier Library
The Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2047
USA

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Track Team and Field Program at Florida State University from 1948-1974 for non-
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Sign r

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Printed Signature

Date

D27 College of Educaetion

IL owi
I.

K2e-

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE . . . . . . . . . .

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . .. .. . . .. .

Chapter
I. THE BEGINNING: 1948-1954 .

1948 . . . . . . . .
1949 . . . . . . . . . 1
S -mmry . . . . . 15
1950 . . . . . . . . 15
Sum ary . . I . . 23
1951 . . . . . . . . 24
S-m ary . . . . . 32
1952 . . . . . . . . 33
Summry ..........I..... ... 43
1953 I . . . . . . . . . . 45
S-m ary . . . . . 51
1954 . . . . . . . . 52
S -miry . . . . . 59

II. TRAN~SIT10NAND GROWTH: 1955-1957 . .. . 62

1955 . . . . . . . . 62
S -Smmry . . . . . 73
1956 . . . . . . . : . . . 74
S -rmry . . . . . . . . . 81
1957 . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Su-aary . . . . . 91

III. THE YEARS AT THETOP: 1958-1965 . . 93

1958 . . . . . 93
S r, : : : '. : : : : 107
1959 '. : : '. . . . . . li
Summ Y . . . . 118
19 60 . . . . 120
S-m ar'y . . . . . 129
1961 . . . . . . . . 131
Sumry .. 141
S1962 .. 4
Summry ........I...... .... 153

1963 . . . . . .. 155
Sum ary . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 164
1964 . . . . I .. 166
S -may . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 176
1965 . . . . . .. 178
S -m ary . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 191

IVi. THELEAN YEARS: 1966-1968 . . .. 193

1966 . . . . . . . . .
S . . . . . .
1967 . . . . . . . . . . .
S -mmry . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 214
1968 . . . . . . . . . .. 215
S -mmry . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. 228

V. A RESURGENCE: 1969-1974 . .. .. .. .. .. 231

1969 . . I . . I .. 231
S Uar . . . . . . . . .. 249
1970 . . . . . .. 251
S Yar . . I . . . .. . .. 266
1971 . . . . . .. 267
S-mmry .. .. .. .. .. .. 286
1972 . . . . . .. 288
S-m ary . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 300
1973 . . . . . .. 302
Su-m ry . . . . . . . . .
1974 . . . . . . . . . . .
S -m ary . . . . . . . . .

APPENDICES . . . . . .. 349

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . .. 555

VITA . .. . .. . .. . .. .. 568

iv

twenty-six years as head swimming coach at FSTJ, was packing boxes of

swimming memorabilia gathered during his long coaching career at

Tallahassee, and was lamenting the possible loss of FSU's swimming

heritage due to the lack of an archives in which to preserve invaluable

athletic records. Stults had been Florida State University's first ao

only head swimming coach until his retirement, and it was apparent the

his departure from the university co-muity could deprive posterity of

a rich and irreplaceable source of historical information concerning

the evolution of the athletic program.

Having been a varsity runner at PSU, the realization that the

same situation existed in the men's track and field program was almost

instantaneous. The track program had been started and nourished by Dr

Kenneth Miller. Mike Long had been installed as head coach when Mille:

was assigned departmental administrative duties in 1955, and he has

served continuously as head track coach to the present. Both man were

still employed by the university, but both were approaching retirement

For various reasons, the study was delimited to the male

varsity track and field program at Florida State during the period

1948-1974 and included both indoor and outdoor competition with the

exclusion of cross-country, separate freshman competition, and intra-

squad events. As the investigation proceeded, the twenty-six year

period of track and field history was sub-divided into five eras created

by natural groupings of events due to team success and the one head

coaching change.

The story of the Florida State University track program was

built upon individual and team performance. Emphasis in this study was

placed upon the performances of the superlative athletes who set the

records, but special attention was paid to the men whose second and

third place efforts often made the difference between defeat and victory.

A complete factual record was developed for each year from meet

results, including places of finish, performance standards, location of

the meet, and schools competing. Additional data were included as

appendices-- chronological listing of all school records and outstanding

performances, and a team roster listing name and varsity letter awards.

Difficulties were encountered in attempting to locate summaries

of results for all meets. Office records were found to be incomplete,

and often newspaper accounts were not inclusive, resulting in sketchy

summaries for some meets. To the appendices, meet reports for large

competition contain only a listing of the events in which Florida State

University placed. Whenever meet summaries listed times and performances

for places other than first, the performance was recorded in parentheses

after the athlete's name. It is regrettable that in a large number of

mannces -er recorded for only firs

tion. personal best marks of many a

as of this study, Florida State Uni

da State, FSU, the Seminoles, and t

physical education program and member of the doctoral committee; and to

Dr. Janet Wells and Dr. James P. Jones, members of the doctoral committees,

for their personal concern and encouragement.

Appreciation of the help extended by the physical education

program, the FSU athletic department, and to innumerable past and present

personnel who have made pertinent data available is gratefully acknow-

ledged. The invaluable assistance and information provided by Mike Long,

head track coach, was essential to the writing of the study. Special

recognition of Mrs. Dee Frye and Mrs. Eleanor Ludwig and the entire

athletic and intramural departmental secretarial staffs is in order.

Sincere and profuse appreciation is extended to the writer's

wife, "Andy," without whose help and inspiration the study would not

have been completed.

Florida State University's track program had its beginnings

in the fall of 1948. The master plan covering the expansion of the

athletic program did not call for the fielding of a track team for

several years (Annual Report: 1947-1948); however, events unfolded

that forced the time table to be moved forward. The prime factor in

this evolution was the somewhat bungled hiring of a -e staff member

at the newly coeducational Florida State University.

Kenneth Miller was working as head track and assistant foot-

ball coach at Lock Haven (Pennsylvania) State Teachers College when he

heard of a physical education and coaching opening at FSU. He recalled:

I heard of an opening at this new school and, largely out
of curiosity, wrote a letter of inquiry which included my vita.
Somewhat surprisingly, an offer followed almost immediately.
The opening, among other things, included the basketball coaching
job. Don Loucks had been the first basketball coach at FSU,
but he wanted to take over the tennis coaching position, and so
when my letter, indicating considerable experience in basket-
ball was received, the job was offered to me. This opportunity
in my favorite sport was the primary reason I came to Tallahassee.
My job at Lock Haven was a great one, and the salary there was
better than the new offer. Also, as it turned out, I would
have been department chairman the following year if I. had
remained at Lock Haven. But I wanted to be a head coach in
basketball. (Miller, 1975)

In the fall of 1948, Coach Miller arrived on campus believing

he was to be the basketball coach. Coach Miller's ambition to direct

clay, with the top running surface composed of red clay. The running

surface was fast when properly prepared, but one hard rain would turn

the track into a quagmire, and hot, dry weather resulted in a concrete-

hard running surface (Miller, 1975).

The high jump and vaulting pits were filled with wood shavings

donated by the Elberta Crate and Box Company. Dump trucks from the

factory would stack the shavings as much as four feet high. This pro-

vided a very soft landing area until the pile compacted. The broad

jump pit was filled with white construction send. All pits were lined

with wooden planks (Miller, 1975).

The most prominent recollection of the track by former athletes

was its isolation and lack of protection from the sun. Ken Jarrett

recalled:

The only shade in the place was off the second curve. There
was only one large oak tree. We gathered around that oak tree
between runs as that was the only shade for us. In 1953, Coach
Miller got the shop to come out and they put up a steel frane
and hung a canvas on top of it. That was the only shelter we
had while on the track. It did get hot, the hottest place I've
ever been--just wide open spaces. (Jarrett, 1975)

The track was located about 300 yards from the dressing facil-

(Athletic Office Budget File, 1948-1949).

Coach Miller remembers that the money was adequate for purchas-

ing equipment, as there were no recruiting costs or athletic scholar-

ships in 1949. Basic policy of the athletic department, under the

direction of Danford, prohibited the practice of awarding scholarships

for athletic ability.

The athlete shall be treated the same as other students.
There shall be no favoritism shown him and no discriminati n
against him be.-:- i- :_ r; i -% r

of the game. 7. ----; II?~.~ -;..r-r ;i;
from taking part in the sport. Any monetary rewards create
a false sense of values and create situations in which it is
useless to expect significant educational results. In brief,
the university dedicates itself to promotion of the amateur
ideal in sports. (Annual Report, 1947-1948)

This idealistic philosophy soon faced extreme pressure from

alumni, town people, and students who wanted to upgrade the football

program (Talahsse Dmocat 23 January 1949). Grudgingly, in 1951,

the ban against athletic scholarships was rescinded for the football

program (Annual Report, 1950-1951). This concession by the athletic

committee and Danford opened the flood gates for an expanding football

budget and sounded the death knell for Danford's idealistic dream of a

truly amateur sports program that would have no distinction between

major and minor sports (Tallahassee Democrat, 18 August 1948).

Danford's hope was that within a broad spectrum of activities stud ents

the field event entries that comprised the majority of the scoring

punch of the 1949 Seminole traeksters.

The Seminoles were woefully weak in the running events and

especially vulnerable in the sprint and longer distance races. Coach

Miller remembered his first team as willing but not possessing out-

standing talent (Miller, 1975). Unfortunately, the results of the 1949

season bore out his pessimistic evaluation.

The first meet for the fledgling Seminoles occurred on April 7

at home against Mercer College of Macon, Georgia (FSU Track Office

Files, 7 April1949). The meet's opening event, the mile run, pro-

vided an indication of the difficulties facing the Seminoles. The

Mercer distance men swept the mile run with a slow winning time of
5:10.0.

Undaunted by the opening setback, Charles pMihoney cruised to a

:54.8 victory in the 440-yard dash. Thus Mahoney became the first

Seminole to score a track and field victory for the garnet and gold.

Norman Eubanks, an All-Dixie Conference football end (Yeller,

1976), followed Mahoney to the winner's circle by copping the 120-yard

high hurdles with a time of :16.8. Jim Pence captured a valuable third

behind Eubanks.

A put of 38' 6-1/8" by James May was the winning effort in the

shot put and his effort moved Florida State to within four points of

Mercer College after the completionn of four events. The Bears quickly

recaptured their commanding lead by sweeping the 100-yard dash and the

high jump.

Florida State was able to send only three men to the victory

circle. George Grosskopf lowered the school record in the half-mile

to 2:07.8 with his triumph in the two-lap race. He had set the pre-

vious record two weeks earlier against Mercer College.

James ~Lohmeyer's leap of 5' 8" in the high jump garnered the

Tribe its second individual victory and established a new Seminole

record in the process. The broad jump produced the third win of the

day, when John Thomblesou settled into the send 19' 9-1/4" from the

take-off board. Thombleson's school-record setting performance ended

the Seminoles victory efforts for the day.

The Florida State University track team concluded its first

dual meet schedule at home against Mississippi College on May 7 (FSU

Track Office Files, 7 May 1949). The Seminoles engaged the Chootaws on

the west campus red clay track, where Mississippi College's strength

in the running events provided the Choctaws an edge that the Tribe

was never able to overcome.

George Grosskopf was the only Tribe runner able to break the

Chocta's stranglehold on first places in the foot-racimg. Grosskopf

scored his third consecutive dual meet victory in the half-mile, as his

2:05.9 clocking lowered his own school standard for that event.

Sweeps of the top two spots in three field events spearheaded

a Seminole drive that fell just short of victory. Al Bradford c-m

plated the weight double by scoring victories in both the shot put and

discus with school record tosses of 40' 6" and 117' 10-1/2",

Coach Ken Miller's 1952 edition of Seminole track promised to

be the best of his four-year stint as head coach of the Florida Star.

University track progg.=. With the exception of James Arnold, the

nucleus of the 1951 Seminole track team was returning. The premature

departure of Arnold would hurt the Tribe. In addition to senior Ed

Kucera, first year man Bill Wagoner and Ken Jarrett would be called

upon to fill the void left by the departed school record-holder in the

two-mile run.

Carlos Fraundorfer, the most unlikely weight man ever to com-

pate for Florida State University, made his appearance an the Tribe

track scene. Fraundorfer packed only 175 pounds on his lean 6' 3"

frame. He depended upon exceptional quickness and power to propel the

weight implements. Fraundorfer also used these exceptional talents to

excel in the high jump, broad jump, sprints, and an occasional 440-yard

lap on the mile relay team. Max Watson, the 1951 team captain, had

35

100-yard dash, while Joe Fracassi grabbed off third ". the pole

-t*The Seminoles opened the dual meet schedule against David-o

College on April 5 in D~avidson, North Carolina. FSU built an early

lead and then held on for a 72 1/3 to 58 2/3 triumph over Davadson

College (FSU Track Office Files, 5 April 1952).

Coach Miller received a glimpse of the quality athlete he had

in freshman Carlos Fraundorfer. The slender Tampa freshman bounded

21' 3" in the broad jump for the first of his three wins of the day.

A toss of 1301 2" in the discus, and a school-record tying leap of 5'

10" in the high jump netted him top honors in both events. A second in

the shot put drove his individual point total for the day to a very

creditable 18 points.

John Poston and Bill Wagoner each captured two events that

sparked an opening Seminole spurt as the team grabbed off the first

five running events. Bill Wagoner showed his potential as he success-

fully completed the difficult mile and half-mile double. He was

clocked at 4:41.5 and 2:03.5, respectively. Wagoner's 880-yard run

time ranked him second on the all-time list for Sei..ole half-milers.

John Poston dipped under :10.0 with his winning time of :09.9 in the

100-yard dash. He turned the furlong in a sharp :22.2 and anchored the

victorious Tribe mile relay with a sparkling split time of :50.1.

With their six-dual-meet-winning-streak on the line, the

Seminoles opened at home against Loyola University of New Orleans.

That streak came to a halt as FSU came out on the short end of a 79 to

59 score (FSU Track Office Files, 12 April 1952).

Likeable senior Ed Kucer4

carved out a 10:43.0 victory in I

first career victory after four:

State University. Teammate Ken

race, -a especially pleased thai

had finally tasted the thrill of

Tom Sebring was nipped b,

The much heralded and long w

of Florida State and the Miami Hurrici

west campus red clay oval in Tallahas!

1952). The first two encounters had

the fledgling Seminoles, but the Trib,

.ted meeting between the Seminoll

kes took place on May 10 on the

e (Tallahassee Democrat, 11 May

!sulted in crushing defeats for

had perservered and were now

trailing at 85 yards. Then Poston unleashed a furiouE

that carried him to a narrow victory. The watches reV

tacular new track and school record time of :09.6. TI

duel continued in the 220-yard dash. FSU's sprint seT

the way to crush his Miami opponent with a magnificent

In doing so, Poston had established another track and

Coach Ken Miller felt that his sprint star could have

sprinter in the country over 220 yards on that partict

40

the 440-yard dash with a new track record of :50.7. Parker's triumph

kept him undefeated in 1952 dual meet competition.

The Seminoles split the field events down the middle with the

Hurricanes. Carlos Fraundorfer gathered the first Seminole field event

victory by hurling the shot 43' 5-5/8". Baker King threw his body over

the bar resting at 5' 7-3/4" in the high jump for a first place finish.

School record holder Joe Fracassi closed out his successful year in

fitting style. The Brie, Pennsylvania, junior captured his specialty

with a vault of 12' 6", only one inch short of his school mark.

Florida State led Miami 63 2/3 to 62 1/3 going into the mile

relay. The pressure was on the quartet of Jack Koonce, Richard Mize,

Woody Parker, and John Poston. The Hurricanes held a slight lead after

the competitive first leg. Dick Mize trailed his man until the middle

of the final turn when a quick burst propelled him into the lead.

Parker maintained the advantage in the third leg and a sterling :50.2

anchor leg by John Poston sealed the mile relay and meet for the Sem-

incles. The Tribe foursome had hustled through the mile in 3:28.5 to

earn the last five points for a 68 2/3 to 62 1/3 triumph over the Miami

Hurricanes. Coach Miller summed it all up by saying, "they had not

expected to lose to us" (Miller, 1975).

The Seminoles left for the Georgia AAU on May 23 and almost

never made it. Charles Durbin was wheeling the Seminole bus down a

hill on Highway 19-41 between Ellaville and Butler. When the bus

reached the bottom of the hill, the right front axle snapped. Durbin

described the bump as being just "a little up and down--wasn't a rough

bump at all" (Durbin, 1975). The left front wheel flipped around

aboard from almost certain immolation (Durbin, 1975).

Fortunately, the road had rain gutters on both sides. The

first lurch threw Durbin completely out of the driver's seat. However,

he was able to retain his grasp on the wheel, and when the bus rico-

cheted off the rain gutter, Durbin .-naged to regain his seat (Durbin,

1975). The rain gutters and Durbin's driving skill kept the bus on the

road until most of its velocity had been dissipated. The bus finally

left the road and without turning over, came to rest in a grove of

trees. The bus had traveled 175 yards before coming to rest (Talla-

basses Democrat, 24 May 1952).

Smoke from the pinned tire filled the interior as Durbin hus-

tled people off the bus. A last minute check by Durbin discovered a

distance runner, who had been sleeping, groping around in the smoke

looking for his shoes (Durbin, 1975).

Woody Parker marvelled at Durbin's driving ability. "How that

bus driver was able to keep that bus from completely turning over, I'll

never knew. I tell you one thing--that really shook some people up"

'1115),

Coach e.n Miller chartered a Greyhound bus and continued on to

Atlanta (Miller, 1975). The accident appeared to be an evil =aen a. the

Seminoles finished a distant fourth (Atlanta Constitution, 25 May 1952).

100-yard dash and second in the furlong. Both events were captured b

the Southeastern Conference sprint champion, Jackie Creel of Auburn.

The only bright spot far the Seminoles occurred in the final

event. The Tribe mile relay team of Harvey Heagerty, Dick Mize, John

Poston, and Woody Parker sprinted to a sensational 3:22.4 clocking.

They lopped four and six-tenths seconds off the existing school record

John Poston made the Seminole's

son national competition on June 6 and

competed in the National Intercollegiatl

the 220-yard dash.

Summary. The completion of every season brings to an end the

collegiate track careers of a portion of the team. The year 1952 was

no exception as it tolled the and of John Poston's distinguished track

career at FSU. His flashing spikes had carried him to two individual

school records and had anchored two school record setting relay efforts.

Coach Miller described him as "a man ahead of his time"

(Miller, 1975). His records stand as proof of the statement. Poston'.

:09.6 clocking in the 100-yard dash against the Miami Hurricanes stood

unbroken for 13 years. The Jacksonville sprinter covered the furlong

in the same Miami meet in :20.8. No Seminole sprinter was to touch

that record until the 1960 season. Both times were run on the same hot

May afternoon, after which Poston was still able to anchor the crucial

mile relay to victory with a superlative :50.2 split. John Poston was

definitely a sprinter ahead of his time at Florida State University.

A quiet and dedicated distance runner was hanging up his spikes

at the conclusion of the 1952 season. Senior Ed Kucera was not a man

blessed with striking talents as a runner; yet, his determination and

willingness to sacrifice made him invaluable to the team (Jarrett,

1975). The endless days of practice paid dividends on April 26 when

da State University's 1952 track team rewrc

s. Poston contributed his 100- and 220-yat

th Harvey Heagerty, Richard Mize, and Wood3

,ool mark in the mile relay by seven and nir

a fine 3:22.4 effort. The foursome of Woot

Harvey Heagerty, and John Poston composed t

established the first school record in that

9 in the University of Georgia-Georgia Tect

26.

edition to his middle leg on the school recc

arlos Fraundorfer set two new school marks

The Tampa freshman blitzed At Bradford's fc

a put of 44' 5-3/4", and eased out To. Set

discus by three and one-quarter inches wit

45

encounters and running their collective dual meet record to 16

and 6.

1953

Coach Ken Miller and his Seminole thinclads faced the 1953

campaign without the services of standout sprinter John Poston. For

two years, the slender Jacksonville jackrabbit had consistently handled

opposing sprinters, and provided the strong anchor leg so necessary for

success in the sprint relay races.

Recruiting was light, hot the Seminoles did land a promising

hurdler in Weston Minton. Despite a dearth of newcomers, Coach Miller

was confidently awaiting the onset of the new season. His optimism was

created by the quality of returning letterman .

Heading the impressive list of returning veterans was sophomore

Carlos Fraundorfer. Fraundorfer -a the 1952 high point getter and

holder of the school record in the shot put and discus. Joe Frocassi,

an Erie, Pennsylvania senior, had one more season to put together the

elusive 13-foot jump in the pole vault.

The Seminoles were loaded in the middle distance events. Woody

Parker, the first Seminole to run order the 50-second mark in the 440-

yard dash was returning for his junior season. The mile and half-mil.

races were in the capable hands of Bill Wagoner. In 1952, Wagoner had

won both events in four of the five meets in which he attempted the

mile/half-mile double. In the final dual meet of the 1952 season, the

talented middle distance runner ran only the half-mile, setting a new

school record with a 2:01.5 clocking. The joys and triumphs of the

46

1952 season were now past and the Seminoles readied themselves for the

upcoming campaign.

Florida State University began the 1953 track season with the

10th Annual Florida R~elays in Gainesville on March 28 (Tallaha-se

Democrat, 27 March 1953). The Seminoles were unable to win many places,

but the quality of performance was excellent.

Carlos Fraundorfer unleashed a school record toss of 140' 9-3/4"

on his first throw in the discus competition. His superlative effort

earned him third place. Joe Fracassi increased his own school record

in the pole vault to 12' S" to capture a tie for second place.

Disaster stalked the Tribe in the sprint medley relay. Woody

Parker ran the lead-off quarter-mile in an awesome :48.4, only to watch

helplessly as a teammate later dropped the batou. The Seminoles were

disqualified, and Parker's courageous effort want for nought; however,

there was little doubt that Parker was ready to run.

Florida State began the 1953 dual meet season in grand style by

crushing Mercer College 85 1/3 to 45 2/3. The meet was staged on the

west campus track in Tallahassee on April 4 (FSU Track Office File,

4 April 1953). The Mercer Bears started the meet by taking the mile

run, yet after that event only the high j ump, evaded the grasp of the

overpowering Seminoles.

Carlos Fraundurfer tightened his grip on the shot put school

record by exploding the iron ball 45' 1", and then added the broad jump

to his school record cache by copping that event with a leap of 22'

3-1/2". He won the j avelin and discus throws with efforts of 165' 1"

and 140' 4-1/2", respectively. Fraundorfer also ran the second leg on

47

the victorious mile relay. He finished the day with five victories,

two school records, and 21 1/4 points.

Joe Fracassi rose to a 12' 10" personal best in the pole vault

to register both a victory and a new school mark. Scoring in his first

meet as a Seminole, Wes Minton made his home debut a success by cap-

turing both hurdle races with times of :15.7 and :25.0. Both times

ranked second on the Florida State all-time best performance list.

Florida State University met their counterparts from the Univer-

sity of Florida in the Florida AAU Championships an April 18 in Gaines-

ville (FSU Track Office Files, 18 April 1953). The Seminoles were

swamped by the Gators in what turned out to be a dual meet between the

two state universities. The Florida Gators dominated the competition

with 165 points while the Seminoles trailed far behind in second with

only 26 markers. Jacksonville Naval Air Station finished third with

12 points and the Pensacola Marine Base rounded out the field in fourth

with 5 points.

Florida State University did not win a single event, compiling

most of their points with second place finishes by Carlos Fraundorfer

in the shot put and broad jump, Woody Parker in the quarter-mile, Wes

Minton in the 220-yard low hurdles, and Bill Wagoner in the 880-yard

run.

The Seminoles shook off the embarrassing memory of the Florida

AAU by their second consecutive triangular meet win over the University

of Georgia and Georgia Tech in Athens on April 25 (FSU Track Office

Files, 25 April 1953). The Seminoles extended their 1953 dual meet

winning streak to three as they rode the swift legs of Woody Parker

j avelin 159' 0", catapulting the shot 41' 10-1/2", and flinging the

discus 138' 7-1/2". He completed his day's work by finishing second to

reamerst Woody Parker in the broad jump.

The busy day of Woody Parker began with the anchor leg of FSU'a

second-place-finishing 440-yard relay, ending with a 440-yard anchor

leg on the winning mile relay. John Kulzer, Robert Jones, and Jack

Koonce preceded Parker in the mile relay that ran up a sterling 3:28.8

clocking.

On a whim, Parker petitioned Coach Miller to enter him in the

broad jump. With Lbeapproval of the opposing coaches, Miller was able

to make Parker a last minute entry. The event had already begun, when

on his first jump without warm-up, Parker covered 22' 0" for the best

jump of the competition (Parker, 1975).

Woody Parker r ewtote the FSU quarter-mile mark by flashing to

victory with a :49.5 clocking. Parker was pleased with his performance

but had been unaware of the quality of his effort.

have run a good quarter, but are disappointed when you get your
time. On the other hand, there are races where you don't feel
you have really performed your best and the time was out-
standing. (Parker, 1975)

The Loyola Jesuits duplicated their 1952 defeat of FSUI by trim-

49

3 May 1953). Florida State copped five of nine running events, hot

were overpowered in the field events. Joe Fracassi cleared 12' 6"

for the only Seminole victory in the six field events.

The day was not without its Seminole star. Wes Minton bolted

to a quick victory in the 120-yard high hurdles in a school record set-

ting time of :15.2. Minton closed hard in the 220-yard low hurdles to

overcome favorite Baradel of Loyola in another school record shattering

time of :24.0. His clocking in the low hurdles was five-tenths of a

second faster than Tom B-wan's old mark.

Woody Parker captured the 440-yard dash with a time of :50.9,

while Bill Wagoner eased to victory in the half-mile with a rather slow

time of 2:04.0. Wagoner had finished second in the mile behind Chauvin

of Loyola, but turned the tables on the Jesuit distance specialist in

the 880-yard run. Kenneth Jarrett won the first race of his career at

FSU with his personal best time of 10:46.1 in the two-mile.

The Miami Hurricanes were lying in wait for the Seminoles on

May 9 in Coral Gables (FSU Track Files, 9 May 1953). The meet was a

thrilling sequel to the encounter of the previous year, in Tallahassee.

The competition was hard fought, but the second and third place Miami

finishes behind Ken Jarrett's 10:54.4 victory in the two-mile gave the

Hurricanes an insurmountable 66-60 lead. With only the mile relay

remaining, the Seminole foursome of John Kulzer, Robert Jones, Dick

Mize, and Elwood Parker won the last event to narrow Miami's winning

advantage to only one point as the final point standings were 66 to 65.

Woody Parker captured both the 440- and 220-yard runs with

times of :50.3 and :22.2, respectively. John Poston was the only

The second race was the 120-yard high hurdles. Coach Miller

described Wes Minton as "a talented, but erratic hurdler" (Miller,

1975). Unfortunately the Miami encounter was an off meet for Minton in

the 120l-yard high hurdles. He followed his previous :15.2 performance

against Loyola with a third place finish. The winning time turned in

by a Hurricane hurdler was :15.9. Minton redeemed himself in the 220-

yard low hurdles by blazing to a :24.7 victory. The two races epito-

mized Coach Miller's characterization of Minton.

Florida State University should have entered their final dual

meet of the season with Mississippi Southern College on May 16, in

Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as heavy favorites (FSU Track Office Files,

16 May 1953). However, during the two weeks following the Miami meet,

an altercation broke out between Coach Miller and several of his key

athletes. The dispute led to the voluntary departure of veterans

who had been instrumental in the Tribe's scaring all year (Miller, 1975

Thus, the Seminoles entered the contest weakened, but determined to

succeed (Jarrett, 1975).

This attitude was best illustrated by Bruce Jacob. Jacob was

a field event man, but when the top Mississippi Southern distance run-

net doubled in the 880-yard run; there were only two men left in the

two-mile field. Jacob agreed to run the two-mile for team points. Ken

Jarrett won the event easily, and when the Mississippi Southern runner

developed cramps, Jacob went on to finleh second (Jarrett, 1975).

Carlos Frauadorfer tried to recoup points lost by winning the

broad jump with a leap of 22' 9-1/2", only one-half inch off the school

record; the discus with a throw of 141' 2"; and the shot put with a toss

of 43' 11-3/8". The Tampa sophomore added a second in the 100-yard

dash to ran his individual point total to 18.

Julian Hurst won the 120-yard high hurdles with a sparkling

time of :15.1, yet his school record claim was spoiled by having a

strong tail wind. Joe F-cassi ended his four-year career at Florida

State on a winning note with his vault of 11' 6". Ken Jarrett copped

the mile and two-mile runs as the Seminoles won nine of 15 events, but

succumbed to greater depth by a score of 73 to 58.

The regular season for the Seminoles ended with the dual meet

confrontation with Mississippi Southern, but several Seminoles traveled

to Atlanta on May 23 to compete in the Georgia AAU Championships

(Atlanta Constitution, 24 May, 1953).

Richard Mize garnered the best place for the Tribe with his

third place finish in the 440-yard dash. Florida State wound up with

seven and one-half points, and a sixth place finish overall.

Summary: The 1953 season began on a positive note with three

straight victories, but narrow losses to Loyola University and the

University of Miami, coupled with internal strife caused the Seminoles

The Tribe continued to set new school records at a brisk pace.

Carlos Fraundorfer added the broad jump to his growing list of school

marks by traversing 22' 10" in the Florida Relays. He improved his

shot put mark to 45' 1", while upping his discus record to 141' 2".

In an erratic freshman year, Wes Minton displayed flashes of

brillance. He set school records in both hurdle events by running the

quick times of :15.2 and :24.0 in the 120-yard high hurdles and 220-

yard low hurdles, respectively.

Joe Fracassi continued his upward trend in the pole vault by

establishing a new record when he cleared 12' 10" against Mercer Colleg

on April 4. Fracassi chased the elusive 13-foot vault throughout his

career at Florida State University, but unfortunately, this dream was

never realized by one of the most consistent scorers in the past four

years. Searing the quarter-mile in :49.5, Woody Parker shattered a

school record against the University of Georgia and Georgia Institute

of Technology on April 25.

1954

Prior to the opening of the 1954 season Coach Ken Miller

offered the following statement to the press, "with an outstanding

group of freshmen on this year's squad, the future looks bright for

track and field at Florida State" (Miller, 1954). The immediate future

did not unfold as Coach Miller had predicted as the Seminoles opened

with an impressive thumping of Mercer College but then skidded to six

straight dual meet losses. Ir was the longest losing streak in Florida

State University track history.

53

A combination of factors thwarted Coach Miller's attempt to

rally his team. The fatal weakness in the 1954 Seminoles was the lack

of overall team depth. The unfortunate exodus of quality athletes at

the end of the 1953 season and the graduation of key performers, left

the Tribe void of seasoned veterans. A more demanding schedule soon

exposed the Seminoles' achilles heel.

The Seminoles had the greatest depth ever in its coaching staff.

Mike Long, an assistant coach in football and basketball, donated his

time to help Coach Miller. Walter Grage served as a graduate assistant

for the track program.

Without money to recruit (Athletic Office Budget File, 1953-

1954), Coach Ken Miller was very adept at discovering quality athletes.

He would identify talented athletes by perusing the result sheets from

surrounding state prep track meets (Miller, 1975). A letter would be

sent to selected athletes expressing FSU's interest in having the young

man attending Florida State, and participating in their track and field

program. Within the framework he had to operate, Coach Miller's system

worked very well.

The best example of the effectiveness of Miller's recruiting

system occurred in the spring of 1953. Coach Miller was scanning the

results of the 1953 Georgia State Track Meet, which included a photo-

graph of the finish in the quarter-mile. The picture was an eye-

catcher because the winner, Jim Casteel, had stayed in his lane for

the entire race. These were the days when the 440-yard dash was not

run in lanes. All contestants ran the first curve in lanes, breaking

for the inside down the backstretch. A letter was immediately sent to

54

the young man out of Avondale, Georgia. Coach Miller did not receive

a reply to his missive, yet in the fall of 1953, the greatest quarter-

miler in Seminole track history appeared on the Florida State University

campus as a result of the contact (Miller, 1975).

There were many good freshmen track recruits joining Casteel at

Florida State in the fall of 1953. The need was great; as the names an

the roll of the missing were impressive. Woody Parker, the school

record holder in the 440-yard dash and participant on two school record

setting relay teams had entered military service (Parker, 1975). Bill

Wagoner, the FSU record holder in the 880-yard run and anchorman for

the record setting sprint medley relay had elected to forego his rnmain-

ing two years of track eligibility (Miller, 1975). Wes Minton dropped

out of school to enter military service, while Joe Fracassi, school

standard bearer in the pole vault, To, Sebring, former school record

holder in the discus, and Richard Mize, participant on the school

record setting mile and sprint medley relays, had graduated. Six men

who had held or helped set nine school records were gone.

The Seminoles began the season with some outstanding perfor-

mances from a scrappy bunch of freshmen at the Florida Relays on

March 27 (FSU Track Office Files, 27 March 1954). The sprint medley

team of Jim Casteel, Carlos Fraundorfer, Joe Davis, and Lawrence

Rountha battled for a second place finish. This was the highest place

for a Seminole relay team, ever, in the prestigious relays. Coach

Miller described the Tribe's performance this way:

ln

l Ir- r,-

A freshman foursome of Joe Davis, Frank Bright, Charlie Watson,

Jim Casteel raced to the second fastest Seminole time ever, fin-

ig fourth in the mile relay. Their individual splits were Davis

,6), Bright (:52.5), Watson (:50.9), and Casteel (:49.5). The

Aggregate gave the Tribe a 3:24.5 cl-cking. Having thought the

relay team was "out of its class" (Miller, 1954), Coach Miller

7cry pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Carlos Fraundorfer was the only Seminole to place in an indivi-

event, as his throw of 133' 3/4" in the discus earned him fourth

Florida State began their season with a confidence-building

ahing of Mercer College in Macon on April 3. FSU won 10-15 events

breezing to their 84-47 victory (FSU Track Office Files, 3 April

Jim Casteel led the Tribe by capturing the 440-yard dash

.8), 22G-yard dash (:23.0), the broad jump (:20' 9"), and finished

afternoon by anchoring the mile relay to victory,

Lawrence Hountha, in his first open half-mile as a Seminole,

-Bill Wagoner's old school record by striding to victory in

.6. Thus, he became the first Seminole to run under the two-minute

7, 1954, the Seminoles participated in tl

.The Florida Gators captured the team

ribe garnered second with 53 markers (Go.

tha and Jim Casteal set new Florida AAU

topped the 880-yard run field with a arel

third with 53 markers.

The pressure on the Seminc

of Alabana and the University of I

May 1. Florida State wilted under

was the other Seminole to join Casteel in

,nnpa native raised his own school record t

ive in the shot put. There was nothing for

is=n from their experience and gird them,

58

Jim Casteel continued his steady performance, as he tied his

owo school record by winning the 440-yard dash in :49.4. On his next

appearance on the track, Casteel sped to a :21.4 victory in the fur-

long. The versatile freshman finished second in the broad jump behind

teammate Carolos Fraundorfer. For the second week in a row,, captain

Carlos Fraundorfer improved his owti school record ini the broad jump

with a winning leap of 22' 10-1/2".

Lawrence Hounthe returned to form with a 2:00.3 victory in the

880-yard run. Joe Davis and Warren Stricklaod were the only other

Seminoles to snag victories. Davis' a winning time of ten seconds flat

in the 100-yard dash tied him with Tom Bovman for the second fastest

time in Seminole track history. The top spot in the pole vault was

shared by Thomas of Miami and Warren Strickland of FSU at 11' 0".

Despite the combined total of 22 1/4 points scored by Casteel

and Fraundorfer, the Hurricanes rode a balanced team scoring effort to

a 71 to 60 triumph.

Now the Seminoles had only one more dual meet left on the

schedule. With victory on their minds, the Tribe j ourneyed to Hatties-

burg, Mississippi, on May 15. However, Mississippi Southern played

the spoiler role on their home track extending FSU'a losing skien to

six (FSU Track Office Files, 15 May 1954).

The Seminoles received herculean performances from Jim Casteel,

Carlos Fraundorfer, Jerry Jacobs, and Lawrence Hountha. Casteel was

unbeatable as he raced to victory in the 440-yard dash (:50.0), 220-

yard dash (:22.1), and anchored the mile relay consisting of Bright,

Watson, Hountha, Casteel to a 3:30.8 triumph.

school record board in the shot put. Jacobs, starting left gi

the football team, scored his victory with a put of 46' 3-1/4"

hassee Democrat, 16 May 1954).

Lawrence Hountha dipped under two minutes in the half

the third time during the 1954 campaign with his top spot earn

1:59.8 clocking. The Seminoles again won more events than the

opponents, but still lost the meet by a 69 to 62 margin. This

brought to a close the official 1954 season.

One Seminole unofficially competed in the Georgia AAU

ships on, May 22. The meet was not officially on the schedule c

the date falling during final examination week, and all school

scored athletic events were prohibited (Annual Report, 1947-194E

Weaver competed as an unattached participant, winning fourth p]

the javelin (Atlanta Constitution, 23 May 1954).

Sumrmar Florida State University had endured the wors

son of its six year history of track and field. The Seminoles

60

seniors on the team. Many impressive performances forecasted a

brighter future for the garnet and gold.

Jim Casteel was undefeated in the 440-yard dash in dual meet

competition, twice dipping under the existing school record. He first

broke Woody Parker's record with his blazing :49.4 effort against

Alabama and Loyola on May 1. A week later, Casteel tied that mark in

the meet with Miami. Coach Miller stated that his prize quartermiler

was "one of the outstanding college freshman runners in the entire

country" (Miller, 1954).

Carlos Fraundorfer broke into the 23-foot range in the broad

jump with a leap of 23' 3-1/2" against the Southerners of Missi-sippi

Southern College on May 15. While Fraundorfer was setting his record

in the broad j unp, Jerry Jacobs was besting his shot put re-ord by

putting the shot 46' 3-1/2".

The oldest school record on the board went by the wayside when

Ron Weaver erased Bill Rodger's old mark in the javelin with a heave ol

177' 2-1/2", which Rodger had set in the First Annual Dixie Conference

Championship on May 25, 1949. Florida State set a new record at the

Florida Relays in the sprint medley relay. The foursome of Jim Cas-

teel, Carlos Fraundoxfer, Joe Davis, and Lawrence Hountha finished

only three-tenths of a second behind North Carolina's winning time of

3:25.5. The freshmen foursome of Joe Davis, Frank Bright, Charles

Watson, and Casteel raced to the second fastest mile relay time in

Seminole track hiistory with a time of 3:24.5 at the Florida Rel~ays.

Coach Miller was not to enjoy the bl-oing of his young

Athletics, wanted Coach Miller to assume the position of assistant

director of the men's physical education department. and to chair the

growing graduate program. The chance for professional advancement

could not be denied (Long, 1975).

The Seminole program had evolved from Ken Miller's own hand,

and had prospered under his guidance. John Thombleson, a former-

school record-holder in the broad jump and a member of Coach Miller's

first team described the beginning, "he built a track program from

nothing but his own hard work and I've always admired him for the

effort" (Thombleson, 1975).

Under six years of Dr. Kenneth D. Miller's quiet and concerne,

tutelage, the Seminole track team had won 20 of 35 dual meets and

placed two men high in national competition. His decision to accept

an administrative position in the men's physical education department

at FSU draw to a close the first era in Florida State University's

track and field history. With his tenure as head track coach at an

end, Coach Miller continued to be a supporter and interested follower

of the track fortunes.

copped the Minnesota Inter-collegiate Track Meet, and also placed in

the low hurdles (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 27 May 1934).

After two years at Macalester College, Long transferred to the

University of Minnesota. Concentrating only an track, the versatile

performer won the 1936 Olympic regional pole vault.

In 1937, Mike Long graduated from the University of Minnesota

with a bachelor of science degree in physical education. With the

depression at its height, Long managed to land a teaching position at

Clinton (Minnesota) High School at a salary of $110.00 per month for

nine months. Long remembers there being literally hundreds of applica-

tions for the job (Long, L.S., 1976).

Coach Mike Long had decided to try coaching for five years

before reevaluating his future. With a desire to rise in the coaching

ranks, he decided to change schools every two years. In keeping with

his strategy, Long stayed at Clinton High School for two years before

shifting to Sherburn (Minnesota) High School in 1939. On the athletic

fields, Long's responsibilities included football, basketball, wrest-

ling, and track and field. Two years later, Farmington (Minnesota)

High School was the next stop for Mike Long. He was charged with the

responsibility for the football, basketball, and track programs. His

success was expressed in school superintendent C. J. Wall's statement

concerning Mike Long's resignation in the winter of 1943.

regional tournament where the Tigers were runners-up. It was

The next coaching stop for Mike Long was Sarasota (Florida)

High School, as the head football, basketball, and track coach. Unresf

in the local community with Long's losing inaugural football season lec

to his replacement as the head football coach and eventually to his

decision to resign. After announcing his plans to leave Sarasota,

Long's basketball charges went to the semi-finals of the state tourna-

ment and his track team won the state title (Long, L.N., 1976).

The announcement of Mike Long's resignation brought surprise

plaudits from Ray Norton, sports columnist for the Tampa Tribune.

Resignation of Mike Long as athletic director at Sarasota

Conference, and in Tampa.
I met Mike for the first time at the South Florida Con-
ference Basketball Tournament in Sarasota where he went out

sure he'd like to live in Florida, and would prove on, asset
to any high school sports staff. (TE a ribne 28 March 1946)

Coach Mike Long entered the Lee County School System as the

Ft. Myers Senior High School head basketball and track coach, and an

assistant in football. The Greenies' basketball and track programs

prospered under his guidance.

he was frustrated at every to-n. Convinced that I was avoid-
ing him, Danford became determined to find me and offer me
the job. When he finally found me, I accepted the job.
(Long, L.S., 1976)

The reflection of a man can be found in the image he leaves

behind. The press release by athletic director "Jock" Southerland

expressed the feelings of the Green Wave athletic staff for Mike Long.

The coaching versatility of Long was a key consideration in his

hiring. Dr. Howard Danford explained:

We believed the appointment of Mike Long on our staff fills
a need of long standing. He has had wide experience in Florida
at the high school level. He is a competent worker, well-
known and respected over the state. (FloidaTims-Uion
I August 1953)

With Mike Long's 1954 coaching schedule including only football

and basketball, the track program again inherited a well qualified

coach who had not been hired directly for the track coaching position.

The new mentor, Mike Long, would have a talented squad with

which to work. Nine returning lettermen headed by the multi-talented

Jerry Jacobs (shot put), and Carlos Fraundorfer (discus and broad

jump). The 1955 track brochure described Carlos Fraundorfer as a man

"who's been setting a series of Seminole track and field records for

the past three years. At one time or another in his career, Carlos has

held FSU school records for the shot put, discus, and broad jump. In

addition be's thrown the javelin, high jumped, run the 100-yard dash,

and sparked three different relay teams" (FSU Track Brochure File,

Spring Sports, 1955).

A wealth of newcomers swelled the ranks of the Seminoles,

eliminating the chronic depth problem that had plagued the 1954 Sem-

inoles. Vernon Does, two time Florida state class "A" prep champion in

the mile ran, and Ken Segner, class middle distance runner, were the

best of the new additions in 1955.

By the beginning of the season, the loss of two valuable me--

bars of the Tribe squad jolted the Seminole hopes for a successful

rebuilding season. Jim Casteel decided to drop out of school to join

the army. The powerful ground covering stride of the premier quarter-

miler would be irreplaceable.

The second loss was Larry Hountha. The personalities of the

half-miler school record-holder and sophomore Ken Segner clashed bit-

terly during the fall of 1955. A rivalry had sprung up between the

two man during Segner's transfer year in 1954. Neither man wanted to

lose to the other in any situation. Practice workouts turned into

fierce competitive battles. The all-consuming competitive attitude was

unhealthy and destructive. It led them to pay little attention to

workout conditions in their desire to achieve dominance.

a Seminoles flexed their newly found muscles in the Florida

onships on April 16 and came away with the championship (FSU

ze Files, 16 April 1955). The Tribe won five individual

ed for first in another, captured the mile relay, and showed

overall strength in their 51 5/6 to 47 3/4 win over the

Florida Cators. The 1955 Florida AAU meet marked the first

da State University had ever beaten the University of Florida

Dred track and field competition.

a Weaver captured a school record and the j avelin event with

f 1931 6". Although Tenoy Brown failed to win the high jump,

E 6' 1/4" established a new Senionle high jump standard and

.is only Seminole over six feet in the history of the program.

garnered two victories when Charley Watson breezed through

Vernon Duce highlighted the

victory- in the two-mile run. His s,

LO:20.1 provided the Tribe with a a.

Florida going into the mile relay.

Long the dominant track pow

Florida was not interested in losing

apstarts from Tallahassee (Long, L.!

;iaoale effort with his dramatic

iool record setting performance o

Lght 3 1/12 points advantage over

Sin the state, the University of

on their home track to the young

.1 1976). Disregarding Florida's

its University "A!' team ran the

7ech. April 23 was a very satisfying day for the streaking thinclads

.rom Florida State. The Seminoles won seven of 16 events and placed

.m every event, except the 880-yard run, as they improved their record

:o three wins and no losses (FSU Track Office Files, 23 April 1955).

As often happens in big meet competition, the times were not

spectacular but the Seminoles competed hard. The Tribe fought

'iercely for every available point. Several FSU trackmen delivered

)arsenal best performances in nonwinning efforts.

Jack Terwilliger won the 100-yard dash and then turned in a

personall record :22.5 clocking for third in the 220-yard dash. Charle

Tatson placed a very close second in the quarter-mile behind the win-

Ling performance of teammate Ken Segner (Long, L.S., 1976). Watson's

personall best time of :25.1 in the 220-yard low hurdles only placed hin

:hird. Ron Weaver bested his own school record in the javelin with a

oss of 194' 11-3/4" but had to settle for second.

Vernon Duce was the only double winner for the Seminoles as he

capturedd both the mile and two mile runs. Joe Davis was the remaining

'SO victor with his winning jump of 21' 7" in the broad j mp.

The mile relay team composed of Segner, Terwilliger, Davis,

zd Watson cemented their 67 1/3 to 56 2/3 victory ever the University

,f Georgia by sweeping to a 3:28.8 triumph. Their splits were Segner

:50.7), Terwilliger (:51.0), Davis (:52.3), and Watson (:54.8).

Florida State University conducted their last home track meet

.ver on their West Campus facility on April 30 against the Jesuits

1949, and again played the spoiler in the Tribe's finale in 1955. The

Jesuits parlayed speed and endurance into a 72 1/3 to 58 2/3 defeat of

the Seminoles of Florida State (FSU Track Office Files, 30 April 1955).

The :25.1 effort by Joe Davis in the 220-yard low hurdles was

the lone Seminole victory in the running events. The Seminoles kept

the margin of defeat within respectable bounds by winning three of six

field events and tying for the top spot in another. Jerry Jacobs and

Carlos Fraundorfer won the shot put and discus with throws of 47' 3/4"

and 141" 1/2", respect-ively. The javelin was won by FSU's Ron Weaver

with a toss of 183' 5". Toney Brown tied for first in the high jump

with Di-t of Loyola at 5' 10-1/4".

The Seminoles rolled into Miami on May 5 looking to regain

their winning ways. Catapultad by meo new school record performances

and a sweep of all three places in the 220-yard low hurdles, the Sem-

inoles overcome the Miami Hurricanes by a 73 to 58 margin (FSU Track

Office Files, 5 May 1955).

Ron Weaver became the first Seminole to ever throw the javelin

ever 200 feet as his throw landed just five inches beyond the 200-foot

mark. Carlos Fraundorfer continued his assault against the record boo

by shattering his own school mark in the discus with a throw of 146' 4".

Jack Terwilliger spent less than 33 seconds on the track wffile

winning two events. The Dade City sensation snatched the 100-yard

dash in :10.2 and then used only :22.4 to win the 220-yard sprint.

Terwilliger's time in the furlong was a personal best.

73

Mississippi Southern. With the score resting at 68 to 58, the mile

relay was cancelled by mutual consent.

Summary. The Florida State University thinclads finished

their first season under the tutelage of Mike Long with a 5-1 record

and an, impressive victory over the University of Florida in the 1955

Florida AAU meet. The lack of a true superstar was overcome by strong

individual and team desire to win. The team refused to concede any

place and fought fiercely for every available point. This is corro-

borated by the fact that two school records and numerous personal

records were established in nonwinning efforts.

Team spirit and cooperation were the most important virtue-,

espoused by the coaching staff and those who could not accept these

concepts were invited to run elsewhere. This spirit and cohesion soon

became the trad emsrk of track and field squads fielded by FSU's Mike

Long.

Carlos Fraundorfer closed out his outstanding career at Florida

State University in the style to which his coaches had grown accustomed.

He regained his shot put record, lost to Jerry Jacobs in 1954, with a

monumental throw of 48' 3-1/4" which surpassed the old record by two

full feet. He still held the school mark in the broad jump at 23'

3-1/2", remaining the only Seminole to have ever jumped over 23 feet,

and the discus mark at 146' 5". Fraundorfer established n new career

scoring record by compiling 278 3/4 points during his four year stint

at FSU (FSU Track Brochure File, FSU Spring Sports 1956).

Undoubtedly the most unlikely weightman, to ever throw at

Florida State University, Carlos Fraundorfer stood 6' 4" and weighed

75

schools in the South. The rivalry with the University of Florida Was

expanded by scheduling the first FSU-Florida dual meet in the history

of the two schools (FSU Track Brochure File, Spring Sports 1956).

With only two school record-holders returning for the 1956

campaign, the Seminoles were short of veteran performers. The record

holders were Tenny Brown in the high jump and javelin thrower Ron

Weaver. The multitalented Carlos Fraundorfer had been lost via grad-

uation, and Vernon Duce, the freshman sensation in the two-mile, had

left school abruptly without explanation. These two men had played key

roles in the successful rebuilding efforts of 1955.

Despite the losses in personnel, ISO faced the 1956 season con-

fidently. The Seminoles were again without the legitimate superstar,

yet were strong in every event. The chances for a successful season

had been brightened by the return of two ex-Seminole track men after a

hitch in the military service. Wes Minton, school record-holder in

both hurdle events, bolstered a thin corps of timber-toppers. Depth

was added in the middle distance events with the arrival of Pete

Fraschetti, a former record-holder in the half-mile. Sophomore speed-

ster, Jack Terwilliger, headlined the sprinting corps as his :09.9

clocking in 1955 had made him the second fastest Seminole in FSU track

history.

The 1956 season began with the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor

Championship in Raleigh, North Carolina, on February 24 (FSU Track

Office File, 24 February 1956). Competing in the nonconference divi-

sion, the Tribe did not fare well. The Seminoles took only two fourth

places--the mile relay, and Joe Davis in the 70-yard low hurdles. The

The outcome of the meet had not made many people happy; yet it

as not without its humorous aspects. Bruce Jacob described what hap-

oned to him in the mile run.

T 1 i 7 .; ~ r~ ?. i. i~I .r

With the entire squad competing, the Seminoles flexed their

electivee muscles by thumping Mississippi Southern College 89 to 42

,i Tallah-see on March 28 (FSU Track Office File, 28 March 1955).

iis was the earliest opening dual meet date for the Seminoles, yet the

-ring time air obviously agreed with the Tribe.

Jack Terwilliger displayed May form on this March afternoon.

ie Dade City flyer streaked through the 100-yard dash in :10.0, and

agistered his second victory in the 220-yard dash with a clocking of

Z2.4. Ron Weaver led teammates Jimmy Harrell and Mike Guerra to a

-ese in the iavelin with his throw of 198' 2". The former school

77

record-holder in the shot put, Jerry Jacobs copped his specialty, flip-

ping the iron ball 45' 4-1/4". The mile relay of Terwilliger, Mike

Conley, Charlie Watson, and Doyle Ruff capped off a successful opening

day performance with a victoriou, 3:28.8 clocking.

The Seminoles managed only two fourths in the 13th running of

thle prestigious Florida Relays (FSU Track Office File, 31 March 1956).

Jack Terwilliger garnered one of the Seminole places with a :10.3 per-

formance in the IOG-yard dash, while Ron Weaver captured the other with

a toss of 193' 2-1/2" in the j avelin.

A hot and windswept Georgia afternoon (Tallahassee Democrat,,

8 April 1956) was the setting for the running of the Mercer College-

Davidson College-Florida State University triangular track meet. The

Seminoles did not find themselves particularly sharp, but had enough

firepower to ease out an 83 1/3 to 70 2/3 win over Davidson as Mercer

tallied only two markers (FSU Track Office File, 7 April 1956).

Field event men provided the main thrust of the Seminole vic-

tory. Florida State copped six out of seven field events. Lloyd Las-

sen's school record and event winning leap of 6' 2" in the high jump

highlighted the Seminoles' efforts.

Jerry Jacobs and Joe Davis turned in sterling winning perfor-

mances in the shot put and broad jump with efforts of 45' 9-3/8" and

22' 9-1/2", respectively. Davis' leap in the broad jump was the second

best ever by a Seminole. Competing in his third event of the day, Joe

Davis sped over the barriers in the 220-yard low hurdles in only 25

second..

April 14 marked the beginning of the Florida-Florida State

dual meet series. With Florida possessing the home track advantage,

the Seminoles did not create an auspicious beginning. Florida's track

men completely dominated the meet as the Tribe managed to win only two

events in the lopsided 90 to 41 Garet victory (Tallahassee Democrat,

15 April 1956).

The lone Seminole winners were Ron Weaver and Joe Davis. A

toss of 194' 4-1/4" in the javelin earned Weaver his first place spot.

Davis' broad jump of 23' 6-3/4" topped the field, breaking Carlos

Fraundorfer's FSU record.

Mike Conley was bested in the mile by West of Florida in a neat

dead heat finish. With the two runners matching stride for stride

through the final lap, the winning time of 4:29.9 was awarded to both

men. Thus Conley dropped his personal best in the mile over 12 seconds

also setting a new FSU standard. This race marked the only time durinFg

the 1956 season that West was able to beat the Seminole miler.

The Seminoles brought their damaged track ego back to the

friendly confines of the FSU track. The frustrations generated by the

Tribe's first loss of the 1956 season were vented against the Jesuits

of Loyola University on April 28 (FSU Track Office Files, 28 April

1956). The thinclads of Florida State captured 10 of the 15 events on

their way to a 87 to 44 hearing of Loyola University.

Jack Terwilliger sped to a :50.2 triumph in the quarter-mile

and doubled back in the 220-yard dash for his second win of the day

with a spectacular Lime of :21.3. Terwilliger's time was a track

record for the new Seminole facility.

the w tch did not work because I was trying hard
:50 .0. (Jacob, 1975)

The Seminoles received superlative performance,

Jacobs, Warren Strickland, and Ken Segner. Jerry Jac,

shot putter, unleashed his second best throw in his t:

heaving the shot 46' 2-1/2". The 12-foot barrier in I

scaled for the second time by a Seminole vaulter as W,

copped the acrobatic event with a jump of 12 feet evei

best of 21' 9-3/4" for third in the broad jump. Don Ayers became the

third Seminole to vault over 12 feet with his jump of 12' 1" in the

pole vault. His efforts gained him a tie for second place.

The Seminoles responded to their second defeat at the hands ol

the Florida Gators with renewed motivation for victory. On May 8 in

Tallahassee, the Florida State Seminoles turned "Hurricane hunters," i

they defeated the University of Miami by a whopping 92 3/4 to 38 1/4

margin (FSU Track Office Files, 8 May 1956).

Jack Terwilliger had a spectacular day as he whipped through

the quarter-mile with a winning time of :50.06, and returned in the

next event to win the 100-yard dash in :09.9. His day was far from

over. After a short respite, he turned the furlong in :21.6 and

anchored the mile relay for his third and fourth triumphs of the afte:

noon. Lloyd Lassen equalled his own school record by winning the higI

jump with a leap of 6' 2".

Two Seminoles broke into the victory column~ for the first tim

during the 1956 campaign. Pete Fraschatti handled the half-mile fielc

with a respectable time of 2:05.0. Ron Weaver relinquished the top

spot in the j avelin to Jerry Henderson, as the improving sophomore

81

Summary. Coach Mike Long's Seminole track men had completed

the 1956 season with the highest total of dual meet victories in thee

eight year history of track at Florida State University. The Tribe

captured seven wins with only one loss, and finished second in the

Florida AAU. After inheriting talented, yet imrmature, team that had

won only once while losing six in 1954, Coach Long had run up an out-

standing 12-2 record in only two years at the helm. The schedule had

been steadily upgraded to parallel the Seminoles' improvement. The

Tribe was making its way into the big time in a winning fashion.

Three Seminoles had added their names to the record books in

1956. The oldest record on the board tumbled to the smooth rhythm of

Mike Conley's easy strides. No Seminole had been able to surpass Bill

Duncan's 4:32.0 school record set in 1950 until April 14, when Conley

placed second in a near photo finish against the University of Florida

with a time of 4:29.9. Although Mike Conley had won the Florida prep

mile in the 1954 State track and field meet he had decided not to run

track at Florida State during his freshman year. The talented dis-

tance runner returned to the cinders his sophomore year, and rapidly

honed his rusty skills. Coach Long described 1956 as "the year that

marked the emergence of Conley from nowhere to one of the best milers

in the South" (Long, 1976).

Lloyd Lassen erased the high jump record of his good friend and

rival Tenny Brown by clearing 6' 2". The bulky high jumper cleared

this height on two different occasions.

Joe Davis reduced Carlos Fraundorfer's entries in the record

book to two by grabbing the broad jump mark with his new standard

(220-yard dash on the curve), Joe

ran) and Lloyd Lassen (high j=

L record marks, Terwilliger, Davi

--getters in 1956 with 71 3/4, 56

i Mike Long saw only one major atl

1 1957 (FSU Track Brochure File.

placed them fourth behind Southeastern Conference powerhouses L,

State University, Auburn University, and the University of Alab.

LSU won the first Annual Coliseum Relays with 44 points.

The only Seminole victory occurred in the 60-yard dash.

Terwilliger topped the dash field with a :06.5 clocking. The D.

native added a fourth in the 300-yard dash to his collection of

Florida State established two new indoor marks in the fj

events with fine nonwinning efforts. Richard Ellwood's mark cat

the pole vault as he tied for second place with a jump of 12' 8'

Tenny Brown andl~loyd Lassen were part of a five-way tie for seci

the high jump at 5' 10".

The mile relay concluded the painful learning experience(

a fourth place finish. The Tribe was made acutely aware of the

ment necessary to insure success during the outdoor season.

Florida State University served notice to its opponents

the Seminoles were a newly emerging power with which to be recki

84

23 February 1957). The ACC Indoor Championship was one of the few

indoor meets the Seminoles had ever attended; therefore, many of their

performances established new school indoor records.

Jack Terwilliger shot to a :06.3 victory in the 60-yard dash,

earning himself a spot in the FSU record books. Joe Davis earned a

similar spot with his :07.9 victory clocking in the 70-yard low hur-

dles. Lloyd Lassen gained the indoor counter-part to his high jump

record with a leap of 5' 10-1/2".

Dick Ellwood bested teammate Warren Strickland with a winning

vault of 12' 0". Strickland cleared 11' 6" for second place.

The Seminole aSsauit on the record book was concluded with a

flourish as the mile relay laid claim to the PSU indoor record with a

victorious clocking of 3:35.3. The relay consisted of Watson, Davis,

Conley, and Terwilliger.

The two indoor meets had readied the Seminole thinclads for

their premier outdoor performance. Mississippi Southern was the

unlucky opponent. By the end of the day, Florida State had amassed

101 points to Mississippi Southern's 35 (FSU Track Office Files, 13

March 1957). The Seminoles swept 15 of 16 events amid many outstanding

perf ormances..

Mike Conley rewrote Vernon Duce's two-mile record with a win-

ning time of 10:15.9. He had previously won the mile run with a good

time of 4:32.2.

Jack Terwilliger came within an eyelash of John Poston's 100-

yard dash record with a race-capturing :09.7. Be returned in the 220-

yard dash to take his second win of the day with a :21.6 clocking.

Terwilliger also anchored both the 440 and mile relay teams to victory.

Richard Ellwood, Doyle Ruff, and Joe Davis teamed with Terwilliger to

equal the school mark of :43.5 in the meet-opening 440-yard relay. A

3:27.5 effort was turned in by the mile relay team composed of Charley

Watson, Doyle Ruff, Pete Elliot, and Jack Terwilliger.

The Seminoles copped both hurdle races in near record times.

Tenny Brown sped to a quick :15.3 clocking that wa. only rne-tenth of

a second off Wes Minton's record. Watson took aim on Minton's 220-

yard low hurdle record, falling only three-tenths of a second shy with

a sparkling :24.3 effort.

The Tribe displayed power in the high jump and pole vault.

Lloyd Lassen led a Seminole sweep in the high jump with a fine winning

leap of 61 1-1/2". Tenny Brown and Bob McDonald tied for second place.

There was a four-way split of first place in the pole vault, of which

three were Seminoles. Don Ayers, Richard Ellwood, and Warren Strick-

land all cleared 12' 6".

The increasing strength of the Florida State University track

team became evident in the fourteenth running of the Florida Relays on

March 30 (FSU Track Office Files, 30 March 1957). Placing in seven

events, the Seminole tracksters had their best showing ever.

The best individual performances were by Richard Ellwood and

Warren Strickland in the pole vault. The two Seminole vaulters claimed

exclusive ownership of second place.

Dave Sins, the Duke University sprint star who had established

an amazing :20.0 220 world record in 1956, copped the 100-yard dash in

:09.6 as FSU's Jack Terwilliger ran a distant third. The Seminole

point gathering performances were concluded by Joe Davis' fourth in the

broad jump and Tenny Brown's fifth in the high jump.

Quality performances in Florida State's first two outdoor meets

had provided the Seminoles with high team morale for the upcoming con-

frontation with the University of Florida (Lung, L.S., 1976). April 13

marked the return engagement in Tallahassee with the Florida Gators.

When the dust had settled, the Gator. owned a hard earned 67 to 64 vic-

tory (FSU Track Office Files, 13 April 1957).

Mike Conley opened the meet on a winning note for the Tribe by

taking the mile run in 4:32.4. The results of the two-mile run

delivered a devastating blow to the Seminole victory chances as Conley

developed a stitch and was forced to back-off the pace (Tall~ahassee

Democrat 14 April 1957). The Tribe's distance sensation finished a

soundly beaten second. Mike Conley explained:

All spring, under my right rib cage, I had pain anytime I
ran over a mile, even on trails. I don't know why, may have
been out of shape, but I never had that problem again.
(Conley, 1976)

Florida State's weaknesses in the shot and discus events were

exploited by the Gators. Florida won the top two spots in both events

gaining a 16 to 2 advantage that eventually proved to be the difference

in the meet.

Richard Ellwood and Warren Strickland continued their friendly

personal dual in the pole vault as both men cleared an FSU record-

setting 13' 2" for first place. A personal best time of 1:58.9 earned

Ken Seener a victory in the 880-vard run.

Adversity Overtook the Seminoles in the javelin throw,

'a Jerry Henderson, the Overwhelming premeet favorite, threw

ee of his preliminary throws out-of-bounds and did not qualil

finals (Long, L.S., 1976). Rising to the occasion, Jimmy 1h

ped the javelin for the Seminoles with a throw of 188' 1/2".

r, critical second place points had slipped away for the Tril

With the Gators possessing an insurmountable 67 to 59 lc

inole mile relay composed of Joe Davis, Doyle Ruff, Ken Seg-t

k Terwilliger expressed the Tribe's refusal to quit by taking

al event with a fast dual meet time of 3:25.6

Team members replayed their loss over and over in their

sewing the tragedies that had befallen them in two events, ir

Tribe had figured to be solid favorites. The loss was hard

ept, and 19 years later Coach Long rated the 1957 Florida def

of the toughest losses in his coaching career (Long, L.S., I

The Seminoles had to live a week with the galling defeat

rida on their mind before the heat of competition could purgc

is. The fifth running of the University of Georgia-Georgia I

angular was the setting Of their redemption. The Seminoles f

it way to a 77 to 53 victory over runner-up Georgia as Georg!

ished third with 42 markers (FSU Track Office Files, 20 April

Mike Conley was in easy control in both the mile and twc

a. He coasted to a 4:40.4 victory in the mile and a 11:08.2

Segner had ample reason to rum that night. His

from his victory against the Gators on the prece

plus the fact that his fiance had driven up from

watch him run (Segner, 1975).

Doyle Ruff led the race through the firs

The strapping sophomore was still in command of

final curve. Coming out of the last turn, Segne:

opening event with a time of :43.5.

relay, Joe Davis captured two more

to flow over the barriers in the Z5

3-3/4" in the broad junp.

The Seminoles took a week c

to action against the University ol

The Seminoles stormed to an easy 81

Files, 1 May 1957).

Jack Terwilliger attempted

anchor the mile relay. The plucky

herculean task. The 440-yard dash

vents as he took only 25 seconds

-yard low hurdles and leaped 22'

f from competition before returning

Miami in Coral Gables on May 2.

to 49 victory (PSU Track Office

o win three individual events and

Printer almost accomplished this

Terwilliger bounded back to take the 220-yard dash with an outstanding

time of :21.3.

Joe Davis upset Terwilliger for the first of his two victories.

Davis became the third Seminole to run under 10 seconds flat in the

hundred with his blazing ;09.8 clocking. He also took the broad jump

with a jump of 22 feet even.

On this day, Warren Strickland emerged on top in the pole vault

witii a jump of 13' 0". It seemed fitting that the senior should win

the last dual meet of his career.

The mile relay race held a special meaning to the men running

for Florida State. The Seminoles had won the meet easily, but still

-rned desperately to win the relay. With the varsity letter award

being based upon scoring a--e points in competition, Jack Terwilliger

explained why the mile relay was so important:

Bobby Bryson needed only one point for his letter and we
persuadedd Coach Long. to let him lead-off the Tile relay.
11 1-.ri- Ti. E-1l Ii
4 ?- 1 1 Elrll --lr.- I--?r -- ~i

Florida State got its shot at revenge against rival University

of Florida in the Florida AAU championships in Gainesville on May 4

(FSU Track Office Files, 4 May 1957). The Miami Sunday News termed the

meet a "regatta" (5 May 1957), as rain fell continually throughout the

afternoon. However, the atrocious condition of the track did not dam-

pen the heat of competition.

The Seminoles were paced by three school record setting per-

formances, yet again they fell agonizingly short of their intrastate

university ot M1=1i was tthlrd with ib markers.

Mike Conley broke both the one and two

the process of winning both events. He dipped

and gained a 10:08.5 revenge victory in the t

Florida. Morgan's victory over Conley in the

Florida State-Florida dual meet had put that m

Doyle Ruff set a school mark in the he

Segner's final race as a collegian. Segner ex

through the first quarter-mile before a lead g

on the back straightaway, caught him unaware.

unattached runner before he could adjust to th

pace. He hauled both man down and the three u

the final curve. The runners came out of the

The unattached runner was sandwiched between F

and Segner on the outside. It was a primitive

determination down the home stretch. No one g

decision declared Doyle Ruff the winner in a o

own words, Ken Segner "did not take the loss w

was sure he had won. Passions cooled and an h

congratulating his teammate on his school reco

Jerry Henderson became the second Semi

over 200 feet in the j avelin. His second plac

even. Jimrmy Harrell finished third with a thr

the Seminoles to within seven points of the Florida Gators.

With only the pole vault remaining, the Tribe needed to win

both first and second place to claim their victory. The University of

Miami provided the principal competition. Richard Ellwood and Warren

Strickland had accomplished that feat against the Hurricanes in their

dual meet, but Rosbaught and Banstone of M~iami were not to be denied.

Ellwood's tie for second was the best the Seminole vaulters could

manage and FSU fell three points short of victory. A fine Seminole

team effort had been called and beaten by a similar Gator performance.

Summary. The year 1957 had been highly successful for the

Seminoles. The Seminoles of Florida State captured the independent

division of the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Championship and

finished second in the Florida AAU Championship. The Tribe was equally

as tough in head-to-head competition as the Seminoles won four of five

dual meets. The only loss was a very painful decision to the University

of Florida.

The runners were the only Seminoles to mount an offensive on

the school record board. Mike Conley continued his steady improvement,

and lowered his school record in the mile run by 9.1 seconds to 4:18.8.

He added the two-mile run to his record collection with an impressive

10:08.5 clocking.

The mile relay was the setting for a new school record when the

foursome of Joe Davis, Charles Watson, Ken Segner, and Jack Terwilliger

toppled the old mark with a 3:20.5 performance at the Florida Relays.

Doyle Ruff and Ken Segner staged a battle for the 880-yard run

record. Ken Segner first topped Lawrence Hountha's record by touring

the two laps of the oval in only 1:57.6. His record lasted only two

weeks before Doyle Ruff narrowly bested both Segner and his record in

the Florida AAU with a time of 1:57.1.

The 440-yard relay record was tied twice by two different c-m

binations of runners. The team of Richard Ellwood, Doyle Ruff, Joe

Davis, and Jack Terwilliger first turned the trick on March 16. They

beat the Mississippi Southern relay team with a time of :43.5. The

quartet of Ellwood, Bobby Bryson, Davis, and Terwilliger equalled the

record when they won the relay in the Georgia-Georgia Tech triangular

meet on April 20, 1957.

The 1957 season brought to a close three years of work by Coac

Mike Long. His efforts as head coach had resulted in teams that -om

piled a 16 and 3 win-loss record. The Seminoles had completed their

rebuilding task and were ready to assume a position of prominence amonl

the track powers in the South.

There were many missing faces when the Seminoles began their

fall drills. Among the missing were ten lettermen of the 1957 squad

that had helped run up a 4-1 record. The most prominent departed Sem-

inoles were pole vaulter Warren Strickland, middle distance runner Ken

Segner, and versatile Joe Davis. These three men were involved in set-

ting or sharing five school records. However, the 1958 senior domin-

ated team possessed a powerful appearance.

In giving a preseason prognosis, Coach Mike Long tharacteri-dd

the shot and discus events as areas of "definite weakness," but stated

"our running strength could possibly be enough to even things out"

(FSU Track Brochure File, Spring Sports 1958).

The running strength that Coach Long alluded to was headed by

Jack Terwilliger, the bantam speedster. Terwilliger was the 1957

Florida AAU champion in the 220-yard dash and the second fastest Sem-

inole in FSU track history with a :09.7 100-yard dash clocking. Jim

Casteel, returning after a three-year absence, was the 1957 Florida

AAU quarter-mile champion. Mike Conley, the 1957 Florida AAU mile

champion; and Doyle Ruff, the 1957 Florida AAU half-mile champion,

comprised the remaining components of an awesome lineup in the running

presence of Dave Sime. To the 1960 Olympic Games, Dave Sime was th

silver medalist in the 100-meter dash.

The Seminoles were in good position after the first two leg

by Jim Caqteel and Gary Butner. The baton passed to Terwilliger on

he South by winning all four relays ent

ual events. The Seminole opponents wer

ye-ratching fashion.

The Seminoles continued their di

oanake Colleze in Tallahassee on Atril

The sprint medley relay team of Jim Casteel, Gary Butner, jack

Terwilliger, and Mike Conley chased Villanova to a sparkling time of

3:22.5. The Seminole quartet finished a very respectable second.

Misfortune struck the Seminole mile relay team as Jack Ter-

williger answered the gun slowly and came out of the first turn dead

last. He swerved to the outside of the pack on the backstretch and

started to move into contention. Terwilliger stayed on the outside as

he entered the last turn and continued to move up. Four teazis, inclu-

ding FSU, passed the baton simultaneously. Disaster struck when Doyle

Ruff was spiked in the confusion and pulled a hamstring muscle. Florida

State was out of the race (Long, L.S., 1976). Coach Mike Long com-

mented on the Seminole performance:

I thought our boys did very good. When you get a boy hurt
it sort of puts a damper on it and give you a let down Up
until that time that Ruff was hurt, FSU was performing very
well. We would have given them a good race in the mile (relay)
if Ruff hadn't gotten hurt. We were in as good a position as
could be expected that early in the race. (Tallhase
Democrat, 27 April 1958)

The Seminoles invited the University of Miami into their lair

on May 1. The Tribe knocked the wind out of the Hurricanes by a 88 to

41 margin (Tallahassee DevocraL, 2 May 1958).

Mike Conley began the meet on an auspicious note by taking the

mile run with a school record time of 4:14.2. Jim Casteel took the

hint and blasted through the quarter-mile in only :48.5. He followed

up that school record performance by eclipsing Wes Minton's low hurdle

mark by four-tenths of a second with a time of :23.6. Casteel added

the broad jump to his credit by traversing 22' 1/4" for this third win

of the day.

The promise Charley Nye had shown in the Miami meet was ful-

filled in the Florida AAU half-mile. The Orlando runner won the 880-

yard run in a school and AAU record shattering time of 1:56.5 (Talla-

hassee Democrat, 4 May 1958). The old FSU standard bearer in the hall

mile, Doyle Ruff, finished third.

The 220-yard dash was the scene of personal triumph for Jack

Terwilliger. The Dade City senior topped arch rivals Ellis Goodloe of

Florida, ageless Buddy Fcwlkes, and teammate Jim Casteel with a spark-

ling one curve time of :21.8. Buddy Powkles, the former standout

sprinter at Georgia Tech, was used by veteran observers as a standard

of measure for sprinting excellence (Long, L.S., 1976). Terwilliger

had just joined a select circle of dashmen who had bested Buddy Fowlks

The magnitude of the feat was not lost on him:

The on17 time I beat Jim Casteel was in the Florida AAU in
my senior year. Not only did I beat Casteal, but also Ellis
Goodloe of Florida, and Buddy Fowlkes.
There was a very sharp curve at Florida and being short, I
practiced running close to the line. I had a very good curve
and managed to hold on to win.
That was my last individual race of my career at Florida
State. I am probably more proud of the Florida AAU 22G-yard
dash victory than anything else in my senior year.
Everytime we ran a 220, I'd be out in front and then I'd
see a long leg come out in front of me and Casteel would move
by--Casteel first and Terwilliger second.
I've wondered to this day if Jimmy let me win that race
because it was my last race in college. He was that type of
guy. In fact, the guys at Florida State were like that.
They wouldn't just let you win, but were people who cared.
I think that was the success of our track team. (Terwilliger,

Tom Keeney opened the m,

a strong run in the mile. His ,

Till followed Keeney's winning 4

:49.7. He be-ae the third Sem:

h-i-ie in lP i ----11.l.

!t on the right foot for the Tribe with

_ctory was clocked at 4:21.8. Quentin

:auiple by taking the 440-yard dash in

iole ever to crack the 50-second

Before the start of the 100-yard dash, Ralph Fabian, LSU's pre-

mier sprinter, asked the officials if the finish yard could be lowered

so it would not hit him in the face (Tallahassee Democrat, 25 March

1960). Actually, he had little to worry about as FSU's Ron Harrison

broke th~e tape for him in both the 100- and 220-yard dashes. Harrison's

times were a very fast :09.7 for the hundred and a :21.2 clocking! for

outdistancing Furman University 100 1/5 to 77 3/5 on April 16 In

Greenville, South Carolina ('Iallahassee De~mo~crat, 17 April 1960).

The Seminoles were paced by victories in three relays and

four individual events. The Tribe quart~t of Ted Keen, Bill Davis,

Quentin Till, and Ron Hlarrison copped the 440-yaird relay with a

sparkling time of :42.6. A school record resulted in the half-mile

relay when the men who had comprised the quarter-mile relay returned

to thle track, blasting to a 1:28.1 clocking.

The powerful stride of Ron Harrison carried him to a :09.8

triumph in the 100-yard dash. For his work in three winning relays

and his victory in hundred, Ron Harrison was awarded the outstanding

athlete of the meet trophy.

Three Seminoles earned themselves victory honors I. the field

events. Jim Maroon hurled the javelin 181' B" for his first victory

as a Seminole. The high jump gold medal went to Steve Long as he

cleared 6' 3-1/4". Keith Crawford became the fourth Seminole to broad

jump over 23 feet with his winning leap of 23' 1".

The Tribe brought a successful afternoon to a satisfying con-

clusion with a victory in the mile relay. The team of Quentin Till,

Lloyd Evans, Cl-lde Grizzard, and Ron Harrison sped to a 3:22.5 clocking.

With the series between the two -h-1,,s tied at two .11, Florida

State University returned to Gainesville on April 25 for their annual

confrontation with the University of Florida. Double victories by Toni

Keeney and Ron Harrison keynoted a hard fought 79 1/2 to 56 1/2 Se.-

Inole victory (FSU Track Office Files, 25 April 1960). The Tribe

triumphs in the 440-yard and mile relays were instrumental in FSU's

Ron Harrison won the 220-dash with a school, track, and Florida

AAU record shattering :20.3. Harrison's time fell only three-tentha of

a second off of the world record (Florida Flambeau, 10 May 1960); how-

ever, hi victory did not come easy. Bob Sher, University of Miami

sprinter, grabbed an early lead before giving way to Harrison at the

hundred-yard mark. Harrison established a slight lead and was able to

maintain that lead, even though, both Slier and third place Buddyy

Fowlkies broke the old Florida AAU record with times of :20.4 and :20.9,

respectively (Florida Flambeau, 10 May 1960).

The FSU school record in the 120-yard high hurdles dipped under

the 15-second mark as Bill Welch copped the short hurdle event with a

:14.9 clocking. A third FSU record was tied in the 220-yard low hur-

dles when Claude Grizzard burst from the field and sped to a :23.6

clocking. The put of 50' 5-3/4" by Don Ostergaard set a new Florida

AAU mark and wound up FSU's record-setting exploits.

Tom Keeney was the meet's only two-event winner with victories

in the mile and two-mile runs. Henry Wadsworth of the University of

Florida lost his chance when the rain turned the pole vauolt runway

into a quagmire. lie had to settle for a four-way tie for first in the

pole vault after having won the high jump earlier in the afternoon.

Ed Hays of FSU was one of the four men sharing the pole vault title at

13' 0" (Tallahassee Democrat 8 May 1960). Jeff Clark signaled a

warning for future opponents in the discus with his winning toss of

1451 4".

their intrastate rivals, the Tribe made it three in a row over the

Florida Gators and six over the Miami Hurricanes. Florida State

added the News-piadmont Relays and Florida AAU Championships to their

victory catch.

The year had produced five new school records. Ron Harrison

ended his brilliant career by lowering the FSU standard in the 220-

yard dash to an awesome :20.3. Harrison'. time battered the old mark

set by John Poston in 1952 by one-half second. That differential

equates to ever five full yards on the track.

Ron Harrison became the first track man at FSU to ever b

selected by the Florida Flambeau as the FSU athlete of the year

(FlordaFlmbau 20 May 1960). Coach Mike Long was in total agree-

ment with Harrison's selection:

reproach. He's been a tremendous influence on the squad this
year.
Ron came here from Florida Southern In his sophomore vear,
and came out for track. He was enthusiastic about the sport,

L.S., 1960)

The standards in both hurdls events received either alteration

or addition. bill Welch removed Tom Chivers' name from the board by

becoming the first Seminole to run under 15 seconds in the 120-yard

high hurdles with his time of :14.9 in the Florida AAU Championships.

In the same competition, Claude Grizzard tied Jim Casteel's school

record of :23.6 in the 220-vard low hurdles.

a and Claude Grizzard's record le

6. At the end of the competitive

d fastest collegiate time run in

440-yard relay contingent of Crai

156

for the new campaign (FSU Track Brochure File, Spring Sports 1963).

Not only were lettermen lost, but five of the missing 13 were school

record holders. One of the five record holders, Terry Long, still had

one season of indoor eligibility remaining.

The 1963 team centered around the six returning lettermen and

a foursome of promising sophomores. Co-captains Craig Johnson and Herb

Kraft led the returnees that included Allen Williams, Dick Roberts, Jim

Lankford, and Hutch Johnson. Among the sophomores heavily counted upon

were hurdler-jumper Floyd Lorenz, sprinters Jerry McDaniel and Al Cato,

and half-miler Ross Winter.

The Seminoles were going to have to off set weak area. J. the

pole vault, javelin, and hurdles by strong performances in the sprint

and weight events. The young Seminoles would have to mature rapidly.

FSU's financial situation brightened considerably in the Fiscal

Year 1962-63. The Tribe's operating budget was raised by over $3,500.

In addition, the scholarship portion of the budget was increased by

$3,000. The Seminoles began the 1963 season in the best financial

shape of their 15-year history (FSU Athletic Office Budget File, 1962-

1963),

Florida State opened their indoor season at Montgomery in the

Coliseum Relays cr February 16. The vouag Tribesmen gathered in at

important 35 to 23 1/2 victory over second place Southwestern Louisi-

ana State University (FSU Track Office Files, 16 February 1963). The

Seminoles set four indoor school marks and tied another.

Allen Williams exploded the shot 54' 6" to obliterate the old

mark of 51' 8" set by Jeff Clark the year before in Memphis. The

but expected the 1963 meet to be very tough.

FSU received fine performances from sprinters Al Cato and Cra:

Johnson. Sophomore Cato became the fifth Seminole sprinter to run

:09.7 as he ran to victory in the 100-yard dash. He dominated the

furlong as he clocked a swift :22.0. The Tribe's control of the spri

races was made complete by Craig Johnson's :49.4 triumph in the quartE

mile.

The mile run was won by FSU's Dick Roberts in 4:24.0; however,

the Miami distance runnerra were able to take Roberts in the grueling

two-mile as a strong late kick by Bill Payne carried him by Roberts fc

second place. Byron of Miami won the race after having finished

second in the mile run.

The 120-yard high hurdles were a fiasco as the ninth and tentl

hurdles were mis-set causing the stride pattern of the hurdlers to be

thrown off. All three leading men fell with Dankes and Turek of MiamJ

outscrambling FSU's Floyd Lorenz to the finish line (Lorenz, 1975).

The Florida State 440-yard relay team composed of Jerry McDaniel

McDaniel, Hutch Johnson, Al Cato, and Craig Johnson opened the meet

with a blazing :41.7 school record setting performance that powered

them to victory. The Seminoles Were unable to sustain their momentum

in the footracing competition as Furnan, captured seven of the eight

remaining running events. The only Seminole to break Furman's strangle-

hold was Hutch Johnson, using a :09.5 in the 100-yard dash. Johnson's

time was better than the existing school record, but was disallowed due

to a strong favoring wind (Long, L.S., 1976). The Tribe was dealt a

severe blow when Al Cato, leading Hutch Johnson at the 40-yard mark in

the 100-yard dash, tore a hamstring and Was lost for weeks (Long, C. M.,

1076) '

Allen Williams copped the shot put with a throw of 55' 8-1/4"

and outstripped the discus field with a heave of 148' 3-3/4". The

throw in the shot put erased Jeff Clark's old school mark of 55' 3-1/4".

Within the space of one short month, Al Williams had broken both Jeff

Clark's indoor and outdoor shot put records. Bill Giswold established

another school record with a leap of 45' 1/4" in the triple jump.

The score was 68 to 63 in favor of Furman going into the final

two events, but outstanding performances by Furman's Patterson in the

twu-mile and the Paladin mile relay closed the door on the Seminoles'

chances of victory. The final tally showed Furman with 78 and the

members on the traveling squad. The small Tennessee team was competi-

five, but the outcome of the meet was never in doubt. The Seminoles

won 10 of the 14 events, sweeping all three places in four events.

Keeping his school record binge in the shot put alive, Allen

Williams uncorked a 56' 2" -auty. lie became the first Seminole to

hurl the shot over 56 feet. Williams decimated his opposition in the

discus with a toss of 155' 4".

The winning jump of 6' 5-3/4" in the high jump by Bill Ciswold

left him only one-quarter of an inch shy of George Smith's school

record. Giswold entered into a tie with Steve Long for the second best

jump by a Seminole. In the triple jump, Giswold won his second event

of the day with a 44' 2-1/8" effort.

Jerry McDaniel clipped one-tenth of a second off his personal

best in the furlong by sprinting to :21.8 victory. With the meet

safely in hand, the mile relay was cancelled by =fueal consent.

Florida State University bussed to Columbia, South Carolina, on

April 6 for the first running of the Carolina State-Record Relays. The

Tribe was less than auspicious in the relay races with only a second

in the quarter-mile relay and a fourth in the mile relay to show for

their efforts (FSU Track Office Files, 6 April 1963). The remaining

three FSU places were gathered by Allen Williams' second in the shot

put (52' 10-1/2") and a third in the discus (145' 11"), and Bill

Giswold's third in the high jump with a leap of 6' 0"..

April 29 was the day of the annual battle between Florida and

Florida State. The meet was held on the Gator track, but the home

track advantage did little to help the Florida Gators, as the Seminoles

tud gold well with a third in the shot put by Williams and Giswold's

ourth in the triple jump.

Allen Williams was the only Seminole to qualify for the United

:rates Track and Field Championships in Houston on June 7-8 (FSTJ Track

Iffice Files, 7-8 June 1963). Williams uncorked a throw of 57' 3-1/4"

hat earned him fifth place. He followed up his great shot putting

,ith a throw of 157' 5-1/2" in the discus to finish a very respectable

isl*The first Seminole ever to place in the National Collegiate

athleticc Association Track and Field Championship was Allen Williams in

he shot put on June 13-15 (FSU Track Office Files, 13-15 June 1963).

'he hefty Atlanta native hurled the iron ball 57' 7" for fourth.

Summary. The Seminoles began the year with only a few veteran

performers, and injuries weakened their effectiveness. Dick Roberts

acurred a hairline fracture of his right foot. Although he continued

o compete, his practice routine was disrupted (Roberts, 1975). Herb

raft reinjured his hamstring and was lost for the majority of the

eason. Nagging muscle injuries plagued Craig Johnson for much of his

enior year (Long, L.S., 1976).

The injuries did not always select veterans as Al Cato suffered

ne of the most severe hamstring tears seen by Coach Mike Long in his

coaching career (Long, L.S., 1976). The proud sprinting corps of

'lorida State often ran on only one or two cylinders.

The Seminoles opened their season by winning the Coliseum Relays

itle in Montgomery, Alabama. The Tribe slowly gained momentum to run

p a 4-1 dual meet record.

Johnson (sprints and hurdles) and Herb Kraft (broad jump).

The Tribe looked to the sprint races for their strength. Jerry

McDaniel was the Seminole's most powerful runner and especially tough

in the 440- and 220-yard dashes. He led off the 440-yard relay and ran

the anchor leg on the mile relay. Hutch Johnson and Al Cato handled

the 100-yard dash, with Bob Sable adding relay strength and depth.

The return of both Dick Roberts and Jim Lankford gave the

Seminoles a competitive entry in the distance events. The hopes of the

Tribe in the middle distance races rested on Hank Raehn and Ross

with the Orange Bowl football extravaganza (MaiHead 2 January

1964). Allen Williams and Jerry MlcDaniel had two impressive second

place finishes behind world class performers. The shot put was domin-

ated by Gary Gubner, reigning NCAA champion (PSU Track Brochure File,

Spring Sports 1964), with a throw of 59' 7-1/2". Williams bested all

other challenges for the runner-up position.

The incomparable Robert Hayes was the victor in the 220-yard

dash with an awesome time of :20.4. He was followed by FSU's Jerry

McDaniel who clocked a fine :21.0 for second place.

A humorous incident occurred the night before the meet, as Al

Cato was caught in a minor lapse of good judgment prior to the competi-

tion:

One of the most humorous situations occurred while at the

p.m. that night. Some of us want down to gei something. The
thing that appealed to me was a concoction called a "black
Mow" It' a a hu Be mixt'r e of ice cream, chocolate syrup, nuts,
coke, etc. Just a. I we. about t begin my feast-_Coach Long
walked in. Imagine my face! His only comment, among the
catcalls from everyone with me was "don't lose tomorrow."
Out of the nine entries in the 100-yard dash, I came in

The Seminoles embarked upon their indoor season by entering the

Chattanooga USTFF Championships on February 8 in Chattanooga. The

Tribe met with little success as three seconds and one fourth place

finish accounted for their slim 10-point total (ChttnogaDalyTies

The Seminole quartet of Jerry McDaniel, HIutch Johnson, Bob

Sable, and Al Cato demonstrated the Tribe's determination as they

flashed to a :41.6 victory that earned them school record honors

(Tallahassee Democrat, 7 March 1964).

The Tribe displayed their speed by capturing all of the sprint

events. Bob Sable became the sixth Seminole to run :09.7 as he sped

to victory in the 100-yard dash. Jerry McDaniel added the 440- and

220-yard dashes to his credit with a :48.3 and :21.9, respectively.

There were two school records set in addition to the 440-yard

relay. Doug Ferry snatched Craig Johnson's 330-yard intermediate hur-

dle title from him with a :38.9 clocking that established a new track,

meet, and school record (Tallahassee Democrat, 7 March 1964), and a

jump of 14' 5-1/4" in the pole vault gained Don Pharis both victory and

a school record.

Very creditable winning performances were turned in by Allen

Williams and Floyd Lorenz. Williams won the shot put with a toss of

55' 3", while Floyd Lorenz was taking the high Jump at 6' 4-1/2".

Hank Raehn came up with a personal best time of 1:56.4 to win

the half-mile. After the meet had been safely tucked away, PSU

entered the powerful foursome of Doug Ferry, Tom Houston, Ross Winter,

and Jerry McDaniel in the mile relay. The Tribe was successful in the

became the fourth Seminole to ever run the two-mile under 10 minutes.

The shot put and discus were won by Allen Williams with throws of

55' 10-1/2" and 153' 8-1/2", respectively.

Jerry McDaniel captured the 440-yard dash in :48.4 and the fur-

long in :21.9. McDaniel did not have a chance to run his customary

anchor leg on the mile relay when Ross Winter pulled a hamstring after

taking the baton on the third leg of the relay.

Florida State returned to the winner's circle in the 21st Annual

Florida Relays on March 28 (FSUO Track Office Files, 28 March 1964).

The 440-yard relay team of Jerry McDaniel, Hutch Johnson, Bob Sable,

and Al Cato stormed to victory with a :41.4 clocking that clipped two-

tenths of a second off the school record set by this same foursome

earlier in the season.

Al Williams took top honors in the shot put with a 561 3" effort

and finished second in the discus. Although finishing fifth, the dis-

tance medley relay team of Irv Watson, Tom Houston, Hank Raehn, and

Dick Roberts established a new FSU record with their 10:27.9 clocking.

On April 4 Florida State University embarked upon their =att

difficult weekend of dual meet competition in 16 years. In a three-

day span, the Tribe was facing two of the toughest team. in the South-

eastern Conference with both meets away from home. The weekend began

against the Florida Gators in Gainesville (FSU Track Office Files,

4 April 1964).

The Gators came up with most of the outstanding running times,

but the Tribe hung tough and used twin victories by Al Williams to

close out their rivals by a 74 to 71 tally.

I could place third in the pole vault, we could possibly win.
1 i Ti 1 i.-,_ T ii-;

fiber glass pole strapped to my Corvette. As I remember, we
did win. (Crotty, 1975)

The pole vault unfolded better than Coach Long had hoped. Don

Pharis won the event as expected with Bill Crotty stepping out of his

self-imposed retirement to capture the second position. Thus, very

valuable points were added to the Seminole side of the ledger.

With the Tennessee Volunteers awaiting the Seminoles only two

days hence, Coach Mike Long elected not to run the mile relay after the

meet had been mathematically won. The Seminoles boarded their bus for

home minus their miler, Dick Roberts, who had stayed behind with his

younger brother-- runner for the University of Florida.

Sunday morning found the Tribe meeting at Tully Gymnasium for

a long car ride to Knoxville (Long, L.S., 1976). FSU was due to battle

the University of Tennessee on Monday, April 6 (FSU Track Office Files,

6 April 1964).

Monday morning dawned with thunderclouds darkening the skies

and soon the heavens released its burden on the earth below. By mett

time, the rain had stopped; however, the Tennessee cinder track was

unrunable and the meet was moved to a local high school track (Long,

L.S., 1976). Mud was the order of the day. For the most part, the

recorded performances were not indicative of the competitive effort

expended.

Jerry McDaniel proved to be the beat Tribe mudder as he copped

the 440-yard dash in :49.9 and the furlong in :22.5. Disregarding the

176

relax before the crucial relay. McDaniel's reply to the request was,

"who's going to help me relax?" (McDaniel, 1976). Whatever, McDaniel

told him worked as Raehn and the mile relay team ran well and Florida

State won the meet 75 to 70.

The Tribe had just beaten the University of Florida and the

University of Tennessee, the indoor Southeastern Conference Champions,

in the space of three days. Coach Mike Long was ecstatic with the per-

formance of his team over their difficult weekend. "Probably the

greatest track weekend we've ever had at FSU," exclaimed the happy

mentor. He went on to observe that "strangely enough, PSU participants

in the Tennessee meet appeared fresher than the UT runners" (Talla-

hassee Democrat, 8 April 1964).

The dual meet with the University of Tennessee brought to a

conclusion the team competition for the Seminoles. The varsity squad

was joined by FSU's freshman team and local area athletes to compete

in both the Florida and Georgia AAU Championships as the Tallahassee

Athletic Club.

Jerry McDaniel represented FSU in the Drake Relays special

220-yard event on April 24 in Des Moines. The powerful Seminole

sprinter finished third in a school record shattering :21.2. McDaniel's

time was a school record for the furlong run on the turn. Henry Carr

of Arizona State won the race in :21.0 (New York Times, 25 April 1964).

Summary. The Seminoles had stayed reasonably healthy through-

out the year and it paid dividends with an undefeated dual meet season.

The Tribe victims included the University of Miami, Furman University,

1965

Florida State had the perfect combination of seasoned perfor-

mers and young sophomore. that could continue the Tribe's winning

string which extended back to the loss to Furman University on March 16,

1963. The Seminoles lost two school record holders from the 1964 team

with the graduation of Allen Williams (shot put and discus) and Hank

Raehn (Half-mile). Distance runners Richard Roberts and Jim Lankford

were among the graduating lettermen (FSU Track Brochure File, 1965).

The sprint events were again the area in which the Seminoles'

strength lay. The school record setting quarter-mile relay team

returned three of its members, missing only Hutch Johnson. He was

replaced by Pensacola Junior College speedster Ken White.

Jerry McDaniel controlled the 440- and 220-yard dashes, and

he had suffered only one dual meet loss during the entire previous

season. Al Cato, Ken White, and Bob Sable formed a very strong three-

some in the 100- and 220-yard dashes.

The loss of Al Williams, the South's premier weight man, was

impossible to fill as a man of his calibre is not often found. Foot-

baller Dave Braggins and Ray Hoxit had the task of keeping the Seminoles

competitive in the weight throwing events.

Hank Raehn was gone in the half-mile, and juniors John Brogle

and Ross Winter were called upon to fill the vacancy. Winter had

shown promise with his vital second place finish in the victory over

the Universitv of Tennessee in Knoxville.

promising young Seminoles had to come through while the veterans

needed to maintain their winning desire for the dream of an undefeated

season to materialize.

The season opener in Montgomery on February 13 was a mixture

of excitement and disappointment. The Seminoles fought to a 34 to 34

tie with Northeast Louisiana State in the ninth running of the Colis-u

Relays (FSU Track Office File, 13 February 1965). Florida State had to

come from behind to grab a share of the title with the team that had

defeated them by three points the year before.

Victories were hard earned as three of the four wins called for

school record setting performances. The two-mile relay team composed of

Irv Watson, John Brogle, Bill Nelson, and Ross Winter scampered to

victory in an FSU record time of 8:06.7.

The question concerning the possible vulnerability of FSU in the

broad j ump was answered when Sidney Gainey sailed to a new indoor mark

of 23' 1". This jump gave the slender Georgian the Coliseum Relays

broad jump title.

The high jump was a long-lasting event with the Seminoles strug-

gling hard for points. In a pressure cooker situation, Floyd Lorenz

mustered the best indoor jump of his career to take the event with a

new FSU indoor record of 6' 7".

The mile relay Was the concluding event. The Seminoles had to

win as they trailed by two points. If they were successful in the mile

relay and if Northeast Louisiana State finished third or lower, the

meet would belong to the Seminoles. The Tribe flashed around the oval

in 3:28.1 as they edged out Northeast Louisiana State who finished

intermediate hurdles. Jerry Mcr~aniel won two individual events with a

:48.6 clocking in the quarter-mile and a :21.8 effort in the 220-yard

dash,

With times of :15.0 and :39.5, Steve Landis won the 120-yard

high hurdles and the 330-yard intermediate hurdles. A strong showing

by Landis in practice had prompted Coach Mike Long to take Doug Ferry,

FSU record holder in the 330-yard intermediate hurdles, out of the hur-

dles and return him to the quarter-mile (Long, L.S., 1976).

Led by a school record-setting performance by Don Casteel, the

Seminoles won 35 of the 63 available points in the field events. In

his first varsity outdoor meet, Casteel bounded 46' 2-1/2" in the triple

jump for a new FSU school record.

The home opener for the Tribe took place =n March 13. The

Paladins of Furman University visited Tallahassee without witnessing

the usual southern hospitality. The Tribe dropped the baton in the

440-yard relay, and this was followed by a Furman victory in the mile

run as the Paladin's Curt Hollifield copped the win. The remainder of

the meet, however, belonged to the Seminoles as they captured 12 of

the 14 remaining events (Tallahassee Democrat, 14 March 1965).

Jerry McDaniel turned in a very fast double in the 440- and

220-yard dashes by winning the quarter-mile in :48.1 and the furlong in

a track record setting :21.5. Ken White became the sixth Seminole to

run :09.7 as he blazed to victory in the 100-yard dash. He finished

second in the 220-yard dash with Al Cato in third, making the furlong

a Seminole sweep. The 5' 9" Steve Landis showed high stepping form by

University of Georgia. Don Casteel moved over the 48-foot mark with

school record setting triple jump of 48' 6". It was his third school

record jump in as many meets. Ken White joined earlier Seminoles Jack

Terwilliger and John Fast-n in the record book with his :09.6 dash to

victory in the 100-yard dash. The Seminoles closed out the day with

Floyd Lorenz copping a second in the high jump, and Steve Landis run-

ning third in the 330-yard intermediate hurdles.

Florida State traveled to Auburn on April 2 to do battle with

Auburn University. The Seminoles came away with a 95 to 50 triumph

(FSU Track Office Files, 2 April 1965). The win marked the first home

meet loss suffered by the Tigers in 21 meets (Tallahassee Democrat,

8 April 1968).

Bill Nelson captured the mile run. with a 4:20.4 clocking, with

Irv Watson finishing third with a time of 4:21.5. The quarter-mile was

won by Jerry McDaniel in :48.1. Ken White led Al Cato to a 1-2 Seminole

finish in the 100-yard dash. White's race was timed in :09.8, while

Cato was one-tenth of a second back at :09.9.

John Brogle and Ross Winter fought to another 1-2 Tribe finish

with outstanding times of 1:55.1 and 1:55.4, respectively in the 880.

A double win was scored by Floyd Lorenz as he capped the 120-yard high

hurdles in :15.0 and the high jump at 6' 5".

An all-Seminole cast, starring Darryl Guthrie, dominated the

javelin. A personal best toss of 190' 6" by Guthrie won the event, as

Gary Oates and David Thompson finished second and third with throws of

tootraces, but managed to win only three of the seven field events

(FSU Track Office Files, 5 April 1965).

PSU's fine quarter-mile relay team opened with a quick :41.8

victory. Showing the mile field his heels, Irv Watson became the

fourth fastest miler in Seminole track history with a 4:19.8 clocking.

These two opening victories were followed by the superlative

efforts of Jerry McDaniel and Ken White. McDaniel won the 440-yard

dash, only one-tenth of a second off the two-curve school record with

a clocking of :47.8. Bursting from the blocks, Ken White sped to vic-

tory in a school record time of :09.5. John Poston's record, set in

1952 and tied by Jack Terwilliger in 1958 and Ken White in 1965, had

finally been broken.

Floyd Lorenz copped the high hurdles in a fast :14.8 and

leaped 6' 4" for victory in the high jump. Although finishing second

in the 880-yard run, Ross Winter established a new FSU record with a

clocking of 1:54.0 (Tallahassee Democrat, 6 April 1965).

In his third race of the day, Jerry McDaniel topped tea mme te

Al Cato in the 220-yard dash with a very quick time of :21.4. The mile

relay marked McDaniel's final appearance in the meet. The powerful

quarter-miler split :46.5 on the anchor leg, but failed by inches to

overcome a seven-yard headstart by the Gamecock anchorman (Tallahassee

Democrat, 6 April 1965).

The final score was 85 to 60 in favor of the Seminoles. It

marked the fourth victory in a row for the Tribe against the University

of South Carolina.

188

and still is a rival and I don't like losing to them, so it was
really a big meet for me.
John Anderson, the Florida sprinter, and I had gone head-
to-head on several occasions during the year with no clear cut
winner on any occasion. I was really keyed up for this meeting
between John and myself. I also was anxious to beat Ken White
and get the school record for myself.
Aa I recall, just prior to the 100, our relay team had
just won the 440-yard relay with me anchoring it and just
beating out John at the wire. I was ready to make it a double
by beating him in the 100-yard dash. As it turned out, I was
the winner and lucky enough to tie the school record and share
it at :09.5 with Ken White. (Cato, 1975)

Many Florida State athletes were turning in career-best per-

formances that night. Steve Landis tied his own school record in the

330-yard intermediate hurdles with a winning time of :37.6.

Florida had two fine shot putters in Leach and Winkler, and the

event figured to be one of critical importance. FSU's Dave Braggins

responded by winning the shot put competition with a throw of 50' 5-1/2".

It was the first time he had thrown over 50 feet.

Sidney Gainey and Don Casteel handled the horizontal jumping

events with performances of 23' 2" and 46' 1-1/2" in the broad jump and

triple jump, respectively. Floyd Lorenz bounded over 6' 4" for victory

in the high jump.

The 220-yard dash was an exciting event for the Seminoles.

Jerry McDaniel bad never lost a dual meet 220-yard dash race during his

three-year career at Florida State University. The announcer stated

this fact to the crowd just prior to the start of the race (Roberts,

1975). With 215 yards of the race covered by flying feet, the leader

was Al Cato. With his streak in jeopardy, Jerry McDaniel was charging

hard in second place. Hampered by a sore hamstring, Ken White was in

third and struggling to hold on after going out extremely fast.

contests. Ina quarter-mile relay team tasted defeat for the first time

in the 1965 season. Th. Tribe fo ...ome finished third with a resp-c

table time of :42.3 (New York Times, 25 April 1965).

Don Casteel had the highest Seminole place as he covered 46'

6-1/4" in the triple jump, earning second place. A :53.6 clocking in

the 440-yard intermediate hurdles garnered a fifth place and a new FSU

record for Steve Landis (New York Times, 24 April 1965).

On the first day, Ken White won his heat in the 100-yard dash

with a time of :09.6. However, he could only muster a fourth place in

the finals on Saturday.

The high jump and broad jump were the only ot her events the

Tribe placed in, as Floyd Lorenz cleared 6' 4" for sixth in the high

jump and Sidney Gainey wound up fifth in the long j ump at 22' 11" (New

York Times, 24 April 1965).

The final competition for the Seminoles occurred on June 11-12

in the Third Annual USTFF Track and Field Championships. Sidney Gainey

and Don Casteel continued to excel for the Seminoles. The two young

sophomores became the second and third Seminoles to place ever in

national competition. Gainey captured fifth in the broad jump with a

leap of 221 6-1/2", while Casteel won fifth in the triple jump with a

leap of 46' 9-1/4" (FSU Track Office Files, 11-12 June 1965). Jerry

McDaniel competed in the 220-yard dash, but was unable to place in the

fnl.The threesome of Jerry Mc~aniel, Sidney Gainey, and Dun Casteel

competed in the NCAA Track and Field Championships on June 17-19 in

Two men broke the school record in the half-mile. Ross Winter

first accomplished the feat with a 1:54.0 clocking in the South Caro-

lina dual meet. John Brogle bested Winter's mark with a 1:52.2 clock-

ing during the dual meet with the University of Florida. Earlier in

the year, these two men had teamed with Bill Nelson and Irv Watson to

set a school record in the two-mile relay at the Florida Relays. They

shaved seven and one-tenth seconds off the old school mark with their

7:42.1 clocking.

The end of the 1965 season brought to a close the most pros-

perous era In Seminole track history. It had begun in 1958 and the

following seven years saw many of the best performances in the Tribe's

track history.

Every school record was broken during this eight-year span of

time. The FSU track team ran up a 34 and 3 dual meet record against

the best teams in the South. Florida State demonstrated their complete

dominance over the Florida Gators by winning all eight of their annual

encounters.

The pride and confidence during this era set these athletes

apart from those who had preceded them. Al Cato's comment on his

successful evening against John Anderson, in the FSU-Florida dual meet

exemplified the attitude of Mike Long's teams during this year. He

remarked, "I ran him four times, and I wanted to beat him four times,

and I only won three" (Roberts, 1975).

194

Florida State University had 13 lettermen on the 29-man varsity

roster (FSU Track Brochure File, Track and Field 1966). Many of the

lettermen were marginal performers. Their improvement, along with a

favorable adjustment of last year's freshmen to varsity competition,

was critical to the success of the team in dual meet encounters. The

outcome of the 1966 season depended on the output of the available

personnel. Injuries or the failure to perform up to expectation would

be devastating to the Seminoles' chances for success.

At a time of growing inflation, the track budget received a

healthy boost. The operating budget gained almost $2,500, while the

scholarship fund was increased $5,500 (Athletic Office Budget File,

1965-1966). These monies were well received as the consumer price

index had risen two and seven-tenths points over the previous year.

This CPI increase was the highest single year raise in over six years

(U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1975).

The Tribe turned their attentions to competition with a selet-

ted entry in the Senior Bowl Track Meet on December 28 in Mobile.

FSU's Sidney Gainey won the broad jump at 23' 7-3/4" for the only Sem,

inole place in the prestigious invitational meet (Mobile Register,

29 December 1965).

Once again, a triumph by Sidney Gainey was the only Seminole

representative on the victory stand in the Orange Bowl Track and Field

Championship in Miami on January 8. His leap of 231 11" topped a field

of the best jumpers in the South (MiamiHerald 9 January 1966).

The Seminoles swept into Montgomery on February 11 seeking to

defend their Coliseum Relays title. Paced by victories in the two-mile

Files, 11-12 February 1966).

School records were tallied by the two-mile relay team and

broad jumper Sidney Gainey. The relay team of Bob Hohnadel, John

Brogle, Ross Winter, and Bill Nelson burned to victory in 8:01.8.

Sidney Gainey established himself as a national calibre broad jumper

with his victory leap of 24' 5".

The remaining Seminole triumph occurred in the 60-yard dash.

Ken White did the honors with a quick :06.4 clocking. The Tribe col-

lected three seconds and two third places to raise their final point

total to 33 markers.

Florida State visited Chattanooga on February 19 for the South-

eastern USTFF Indoor Championships. For the third meet of the season,

Sidney Gainey was the lone Seminole to go to the victory stand. The

lean broad jumper copped his specialty with a fine leap of 23' 7-1/4"

(Chattanooga Daily-Times, 12 February 1966).

Florida State University opened the outdoor season with the

Jesuit Invitational Track and Field Championships in Tampa on Feb-u

sty 26. With the state title on the line, the Seminoles walked away

with an 88 to 70 victory over runner-up Florida (FSC Track Office

Files, 26 February 1966).

The Seminoles were led by a classic display of speed by sprin,

ter Kenny White. White's :09.6 and :21.4 performances in the 100- and

220-vard dashes were most impressive considering the earlv date.

Moving into a tie for second place on the all-time Seminole

list of high hurdlers, Charles Vickers clipped over the high hurdles

to a second place finish with a time of :14.8. Battling no old nemesis,

Steve Landis topped an intermediate hurdle field that included

Florida's Scott Hager with a quick time of :53.6.

Sidney Gainey and Don Casteel began the outdoor season with

victories in the long and triple jumps, respectively. Gainey's winning

jump was measured at 23' 10-1/4". The triple jump was won with Cas-

teel's bound of 46' 5". He was followed by Sid Gainey's 45' 3/4"

ef fort..

Jack Flandeau sailed over 14' 4" to win the pole vault. It -ar

the best vault of his career, only two and one-half inches shy of Don

Pharis' a school record.

The mile relay team composed of Wayne Currie, Curtiss Long,

Ross Winter, and John Brogle dashed to victory in the meet finale with

the fast time of 3:16.8. It was the second fastest relay ever run by

FSU in scored meet competition.

Florida State returned home to host the Hurricanes of Miami on

March 5. Ignoring a gusty wind (Tallahassee Democrat, 6 March 1966),

the Seminoles turned in sweeps of first and second places in seven

events as they ran to an easy 99 to 46 win (FSU Track Office Files

5 March 1966).

Both Ken White and Bud Manning won two events, while Curtiss

Long copped the 440-yard dash and ran on two winning relays. White's

times were ;09.8 in the century dash and :22.6 in the furlong. Manning

copped the high jump at 6' 2" and hurled the javelin 1921 1/2". He

became the fourth Seminole to throw over 190 feet in the j elin.

The quarter-mile was won by Long with a time of :49.8. The

440-yard relay team composed of Bill Campbell, Curtiss Long, Don Cas-

teel, and Ken White sped to an easy victory in :43.7. Wayne Currie,

Curtiss Long, Ross Winter, and John Brogle closed out the meet with a

winning time of 3:20.7 In the mile relay.

The powerful Southern Illinois University track team came into

Tallahassee on the first stop of their southern tour on March 19. One

of the Saluki station wagons transporting the team was involved in a

minor traffic accident. No one was seriously hurt, but as a pre-

caution, Coach Lew Hartzog held several of his runners out of competi-

tion (Hartzog, 1976).

With the meet tied at 61 all, the Salukis rar-off victories in

the two-mile run, triple jump, and the mile relay to seal FSU's doom

80 to 65 (FSU Track Office Files, 19 March 1966). The loss was the

first Seminole defeat I. dual meet competition since March 16, 1963.

Ken White blasted to his second :09.6 clocking in three meets

to register a Seminole win in the 100-yard dash. He returned for a

second win of the day in the 220-yard dash as he keyed a Seminole sweep

with a :22.4 clocking.

Sidney Gainey and Steve Landis were the only other individual

Seminole winners. Gainey gained his victory with a jump of 23' 5-1/2"

in the long jump. The grueling 440-yard intermediate hurdles event

was captured by Landis with a track record time of :53.8 (Tallahsse

Democrat, 20 March 1966).

The final event of the day was the mile relay. The relay team

of Wayne Currie, Curtiss Long, Ross Winter, and John Brogle ran the

third fastest mile relay by a Seninole quartet with a time of 3:15.7.

Their collective efforts earned them fifth.

After the meet, the Seminoles boarded the bus with Charles

Durbin behind the wheel (Long, C. M., 1976). The Tribe had to be

ready for their dual meet with the University of Tennessee on the fol-

lowing Monday. The Volunteers of Tennessee were third in the 1965 NCAA

Cross-country Championship (TalaaseeDeocat 29 March 1966).

Using their distance running advantage, the University of Tennessee

managed to eke out a 79 to 66 triumph (FSU Track Office Files, 28 March

1966). The Volunteers swept the mile and two-mile runs. In the two-

mile run, FSU's Tom Grab=m ran a personal and school record time of

9:29.1 and only finished fourth. He had bettered his old personal mark

by over 20 seconds.

The 100-yard dash provided exciting action as Tennessee's

Webster was out fast and barely managed to hold off FSU's fast closing

Kenny White. The time of :09.6 was awarded to both men. White gained

a measure of revenge with a :22.0 victory in the 220-yard dash with

Wayne Currie finishing a surprise second at :22.3.

MILLISECOND	CLASS.METHOD	MESSAGE
0	sobekcm_page_globals.constructor
0	sobekcm_page_globals.constructor	Application State validated or built
0	sobekcm_database.verify_item_lookup_object
0	sobekcm_page_globals.constructor	Navigation Object created from URI query string
0	sobekcm_database.verify_item_lookup_object
0	sobekcm_page_globals.display_item	Retrieving item or group information
0	sobekcm_page_globals.get_entire_collection_hierarchy	Retrieving hierarchy information
0	sobekcm_assistant.get_entire_collection_hierarchy
0	cached_data_manager.retrieve_item_aggregation
0	cached_data_manager.retrieve_item_aggregation	Found item aggregation on local cache
0	item_aggregation_builder.get_item_aggregation	Found 'all' item aggregation in cache
0	system.web.ui.page.page_load (ufdc.page_load)
0	sobekcm_page_globals.constructor.on_page_load
0	html_echo_mainwriter.add_style_references	Adding style references to HTML
0	html_echo_mainwriter.add_text_to_page	Reading the text from the file and echoing back to the output stream
46	html_echo_mainwriter.add_text_to_page	Finished reading and writing the file