Evening star., 1935-06-09
Princeton, Where Superie Foot Racing Had Its Start,
Will Stage Super-lnuation Track Meet Next Saturday
BY JOHN STAIR.

ASSOClhteQ HTcSS opOIlS WTlicI
~ RINCETON, N. 1.-THE cinder
- track that, in less than two
years, has felt the dig of spiked
shoes pounding out the three
fastest miles In foot-racing history
is being manicured to an almost
cleaning perfection in honor of the
80 hand picked athletes in Princetons
second annual ''super-invitation"
track and field fiesta next Saturday.
1t was on the lightning fast, deep
" rock-ballasted Palmer Stadium oval
on July Is, 1888, that the first stag
eering blow was struck in the fever
ish campaign that has ragged through
the last "a months to bring the world
mile record down within whispering
distance of the fabulous minutes
fiat.
Jack Lovelock, a slight. 134-pound
New Zealander, competing for OK
ford Cambridge against Princeton
Cornell, that day gave the track world
a shaking up by whipping Princetons
Bill Bonthron in the then almost un-
believable time of 4:07.6. Bonthron
was only a couple of strides behind
in 4:08.7.
Up to that time 4:2O was consid-
cred cracking good time for mile,
AIS commanded headlines. and the
4:lO that Gene Venzke returned, in
doors in 1882, was practically mir
aculous. Up to that day only two
men in history had broken 4:lO-
Jules La Doumegue. Frenchman. who'd
turned pro, with a 4:09.2, and tnat
fellow from out in Kansas. Glenn
Cunningham, clocked in 4:098 at the
1888 N. c. A. A. games.
That Started 1t All.
DUT that Lovelock- k-Bonthron double
u walloping of the records started
things popping. The following Win
ter l934) saw the start of the epic
dueling of Cunningham and Bonthron,
and a new world indoor standard OF
4:O8.4 for Glenn. They split even ~
two races indoors.
So the first Princeton invitation
meet-a year ago, June l6-was
super natural" 1t produced, among
other things, the current Cunningham
world mark of 4:06.7 as Princeton Bill
fioundered far arrear. and new half
mile record of l:498 for Blazing Ben
Eastman, with Chuck Hornbostel chas-
ing Ben home and also getting under
the former mark.
Cunningham lost two subsequent
races last Summer to Bonny, but came
back last Winter to run all domestic
opposition into the boards and emerge
0f
Bill Gets Another Chance.
PUT Princeton felt certain that
- Bonny's sorry indoor showing was
due to his becoming business man.
So Nassau is giving her sturdy son
another chance, giving Lovelock
chance to reclaim his briefy-held
world record and giving the track
world a chance to stand up and cheer.
The mile, piece de resistance OF
six-event program which will start
at 5 in the evening. will thus embrace
the only four amateurs in the world
| who have equaled or bettered 4:l0.
Cunningham has done 1t four times
"a second 4:098 clocking, indoors, last
| Winter, besides those mentioned);
Bonny twice the ran 4:08.9, beating
Glenn in the 1885 N. c. A. Al, and
Lovelock and Venzke each owning one
superlative mark. Glen Dawson OF
Tulsa will be the fifth mile entry.
Glenn Hardin of Louisiana and
Ivan Fuqua of Indiana will renew
their rivalry in the 44o. with Jimmy
LuValle of U. C. L. A., Eddie O'Brien
of Syracuse and Bob Kane of Cornell
for company. Hornbostel will head
line a star $50 field, including Elton
Brown of Kansas Teachers, Bill Pat
terson of Columbia. Harry William
son of North Carolina and John Wolf
Of Manhattan.
Two Top Pole Vaulters.
THE veteran steeplechaser. Joe NC
l. Cluskey. will tackle Henry Nielsen
Of Denmark, Harold Manning of
Wichita and two Hoosier stars. Ray
Sears of Butler and Don Lash OF In
diana, in the 2-mile special.
The 120-yard high hurdles field
pits oldsters such as Percy Beard,
world record holder. and Johnny Nor
riss and John Collier against Okla
homa Baptist's ace, Sam Allen and
AL Moreau, year out Of Louisiana
State.
The lone field event. the pole vault.
will match the two men who have
officially cleared IA feet 5 inches,
Keith Brown of Yale and Bill Graber.
ex-Southern California. Their sup
porting cast will be Emile Dubiel Of
Harvard. Oscar Sutermeister of Bos-
ton and j. Alex McWilliams, Tiger
track captain.
Meet officials expect 10000 to pack
Palmer Stadium. Last year $4,000
sat in on the proceedings.