The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-12-25
Gregory Rice
Top Tracker
Notre Dome Runner
Shelters Records

a little barrel-chested fellow VII
didn't really begin 10 run until h
had tucked hi. sheepskin unde
his arm and left Notre Dame
halls Of learning. was the out
standing figure in track and fielC
during 1910.
The miniature tornado from
South Bend. Ind, established
world indoor records at two
and three miles and shat
tered the myth that American
distance runners couldn't COM
pete In the same league with
the supposedly invincible
Firms.
The European war was directly
responsible for Rice's rise to fame.
Taisto Maxi, Finlands holder of
five world outdoor records. was
brought over for series Of Ameri-
can meets to help raise money for
Finnish relief Fresh out of the
trenches, Maxi was hardly in
shape for an intensive campaign
on the indoor boards but even had
1 he been in shape. it's doubtful
whether he could have beaten Rice.
LIKE HOUSE ATTIRE
Rice broke the three-mile record
in the national A. A. U. champion
ships. the two-mile mark two
weeks later and clipped a couple
of seconds off his new three-mile
record again in his special meet
ing with Maxi in New York. Rice
brought the three-mile record
down to Is minutes, 52.3 seconds
and the two-mile to 1852.
So completely did Rice occupy
the spotlight that the retirement
of the great Glenn Cunningham
passed almost unnoticed, as did
many other track feats-a series
Of magnificent 4:0s mile runs by
Chuck Fenske; the smashing Of a
half-dozen middle distance records
by Jim Herbert of New YORK
university, Johnny Woodruff. the
former Pittsburgh star and John
Borican of the Shore A. c.. Elber-
on, n. j.: and the smashing OF
every indoor shot put record in
the books by Al Blozis, the
Georgetown giant.
COAST BOYS SHINE
Outdoors. record-breakins activi-
ties centered chiefly on the Pacific
coast where Stanford university
put together crack mile relay
team. anchored by Clyde Jeffrey,
and lowered the world mark To
s:1o.5.' Cornelius Warmerdam of
i've Olympic club of San Fran
cisco became the first pole vaulter
sver to clear Is feet. He did just
that height during one of the early
season outdoor meets and then IN
the national championships at
Fresno. Cal. raised the record TO
Is feet, rs inches.
Paul Moore Of Stanford set
new mark Of 2:5s.7 for the
three-quarfer mile run and
Fred Wolcott Of Rice broke
records for the 220-yard and
meter low hurdles.
Norwood Barney Ewell OF
Penn state won the l. c. "A 100
and 22O-yard spirits and repeated
In the n. c. A. A. championships
Blozis, a sophomore. broke three
world indoor records and won
everything in sight indoors and
outdoors.
SEVENTH STRAIGHT
Southern California won its
seventh straight team title at the
n. c. A A. championships. The
Trojans didn't make the trip east
for the ]. c. A meet. so Pitts
burgh. without taking an andivi-
dual championship, won team
honors.
In A. A. u. competition. the
New York Athletic club success
fully defended its indoor team title
and the Olympic club functionei
similarly in the outdoor meet.
In the eross-couDtry world,
Don Lash. the Indiana state
policeman. and Leslie Mac
Mitchell. New York university
star, were the outstanding
: figures. MacMitcheIl. who
never has been beaten In
cross-country race either a.
a schoolboy or in three years
Of college competition. re-
tsined his ]. {. A. crown,
while Lash won the senior
national A. A. 4. cross
country crown for the seventh
straight year.
Tn. only record-breaking per
formsnce credited 10 a foreigner
was an s:Oe clocking for 5000
meters by Henry Kselarne Of
Sweden.
The war forced cancellation Of
the Olympic games. scheduled for
Finland. and the s. s Pilsudski,
the Polish ship which was 70 carry
the American team 10 Helsinki.
lies tropedoed st the bottom Of
the Atlantic.
EI~