The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-06-16
WALKER STARS
AS |LLINI DROPS
N C IA CROWN

MILWAUKEE. Wis. - George
Walker, phenomenal first-year
hurdler from Illinois. rounded out
an llustrious season Of track COM
petition at the NCAA track meet
here Saturday afternoon.
HE ADDED a double victory in
the l20-yard high hurdles and the
220-yard low hurdles 10 his win
ming string as he trod in the foot
steps of the great Negro runners
of past meets.
In just three short decades o!
the twentieth century. the National
Collegiate Athletic association has
played host TO some OF the greatest
cinder path stars in the history OF
modern track competition.
Some of the brightest Of these
stars have been Negroes. OF the
fourteen championship events
listed on the competitive program.
Negroes hold outright or share
titles in exactly one-half of them.
THIS WHOLESALE assault on
the records began in the spring OF
1888 when big Ralph Metcalf came
roaring out OF the Midwest 10 equal
the meet record OF ga seconds in
the century. and set new stan
dard in the 220-yard dash AT 20:i
seconds. The time for the l00-yard
dash is ideTical with the present
worlds record time for the dis
lance.
In 1885 and 1886 the incompara-
BILE Jesse Owens dominated the
championships. He scored triple
triumphs in the broad jump. 100
and 220 yard dashes. In 1885 he be-
came one Of the first collegians 20
leap 26 feet as he won the broad
Jump with a precedent SCATTERING
spring Of IS feet. one and three
eigh,hs inches.
Owens made his record jump in
the NCAA meet while in The midst
Of the greatest sustained assault
on track records in the annals OF
the sport. He was fresh from the
most outstanding single afternoon
OF triumphs in the history Of coll
legiate track competition
Just two weeks before in meet
al Ann Arbor he had broken three
worlds records the broad jump.
220-yard dash. 220-,ow hurdles and
tied another the l00-yard dash
In the 936 NCAA meet he
rounded into top form for the
OLYMPIC :ryo@ts by ,ieirg the
existing worlds record in Inc 100
ward dash with a % second offer
ing. He went on 10 RandallS Island
and thence 10 Germany where he
joined Metcaf and other Negro
iracksters in confourdIng the Nazi
I 'Herrenfolk" and Hitler by run
ming of with the Olvmpiad track
I championship at Berlin
II was in 1896 also that Archie
/ Williams. California speeds;er. set
The presen: 440-yard dash standard
/ az :s6l seconds. Then just IN time
- diSpel the mounting myth tina.
Negroes could not become success
ful in The longer races. long John
Woodruff galloped out Of Pitts
bursh and captured tho half-rile
+ run IN record time. with nine
FOO. stride Long Johns time Of
1903 is still IN the record books
While Walker was still IN grade
school high Strid.nC Eddie Ducscr
came down from Tufts college &c
SCI The meet record of 1879 sec
onds in the l20-yard high hurdles,
during the 1910 version of the bic
rect In la4l biz Archie Harris
an all-around athlete al Indiana
university. spun oCt one Of The last
record breaking efforts witnessed
n The CHAMPIONSHIPS as he hurled
the discus ia feet. ssi inches.
With the coming Of tho wa
emergency. no neW records have
been set. Claude Buddy" Young
SCI the pace for Winning efforts
among first year men in the 1914
meet as he won the century IN
near record time
Entering The NCAA meet in his
first year of college competition
Walker was already seasoned
campaiCncr He holds FIVE Western
conference championship the in
door high and low hurdles titles
and both outdoor hurdles crowns