UC Berkeley All-Comers Meet
Participation Brings Back Memories
of Great 1981 Dual Meet

Berkeley HS vs. South Eugene HS (Oregon)

 

by Keith Conning and John Gillespie

John Gillespie, the jump coach at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, is accompanying his team to the first Cal All-Comers Meet at Edwards Stadium on Feb. 3, 2007.

The Thurston track team normally goes to the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, but since those indoor meets have been canceled, they are coming to Berkeley instead.

You might remember Gillespie's 1981 South Eugene High School boys' track team. According to Gillespie his 1981 team is still ranked #1 All time dual meet team in Oregon by Who’s Who in Oregon Track.  Berkeley High School and South Eugene both won their 1980 State Meets. 

South Eugene defeated Berkeley High School on March 26, 1981 in a dual meet at Edwards Stadium, the week of the Stanford Invitational. The meet went down to the last two events: the mile relay and the triple jump. South Eugene was leading 60 to 58 going into the mile relay.  Berkeley was heavily favored in the mile relay, as they were the fastest team in the nation that year. They set the national record in the 4x400m of 3:08.94 at the California State Meet on June 6, 1981. The team was composed of Ulysses Walker 48.8, Pete Richardson 46.7, Walter Murray 47.1, and Ken Robinson 46.3.

Ken is the younger step-brother of James Robinson, the seven-time national half-mile champion.
Men's 800 m USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions
1984 1:47.46 James Robinson In City
1983 1:44.70 Dave Patrick Ath West
1982 1:46.12 James Robinson In City
1981 1:45.53 James Robinson In City
1980 1:46.2 James Robinson In City
1979 1:45.82 James Robinson In City
1978 1:45.47 James Robinson In City
1977 1:45.81 Mark Belger Villanova
1976 1:46.63 James Robinson Calif

photo by Don Gosney
Kenny Robinson (Berkeley HS) from 1981

Ken currently works for Costco in Cordelia and lives in Sacramento. He's that friendly guy who checks your red, white, and blue Costco membership card as you enter the store. But you better not try to race him as he is still appears to be trim and in shape at 43-years-old. Ken, who won the 100 meters at the 1981 State Meet, was only the third fastest runner in the ninth grade at the West Campus of Berkeley High School. The other two boys went onto other careers. I'll leave it to your imagination. Hint: Crime doesn't pay.

Walter Murray went on to play football at the University of Hawaii and the Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately, Hawaii did not have a men's track team. So the national record holder in the 300m low hurdles (35.79) ended his track career in high school.

Berkeley was leading 63 to 60 going into the last event the triple jump. There was only one pit at Edwards, so the triple jump was held at the end of the meet. Berkeley had their quarterback on the football team jumping for them. He made a valiant effort, but he could not match South Eugene's strength in this event.  Unfortunately, for Berkeley, Gillespie's coaching specialty is the triple jump. After leaving South Eugene, he was the jumps coach for many years at the University of Oregon. His athletes broke the University of Oregon school records in the high jump and triple jump.

As it turned out one of the key events in the meet was the 400 meters where Chris Wright (SE) 48.8 edged Ulysses Walker (B) 48.9 and Johnny Langerston (B) 48.9. Berkeley had eight runners who could break 50 seconds in the 400 meters.  Langerston didn't even make the mile relay team, even though he could run the 800 in 1:53+.

Here are the results of the Berkeley vs. South Eugene dual meet.
1981 Axeman Track

South Eugene 68 Berkeley 64
At Univ of Calif Track
Clear, warm some wind
March 26, 1981

100m
1 Ken Robinson Berk 10.2
2 Charles Clewis Berk 10.7
3 Chris Wright SE 10.7
Kevin Vixie SE 10.9
CurtisCole SE 11.0

200m
1 Robinson Berk 21.3
2 Clewis Berk 22.2
3 Wright SE 22.2
Vixie SE 23.4
Cole SE 23.6

400m
1 Chris Wright SE 48.8
2 Ulysses Walker Berk 48.8
3 Johnny Langerston Berk 48.9

800m
1 Langerston Berk 1:57.6
2 Bill Penny SE 1:58.8
3 Gilmore Berk 2:04.5
Dave Gustafson SE 2:04.6

1600m
1 Pete Richardson Berk 4:22.3
2 Matt McGuirk SE 4:28.1
3 Mike Tracey SE 4:34.6
Eric Mason SE

3200m
1 Matt McGuirk SE 9:41.7
2 Mike Tracey SE 9:45.3
3 John Chambers SE 9:46.2

110 HH
1 Walter Murray Berk 14.1
2 Dan Wilken SE 15.1
3 Tim Ausland SE 15.5

300m LH
1 Murray Berk 37.6
2 J P Holland SE 39.5
3 Daniels Berk 40.2

High Jump
1 Steve Bates SE 6’ 8
2 Dan Wilken SE 6’
3 Westbrook Berk 5’6

Pole Vault
1 Mark Swearingen SE 11’ 6

Long Jump
1 J P Holland SE 22’ 3 1/2
2 McDade Berk 22’ 1/4
3 Dan Wilken SE 20’ 3 1/4
Charlie Rosa SE 19’ 8

Triple Jump
1 J P Holland SE 47’ 1/2
2 Tim Ausland SE 38’ 8
3 Olson Berk 38’ 4

Shot Put
1 Steve Bates SE 57’ 6
2 Bradwell Berk 45’ 9
3 Dan Wilken SE 41’ 9

Discus
1 Steve Bates SE 178’ 8
2 Rocklin Berk 119’
3 Ammons Berk 115’

4 x 100 Relay
1 Berkeley 41.6
2 SE 42.7

4 x 400 Relay
1 Berkeley 3:21.4

1981 season bests
Chris Wright 10.7 21.2 47.38 State Champ in 200 and 400 breaking State records in both - Still #3 in 200 and #4 400 All Time

Kevin Vixie (Soph) 10.5 21.7. State Chanp in 100 . Would also win in 82 and 83 Still #5 All Time Oregon. This was first race for SE and he did not score

Curtis Cole (jr) 10.9 / 22.7 5th in State 100m The next year he would run 21.4 and #9 All time

Bill Penny (jr) 1:55.2 for 4th in State meet

Dave Gustafson (soph) 2:01.0

Matt McGuirk (jr) 4:02.1 8:42.9 (all 3000m) in 81-82 is State XC Champ and runs 8:21

Mike Tracey 4:05.7 8:50.9

Eric Mason (jr) 4:07.7 8:49.8

John Chambers (soph) 9:02.6

Dan Wilken 14.7 6’3 46’1/4

Tim Ausland 15.2

J P Holland 38.4 (300IH) 23’ 5 48’ 10 Tore ligaments in his ankle in state qualifying and was only 2nd in LJ and 3rd in TJ on 3 jumps still #8 all time

Steve Bates 6’11 58’ 3 188’2 State Champ in Disc 2nd in HJ 3rd in Shot - Still #8 in hj and #11 in disc

Mark Swearingen 12’6

Charlie Rosa 21’5 42’ 6

4 x 100 R 41.6 State Champs and State Record (Vixie, Cole, Holland, Wright) - still # 3 All time

4 x 400 R 3:18.5 State Champs and State record (Vixie, Cole, Holland, Wright)

Missing was Dan Mazo who injured his knee in February and was out for the season. Mazo ran 8:26.8 for 3000 as a junior in 1980 and was 7th in National Kinney Cross Country Championships

The 100 points in State Meet are still record.

This team is still ranked #1 All time dual meet team in Oregon by Who’s Who in Oregon Track. (By the way the 1980 team is #2)

McGuirk, Chambers, Mason and Will Kimball (not on trip) would break and national 4 x 1500m record the next year