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USATF announces Hall
of Fame finalists
INDIANAPOLIS – USA Track & Field on Thursday announced 11 finalists
for
election to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame: Earl Bell, Olga
Fikotova Connolly, Walter Davis, Stan Huntsman, Matt McGrath, Doug Padilla,
Lindy Remigino, Patricia Rico, Steve Scott, Gwen Torrence and Larry Young.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2002 will be inducted December 6 at the Jesse
Owens/Hall of Fame Awards Banquet, presented by The Document Company -
Xerox. Held in conjunction with the 2002 USATF Annual Meeting, the induction
will take place at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
USATF last week mailed ballots to more than 770 people for final voting.
Eligible voters for the National Track & Field Hall of Fame include
Track &
Field Writers of America members, Hall of Fame members, USATF Association
presidents, members of USATF standing sports committees and members of
USATF
’s Athlete Advisory Committee. To receive a full explanation of
Hall of Fame
selection procedures, contact Tom Surber ([email protected]).
Exhibits honoring the members of the National Track & Field Hall
of Fame
will be on display at the Hall’s new home at the Armory Track &
Field Center
at 168th street in New York City. Due to open in 2003, the Hall of Fame
will honor the nation’s finest track and field athletes, coaches
and
contributors through its three floors of exhibits and its Interactive
Learning Center.
For a full listing of current Hall of Famers and their biographies, visit
the Hall of Fame section of www.usatf.org
A listing of the eleven finalists vying for election to the National
Track
& Field Hall of Fame follows:
Earl Bell: A former men’s pole vault world and American record
holder and
the 1984 Olympic bronze medalist, Bell won three U.S. Outdoor titles
(1976-84-90), and three U.S. Indoor championships (1980-84-87). The winner
of three NCAA Outdoor titles (1975-76-77), Bell also won two NCAA Indoor
crowns (1975-76). He now coaches many of the nation’s finest pole
vaulters,
including men’s American record holder Jeff Hartwig.
Olga Fikotova Connolly: While competing in the women’s
discus throw at the
1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, Czech gold medalist Olga
Fikotova (as she was known then) met U.S. Olympic hammer throw champion
Hal
Connolly. After the two married, she competed in the next four Olympics
as
an American and set four U.S. records. She also won five U.S. women’s
discus
titles and won the U.S. Olympic Trials on three occasions. Connolly carried
the American flag in the opening ceremonies at the 1972 Olympic Games
in
Munich. (ed note - she was a long-time college administrator in California)
Walter Davis: The 1952 Olympic Games high jump gold medalist, Davis set
the
world record of 2.12m/6-11.50 in winning the 1953 AAU Championships. The
national high jump champion in 1952, Davis also won the NCAA outdoor title
that year as a student at Texas A&M. In addition to his track career,
Davis
played NBA basketball from 1953 to 1958 for Philadelphia and St. Louis.
Stan Huntsman: In a 39-year collegiate coaching career, Huntsman won
46
conference championships during his tenures at Ohio University, the
University of Tennessee and the University of Texas. He coached 41 NCAA
champions and led Tennessee to two NCAA team championships (1972 cross
country, 1974 outdoors). Named National Coach of the Year six times while
at
Tennessee, Huntsman was the head USA coach for the 1988 Olympic Games,
1983
World Championships and 1977 World Cup.
Matt McGrath: A four-time Olympian, McGrath won the gold medal in the
hammer
throw at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, and brought home silver medals
from
the 1908 and 1924 Olympics. He also competed in 1920. McGrath won seven
U.S.
hammer titles and held the world record on two occasions during his career
in 1907 and 1911. He was a seven- time world record holder in the indoor
35
lb. weight throw and won the U.S. title in that event seven times.
Doug Padilla: An eight-time All-American while a collegian at Brigham
Young
University, Padilla was one of the dominant U.S. distance runners of the
1980s. A member of 21 U.S. national teams, Padilla won a dozen national
titles over a 12-year span. He was seventh in the 5,000m at the 1984 Olympic
Games and also competed at the 1988 Games in that event. The fifth-place
finisher in the 5,000 meters at the 1983 World Outdoor Championships,
Padilla was the 1981 World University Games 5,000m champion.
Lindy Remigino: In one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history, Lindy
Remigino, a Manhattan College student who placed fifth at the NCAA
Championships and barely qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, won the
gold
medal in the 100 meters at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Remigino won
another gold medal as a member of the U.S. 4x100m relay team. He later
became a track and field coach at Hartford HS in Connecticut, retiring
in
1988.
Patricia Rico: Active in Track and field as an athlete and administrator,
Patricia Rico served as president of USA Track & Field from 1996 through
2000, where during her tenure she led a two-year restructuring of the
governing body. The chair of USATF’s women’s track and field
Committee
(1971-75, 1984-88), Rico was appointed to the IAAF Women’s Committee
in 1976
and served through 1999. She also served with the U.S. Olympic Committee
and
was appointed to many U.S. international team staffs.
Steve Scott: The winner of six U.S. men’s 1,500m titles
and the U.S. Indoor
mile champion on four occasions, Steve Scott is perhaps best know for
having
run 136 sub-4-minute miles in his career, more than any other athlete
in the
world. A three-time Olympic team qualifier, Scott won the silver medal
in
the 1,500m at the 1983 World Outdoor Championships. Track & Field
News
ranked him #1 in the U.S. on 10 occasions, and he received a top ten world
ranking 11 times during his career.
Gwen Torrence: The women’s 200m gold medalist at the 1992 Olympics,
Gwen
Torrence won the 100m gold at the 1995 World Championships. The two-time
Olympic 4x100m gold medalist (1992-96) also won bronze in the 100 meters
at
the 1996 Olympics. An eight-time U.S. Outdoor champion, Torrence was the
U.S. Indoor 60m champion five times and 200m champ twice. At the end of
the
1994 and 1995 seasons, she was ranked #1 in the world at 100 meters by
Track
& Field News. She earned #1 U.S. rankings in the 100m (1991-92-94-95),
200m
(1991-92-93-94-95) and 400m (1992).
Larry Young: The last American race walker to win an Olympic medal, Larry
Young won the bronze in the 50 kilometers walk at both the 1968 and 1972
Games. The winner of 30 national titles, he won eight U.S. crowns at 50
kilometers and never lost a championship race at that distance. Young
represented the U.S. in international competition eight times and won
50 km
gold at the 1967 and 1971 Pan American Games. The former American record
holder at 50 km, Young won eight national titles at various distances
in
1972.
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