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Hall of Fame’s
‘Wall of Fame’ to be unveiled at Armory
NEW YORK – Construction on the National Track and Field Hall of
Fame is well
under way at the Armory Track & Field Center at 168th Street in New
York
City, with Phase I set for completion on November 15.
Phase I includes installation of an illuminated 40-foot long glass wall
etched with the names of all members of the Hall of Fame. It is to this
“Wall of Fame” that the names of the Class of 2002 will be
added.
The wall will provide a dramatic entrance into the Armory’s track
facility,
which houses one of the world’s fastest indoor tracks, and will
connect the
celebrated past of track and field with the future Olympic hopefuls who
train and race at the Armory. More than 300,000 athletes compete at more
than 100 meets held each year at the facility.
Construction on the remainder of the 15,000-square-foot Hall of Fame
and its
seven galleries will continue through its expected completion in November
2003. The highly interactive exhibits will display Hall of Fame athletes
as
models for health and well-being, with an emphasis on the needs of school
children. USATF’s motto, “A Sport for Everyone … for
Life”, will be present
in each aspect of the Hall of Fame, which also will educate visitors about
the best of sports training, nutrition, psychology, equipment and
dedication.
The Armory track and field facility this winter begins the 10th anniversary
of its “new era,” begun in 1993. The facility was built in
1909, and more
than 100 national and world records have been set there over 90 years
of
indoor track and field competition.
The Armory’s 2002-2003 season is already sold out, highlighted
by the
largest collegiate invitational meet of the year, Armory Collegiate
Invitational February 14 and 15. The National Scholastic Championship
and
the Hispanic Games January 11 also highlight the schedule. The packed
weekend gives New York track and field fans an endless parade of top-level
competition.
For more information on National Track & Field Hall of Fame construction
and
the Armory’s track and field season, visit www.armorytrack.com
Four stars elected
to Hall of Fame
INDIANAPOLIS – Pole vaulter Earl Bell, middle distance runner Steve
Scott,
sprinter Gwen Torrence and race walker Larry Young are the 2002 inductees
into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, USA Track & Field
announced
Wednesday.
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.
The induction will bring to 192 the number of members in the National
Track
& Field Hall of Fame, currently under construction at the Armory Track
&
Field Center at 168th street in New York City.
“These tremendous athletes are representatives of the many aspects
of our
great sport - sprinting, long distance running, field events and race
walking, and I look forward to welcoming them to their rightful place
in the
Hall of Fame,” said USATF President Bill Roe.
“Earl, Steve, Gwen and Larry all contributed greatly to raising
their events
to a higher level in the U.S. and around the world, and they richly deserve
this honor,” said USATF CEO Craig Masback. “The induction
of our Hall of
Famers is always a special occasion, and I’m grateful to our partners
at
Xerox for joining us in paying homage to these great athletes.”
“All of us at Xerox are thrilled to welcome the Class of 2002 into
the
National Track & Field Hall of Fame,” said Terry W. Dillman,
Xerox Manager
of Olympic Marketing. “Each individual has contributed greatly to
the rich
history of track and field, and Xerox is proud to honor them and their
many
accomplishments.”
Bell, 47, was the 1984 Olympic bronze medalist and the 1987 World Indoor
Championships bronze medalist in the pole vault. A three-time Olympian
and a
former world record holder, he was a three-time winner of both the USA
Indoor and Outdoor titles. He also won three NCAA Outdoor crowns.
Scott, 46, made three
Olympic teams and ran 136 sub-4-minute miles in his
career, more than anyone in history. The 1978 NCAA Outdoor 1,500-meter
champion, Scott won that event at the 1980 Olympic Trials and was the
silver
medalist at the 1983 World Outdoor Championships. Scott still holds the
American records in the indoor and outdoor mile. (Scott was from Upland
HS and attended UC Irvine)
Torrence, 37, was the 1992 Olympic Games gold medalist in the women’s
200
meters and the 1995 World Outdoor champion at 100 meters. She also won
Olympic gold in 1992 and ’96 as part of the 4x100m relay team. During
her
career, Torrence won eight U.S. Outdoor titles, along with the 1987 NCAA
crowns at 100 and 200 meters.
Young, 59, won two Olympic bronze medals in the 50K race walk, at Mexico
City in 1968 and in 1972 at Munich. A former American record holder, Young
was the 1967 and 1971 Pan American Games champion at 50K. Young won 30
national race walk titles during his career.
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.
Due to reopen in 2003, the Hall of Fame at the Armory will honor the
nation’
s finest track and field athletes, coaches and contributors through its
three floors of exhibits and its Interactive Learning Center.
Biographies of each of the inductees follow:
EARL BELL: Born August 25, 1955. One of the most accomplished U.S. men’s
pole vaulters in history, Earl Bell tied Thierry Vigneron of France for
the
bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, with a clearance
of
5.60 meters/18 feet, 4.50 inches. Bell qualified for two additional U.S.
Olympic teams, placing sixth in 1976 and fourth in 1988. The gold medalist
at the 1975 Pan American Games, Bell also won the silver medal at the
1987
World Indoor Championships and the bronze medal at the 1986 Goodwill Games.
Bell won three U.S. Outdoor (1976-84-90), and three U.S. Indoor (1980-84-87)
titles during his career. He also won three NCAA Outdoor titles
(1975-76-77), and two NCAA Indoor titles (1975-76). Bell set the world
outdoor record of 5.67m/18-7.25 on May 29, 1976 at the USTFF Championships
in Wichita, Kansas, and he set the American record of 5.80m/19-0.25 in
San
Jose, California on June 9, 1984. Bell now is renowned as one of the top
pole vault coaches in the country, with American record holder Jeff Hartwig,
Olympians Kellie Suttle and Chad Harting, and 2001 World Indoor silver
medalist Tye Harvey among the athletes training under him.
STEVE SCOTT: Born May
5, 1956. One of the greatest milers in history, Steve
Scott won the U.S. men’s 1,500m title six times and the U.S. Indoor
mile
crown four times. He is perhaps best known for having run 136 sub-4-minute
miles in his career, more than any other athlete in the world. Track &
Field
News ranked Scott #1 in the U.S. on 10 occasions, and 11 times during
his
career he was ranked in the top ten in the world by T&FN. The NCAA
1,500m
champion as a senior at the University of California-Irvine in 1978, Scott
went on to win the 1980 Olympic Trials, but he did not compete at the
Olympics in Moscow due to the U.S. boycott of the Games. Scott competed
in
the 1984 and 1988 Olympics finishing 10th and fifth, respectively. The
silver medalist in the 1,500 meters at the inaugural IAAF World Outdoor
Championships at Helsinki in 1983, Scott owns the U.S. Outdoor mile record
of 3:47.69 (1982) and U.S. Indoor records in the mile (3:51.8-1981) and
2000
meters (4:58.6-1981). Scott currently is the head track and cross country
coach at Cal State San Marcos.
GWEN TORRENCE: Born: June 12, 1965. One of America’s best and most
versatile
women’s sprinters of all time, Gwen Torrence won the 1992 Olympic
Games 200
meter gold medal and also won gold at 100 meters at the 1995 World Outdoor
Championships. A two-time Olympic 4x100m gold medalist ('92, '96), Torrence
was the 1996 Olympic 100m bronze medalist. Her overall record was
impressive: she was an eight-time U.S. Outdoor champion, silver medalist
in
the 60 meters at the 1989 World Indoor Championships, and the 1987 NCAA
100m
and 200m champion. At the World Outdoor Championships, she was 1991 silver
medalist in the 100m and 200m, and she won a gold medal in the 4x400m
relay
at the 1993 World Outdoor Championships. 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.
On four occasions Torrence was ranked #1 in the U.S. at 100m
(1991-92-94-95), and she was ranked #1 in the world in the 200 meters
in
1992, 1994, and 95. Torrence earned the U.S. #1 200m ranking five times
(1991-92-93-94-95). Showing outstanding versatility, in 1992 Torrence
was
ranked #1 nationally in the 400 meters. Torrence currently lives in
Lithonia, Georgia, where she is a hair stylist and the mother of two,
son
Manley (13), and daughter E’mon (3).
LARRY YOUNG: Born Feb. 10, 1943. One of the most successful athletes
in
U.S. race walking history, Larry Young was the last American walker to
win
an Olympic medal, taking third 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.
In
1972, he won eight national titles at various distances. He also was the
1967 and 1971 Pan American Games champion at 50 kilometers and represented
the U.S. in international competition eight times. Young attended Columbia
(Missouri) College and was an American record holder at 50 kilometers.
Young
has been a full-time artist for the last 25 years and has placed over
50
monumental outdoor sculptures nationally and abroad. He owns and operates
Larry Young Sculpture, a 6,000 square foot foundry in Columbia, where
he
personally creates and produces most of his work.
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