This Day in Track & Field-January  21, The AAU began (1888), Nurmi gets 2 more WR (1925), Rono battles Nyambui and Rose over 2 miles (1978), by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field-January  21

1888—The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was formed

https://aausports.org/timeline.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_Athletic_Union

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amateur-Athletic-Union-of-the-United-States

1925–After taking a well deserved three-day rest after his three races in three days odyssey in New York and Chicago, Paavo Nurmi resumed his U.S. tour at the St.Joseph’s A.C. meet at the 113th Infantry Regiment Armory in Newark, New Jersey.

Competing from scratch in a handicap race, Nurmi got his 9th and 10th World Records by setting new standards for 2-1/4 (10:42.0) and 2-3/4 (13:03.0) miles, but his en-route time of  11:54.4 fell short of the 2-1/2 mile standard of 11:53.4. Another Finnish great, Hannes Kolehmainen, the 1912 Olympic Champion at 5000 and 10,000 meters (and the individual x-country race), had set records at all three distances in one race in 1913.

 At the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Kolehmainen was chosen to light the Olympic Cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, after receiving the Olympic Flame from Nurmi, who carried it into the stadium

Nurmi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paavo_Nurmi

http://www.olympic.org/paavo-nurmi

Kolehmainen: http://www.olympic.org/hannes-kolehmainen

1956—Duke sophomore Dave Sime won a 3-race sprint series at the Washington Star Games in D.C. He won at 70-yards, tying the World Record of 7-flat, 80-yards in 8-flat, and 100-yards in the World Record time of 9.5. Andy Stanfield, the 1952 Olympic gold medalist at 200 meters, finished 2^nd in all 3 races. (From Track & Field News)

1972—It was another classic Lee Evans-Martin McGrady duel in the 600-yards at the San Francisco Examiner Games, with Evans coming from behind to nip his rival at the tape, with both clocking 1:10.3. It was only the 2^nd victory for Evans in the pair’s nine meetings at the distance.

Other highlights:

Mile: 1.Kip Keino (Kenya) 4:01.2, 2.Tom Von Ruden 4:01.5

2-Mile: 1.Frank Shorter 8:52.6, 2.Don Kardong 8:53.2, 3.George Young 8:53.4

60y-Hurdles: 1.Willie Davenport 7.1

“Senior” 60y: 1.Payton Jordan (54) 7.1

Wiki Bio(McGrady): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_McGrady

Results: http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS//CTRN/ncrr27_1972-Jan.pdf

1977–Fans at the Philadelphia Classic saw plenty of stars in action, including Dwight Stones, winner of the High…