Fred Newhouse Remembered — He Gave Juantorena “A Very Hard Time”

FORMER TEAMMATES AND FRIENDS remember ’76 Olympic gold and silver medalist Fred Newhouse as a tenacious quartermiler, respected role model, coach and official, and trailblazing administrator.

Newhouse died January 20 at age 76. He was diagnosed with brain cancer after attending the ’23 World Championships in Budapest.

In Montréal, Newhouse took on Cuba’s Alberto Juantorena in a thrilling 400, with Juantorena running 44.26, the fastest time ever at sea level, and Newhouse clocking 44.40, then the No. 4 all-time performance.

“He was a tiny guy; running against Juantorena was a very big challenge and he held on all the way to the end,” recalled Edwin Moses, his Olympic Village roommate.

Newhouse and U.S. coach LeRoy Walker decided he should take the race out — his usual strategy — and make Juantorena, who was coming off his victory in the 800, run hard early.

“And I ran exactly the pace that Coach Walker designed for me, so I had a great race,” Newhouse said in ’22. “It was the best race of my life; it was the best time of my life in an open 400. It just wasn’t good enough.”

Juantorena drew even with about 60m to go. “I beat him in the last 2m,” Juantorena said. “Because the length of my stride was 2.70m [8-10¼].” (Continued below)

Newhouse Led From The Gun In Montréal

Below you’ll find an excerpt from Jim Dunaway’s report of the historic Juantorena-Newhouse lap meeting in Montréal. Herman Frazier got in for bronze. Newhouse also split 43.8, the fastest leg, for the Team USA 4×4 team that won gold by nearly 2.5 seconds.

Here’s what Dunaway wrote in our September ’76 Olympic issue.

AT THE GUN, Newhouse and Frazier both went out hard right away, with Juantorena moving fast enough to keep them from getting away but not going all out. Dave Jenkins, in lane 5, thought he was burning until he found Newhouse alongside him at 180m.

Newhouse reached the 200 in about 21.5, with perhaps a meter on Frazier and three on Juantorena. Brydenbach and Parks, somewhat out of it on the outside, were by this time truly out of it — too far back to catch up.

Halfway through the turn, Juantorena began to move on the still-flying Newhouse. He passed Frazier and…