This Day in Track & Field, January 27, Paavo Nurmi wows crowd of 10,000m at MSG (1925), David Krummenacker sets AR at Boston Indoor Games (2002), by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field-January   27

1925–Capitalizing on the popularity of Finland’s Paavo Nurmi, who had won 5 gold medals at the previous year’s Olympics in Paris, the Millrose Games went to a 2-day format for the only time in its illustrious history.

      Nurmi wowed the crowd of 10,000 on the 1^st night at Madison Square Garden by beating American favorite (and future Hall-of-Famer) Joie Ray and setting a World Record of 3:03.4/5s in the 3/4-mile run.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1925/01/28/101636054.html?pageNumber=1

1951-The Reverend Bob Richards became the 2^nd man (after Cornelius Warmerdam) to join the Indoor 15-foot club when he cleared 15-1 (4.60) at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden. It was the 5^th-straight win at Millrose for Richards, and that streak was matched by Harrison Dillard (7.5) in the 60y-Hurdles.

Don Gehrmann won the 3^rd of his 4 straight Wanamaker Miles in 4:07.5, which would turn out be his fastest winning time at Millrose.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/01/28/91639706.html?pageNumber=156

1962–Marine Corporal John Uelses vaulted 15-10 ¼ (4.835?) in Washington, DC, to become the first man to set a World Indoor Record using a fiberglass pole.

Sports Illustrated Vault: http://www.si.com/vault/1962/02/26/591327/he-could-do-it-on-bamboo

1962–On the same day, on the other side of the world, New Zealand’s Peter Snell, running in his home country on a grass track in Wanganui, set a World Outdoor Record in the Mile, running 3:54.4 to break Herb Elliott’s previous mark by .1s. It was the start of a 2-week record binge in which Snell would also set new marks in the outdoor 800m/880y (Feb.2) and the indoor 1000-yards (Feb.10). He passed away in 2019 at the age of 80.

Sports Illustrated Vault:

https://vault.si.com/vault/1962/02/05/a-novice-miler-runs-the-fastest-mile-ever

https://vault.si.com/vault/1962/02/12/meet-the-worlds-best-runner

WR Progression(mile): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_run_world_record_progression

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/dec/20/sir-peter-snell-obituary

1966—Meet Records were set by Belgium’s Gaston Roelants in the 2-mile (8:40.6) and John Pennel  in the Pole Vault     (16-5 [5.00+]), while Willie Davenport tied the MR in the 60y-hurdles (7.0), at the Millrose Games in front of 16,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.

Kenya’s Kip Keino won the Wanamaker Mile in a slowish 4:03.9,…