This Day in Track & Field-February 20, Al Lawrence runs 3 mile WR (1960), by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission. 

This Day in Track & Field–February 20

1960—Befitting the early stages of an Olympic year, no less than four World Records were set at the AAU Indoor Championships in New York.

Australia’s Al Lawrence, a sophomore at the University of Houston, was hoping to impress his country’s Olympic selectors and did so with a bang, winning the 3-mile in 13:26.3 to take more than 10 seconds off Bill Dellinger’s previous mark of 13:36.9.

Lawrence, who had set a 2-mile record of 8:46.0 the week before in Los Angeles, was the 1956 bronze medalist in the 10,000-meters at the 1956 Olympics and won NCAA and U.S. X-Country titles in 1959 and 1960.

Another sophomore, Boston University’s John Thomas, had one bad miss at 7-2 (2.184) before clearing on his 2^nd attempt to better his own High Jump mark of 7-1  ½ (2.17).

The 3^rd record at Madison Square Garden was set by former Cornell football and T&F star Bo Roberson, who won the Long Jump with a leap of 25-9  ½ (7.86) to take down one of the sport’s most venerable marks, Jesse Owens’ 25-9 (7.84) that was set at this meet in 1935!

The 4^th record took place earlier in the day, uptown at the Squadron A Armory in Manhattan, where Hal Connolly, the 1956 Olympic champion in the Hammer Throw, won the 35-pound Weight Throw with a toss of 71-2  ½ (21.70), well above the previous best on record, the 68-8 (20.93) that he threw the week before in Los Angeles. Connolly’s win ended the 6-year reign as U.S. Champion of his friendly rival, Bob Backus.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/02/21/99478268.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0

Roberson: http://ivy50.com/blackhistory/story.aspx?sid=1/24/2007

https://vault.si.com/vault/1960/03/14/now-i-can-beat-those-chaps

1965—Bill McClellon (DeWitt Clinton,NYC) set a meet record of 6-10 (2.085?) at the AAU Interscholastic Championships at Madison Square Garden. McClellon cleared 6-8 (2.03) earlier in the competition to break John Thomas’s previous meet mark 0f 6-7  5/8 (1958), then cleared 6-9 (2.06) before getting over his winning height. He missed twice at 7-feet  (2.135), believed to be the first attempts ever by a prep to clear that still-significant barrier. McClellon would eventually become the first prep to clear 7-feet at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in June.

Two of the legends of the NY City track scene hooked up in the 440y, with Vince Matthews edging Andrew Jackson teammate…