2007
MARY SCHILLY KNISELY
A
native of Wilmington,
DE, Mary was Northern Regional and Individual State Champion in the
1500m in 1977 before graduating from Concord H.S. At U of D from where
Mary graduated in 1981, she twice competed at the Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) outdoor nationals for the
Blue Hens in the mile run in 1979 and 1980, placed fifth in the 1500m
at the 1980 EAIAW outdoor regionals, and established school records in
the indoor 880yd (2:17.9) and mile (4:51.6) runs and in the outdoor
880yd run (2:21.0) and 1500m (4:23.0). Following her career at
Delaware, Mary enjoyed outstanding success as one of the world’s top
distance runners. She competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials three times,
gold medalist in the 3000 meters at the 1987 Pan Am Games, silver
medalist in the World Cup 10,000m, member of the 1985 and 1987 gold
medal World Championship U.S. Cross Country teams, IAAF Grand Prix
placer (1986-3rd
in 3K and 1987-2nd
in 5K), national champion in the 3000m at the U.S. Outdoor
Championships in 1986 and 1987, and the U.S. Masters Marathon National
Champion in 2001. Her P.R.’s include 4:05(1500m), 8:41(3000m),
15:12(5000m), 32:19(10,000m), and 2:35:11(marathon).
KIM MITCHELL KOGON
Kim started her running
career at John Dickinson High School. On the track team at Dickinson,
Kim was the Individual State Champion in the 3000m event in 1981. She
ran with the boys on their cross country team because there were no
girls’ XC teams at the time. She continued to run while attending
the University of Delaware. Kim won five East Coast Conference
individual titles during her career and had (3) top three finishes at
the ECC Cross Country Championships, winning the ECC Cross Country
title in 1982. She is one of only two UD runners to compete at the
NCAA Cross Country Championships (placed 78th in 1984). Kim was the
1983 ECC outdoor championship Most Outstanding Performer when she won
the 5,000m and 10,000m races. She won the ECC indoor three-mile run
and distance medley relay in 1985 and was the 1985 ECC Scholar-Athlete
of the Year for cross country. During her career, she led Delaware to
four ECC track and field titles and set the UD record in the indoor
3-mile run and 5,000m run. Kim died on September 11, 2007 as the
result of a fall.
DANTE MARINI
Dante only participated
in cross country and track & field for one year at Salesianum High
School. But, those experiences catapulted him into an outstanding
distance running career. By the time he had finished at the University
of Delaware, he had set two course records in cross country, leading
the University cross country team to undefeated seasons in 1954 and
1955. He was a multiple school record holder in both cross country and
track & field. Dante was an outstanding leader and captained both
sports at the University in 1955 and 1956. He also proved himself
further by winning the inaugural and the second State Open Cross
Country titles. He continues to give to his sport and stays involved
in track & field as an assistant high school coach to this day.
SHANNON MATTHEWS
Shannon ran for
Wilmington High School and in 1984, he was Division II State Champion
in both the 100m (:10.7) & the 200m (:21.6) events. He was also
1984 New Castle County Champion in the 200m dash and tied the State
Record in the trials of that meet with a time of :21.2. Shannon went
on to run for Jackson State (1984-85) and Grambling (1985-86). He came
back to Delaware and began coaching at his old alma mater, Wilmington
High School. He was the sprint coach at Wilmington H. S., which became
the Charter School of Wilmington/Cab Calloway School of Performing
Arts in 1999. During his coaching career, Shannon’s 4 x 200m team
won the1999 indoor championships at the University of Delaware.
Shannon was one of the co-creators of the 400 Elite Track Club, which
took local athletes to National meets around the country. Shannon is
tied for 1st
on the Delaware H. S. All-Time Performance List (Outdoor) in the 200m
with a converted time of :21.40. Sadly, Shannon died in February,
2004.
BILL REYBOLD
Bill was a Newark High
School graduate and went on to be an outstanding middle distance
runner at the University of Delaware in the 50’s. He set two course
records in Cross Country at Delaware and finished 11th as a junior and
4th as a senior at the MAC Championships. He set Delaware Track &
Field records in both the 880yd run in 1:53.9 and the mile run in
4:18.6. In 1954, he ran his 1:53.9 in his heat of the NCAA
Championships, faster than either of the other two heat winners, but
fourth in his heat behind Olympian Tom Courtney, failing to qualify
for the final. In the MAC, Bill won the mile title in his senior year,
adding a second place in the 880yd run. He captained both the Cross
Country and Track & Field teams at Delaware. He was acclaimed the
Outstanding Senior Athlete at UD in 1954. In the summer of 1954, he
was on a team that won the medley relay at the National AAU Outdoor
Championships.
2006
CYNTHIA S. BATES
Cynthia competed for Caesar Rodney High School and
was one of the first four-time State Champion event winners, winning
the 200m from 1977 to 1980. She was instrumental in Caesar Rodney
winning 4 straight team Championships from 1977-1980. Cynthia set a
State Record in the 200m (24.2) in 1978, which stood for 20 years and
is 5th on the All Time List with a converted time of 24.40. She also
anchored Caesar Rodney relay teams six-times (4 x 100m & 4 x 200m)
in state meets to victory. Her 4 x 100m relay team set a State Record
of 48.5 in 1978. That record held for 20 years, and is listed 6th on
the All Time List with a converted time of 48.74. Cynthia went on to
continue her running career at Auburn University from 1980-1982. She
graduated from Delaware State University in 1984.
JOE W. BURDEN, SR.
Joe coached for thirty years at Delaware State
University, producing dozens of championship athletes. His teams won
MEAC team championships, indoors in ’83, ’84, ’86, and ’87 and
outdoors in ’76 and ’92. Each time he was named the MEAC
Outstanding Tournament Coach. He also received the award in 1981. Joe
coached two previous inductees, Brad Morris and Mike Wilson. Brad
Morris was DSU’s first All-American, earning the honor for the
440yd. Dash in 1974 and 1975. Mike Wilson holds the MEAC all-time one
and two mile run records. Other athletes Joe has coached still hold
nine MEAC records and eight MEAC records held by his athletes have
since been broken. Joe was a star athlete at I.C. Norcum High School
in Portsmouth, VA. He still holds the VA state record with 31
touchdowns and 192 points in a season. He was the first high school
African American All-American from Virginia . He was a four-year
letterman in football at Iowa State. He coached football and track
& field at Delaware State.
NEIL W. SERAFENAS
Neil was a high school discus thrower and shot
putter from Wm. Penn High School. He was State Southern Regional
Division I Champion in the shot put and discus. Neil threw the discus
171’8.5" to become the state high school Individual champion in
1977. That throw ranks 9th on the Delaware all-time high school list.
He was the 1977 New Castle County Discus Champion and record holder at
that time with a throw of 166’2". After high school, Neil went
to the University of Florida after a short stint at the University of
Delaware. At Delaware, he still holds both the freshman and school
records in the discus. As a "Gator", he is 6th on their
all-time school list in the shot put (59’5" in 1981) and discus
(191’8" in 1982). In 1982, he finished 12th in the discus at
the NCAA’s, making Neil an All-American.
BRIAN J. STRUSOWSKI
Brian was a superb hurdler who attended John
Dickinson High School & the University of Delaware. He was a
three-time Delaware AAU champion (1979,80,81). At one point in his
career, he held six University of Delaware school records. He set
indoor school records in the 55m high hurdles (7.58, F.A.T.) and was
the anchor leg of a record setting team for the indoor shuttle hurdle
relay (29.5, F.A.T.). This performance ranked the Blue Hen’s team as
one of the fastest shuttle hurdle teams in the nation during the 1980
indoor season. Outdoors, Brian broke and still holds the school record
for the 110-meter high hurdles (14.44, F.A.T.) and was a member of the
400m-relay team (42.00, F.A.T.), which also set a school record in
this event. He went on to score championship points five times in high
hurdle events in the East Coast Conference Championships and was
ranked as one of the top hurdlers in the IC4A’s by qualifying six
times for the IC4A’s Championships. Brian helped to lead the Blue
Hen’s to consecutive Conference Championships and in his senior
year, he was named co-captain of the men’s indoor and outdoor track
and field teams.
2005
TERRI
A. DENDY
Terri went to Concord
High School where she was Division I State Champion six times and 4
time individual champion. She set a State Record in the 400 meters in
1983 with a time of 55.9. She was also six time New Castle County
Champion, 1982-83, 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters. Terri continued
her career at George Mason University, where she became a six time All
American and two time National Champion. She set school records
indoors at 300 meters (38.77), 400 meters (52.57), 500 meters
(1:11.45) and outdoors 400 meters (51.45). She became an Olympian in
1988 qualifying for the 4 x 400 meter relay team. Terri won a Gold
Medal running on the 4 x 400 meter relay team at the 1993 World
Championships. She also was part of a number of American Record
setting relay teams.
LINDA T.
DOWNING-PORTER
One of the best throwers in Delaware high school
history, Linda won four state Division II discus titles and three
indoor and one outdoor shot put titles for Seaford High School between
1983 and 1986. At the time, she set the state records in the indoor
shot put at 39’ ½", the outdoor shot put at 41’9 ¼",
and the discus at 127’8". After high school, she attended
Frostburg State, qualifying for the division III indoor meet and
transferred to Delaware State where she established a personal best in
the shot put of 47’.
MIKE LYON
In
1959, Mike was the junior high 660-yard champion (1:29.7), The next
year, Laurel High School discontinued a short-lived (1957-1959) track
program. Although allowed to continue representing Laurel
individually, he was essentially "self-coached" and limited
to 3-4 meets per year. As a 15-year-old sophomore Mike won 1960’s
State Open half-mile (1:59.3). After tying the state high school at
Milford’s 1961 invitational (2:00.0), he went on to win the State
high school half-mile (2:00.3). As a senior, just prior to a midseason
ending bout of mononucleosis, Mike set a 1962 Delaware state high
school half-mile record (1:59.9). After training in Australia with the
legendary Percy Cerutty, went on some notable performances at the
University of Delaware. Enrolling in the University’s spring
semester, Mike won 1964’s MAC outdoor freshman mile in a
record-breaking 4:21.5. As a fall semester freshman, he ran a then
record 14:59 on the old White Clay Creek 3-mile cross-country course.
And, as a 1965 spring semester sophomore, Mike was part of University
record setting 2-mile (1:53.6) and 4-mile (4:16.5) relay teams. The
latter still stands.
JACK STARR
Jack began racewalking in 1992 at the age of 64. He picked up some
pointers from Dave Romansky and since that time he hasn’t looked
back. Starr has over forty age group National Championships, in
addition to his numerous regional and club championships. Jack holds
eleven national records, one of which was also a world masters record.
In 1996, he won a silver medal in the Veterans Championship 30K behind
a world record setter. Jack was the first American 70 years old to
walk a 10K in under one hour and completed the Boston Marathon, at the
age of 70, walking a pace if 11:12 per mile, 4:53:31 overall. In 2000
& 2004, he was chosen as the USATF National Masters (over 40)
Track & Field "Outstanding Male Racewalker of the Year"
and he was the oldest athlete ever to be chosen for that honor. He is
also currently a nominee for the National USATF Masters Hall of Fame.
JAMES EDWARD WEAL
This Woodbridge High School athlete who not only raced
to fame in Delaware, but qualified for, and ran in the National Indoor
Championships at Madison Square Gardens against the best in the world
in 1975. As a high school sprinter, Jim is considered to be the best
ever from downstate Delaware. Jim won three division II state
championships at 100 yards and 220 yards, running windy :09.5 100 yard
dash in 1974 as a junior and :09.7 as a senior. He led three 440 yard
relay teams to victory for Woodbridge between 1972 and 1975. An
opposing coach reminisced that Weal never had the lead when he
received the baton, but terrorized the other anchormen in the race who
knew Jim would quickly blow by them. He still ranks seventh on the
all-time list in the 200 meters with a converted time of :21.60.
2004
JAMES
H. BLADES
As
an outstanding athlete, Jim was an
All
State
basketball player at Felton H.S. and at
West
Chester
University
,
he competed on the track team and was a member of the
Conference
Championship
Cross
County
team. At
Lake
Forest
High
School
,
Jim coached for 33 years where his girls’ and boys’ teams won a
combined total of 16 state championships while being the runner-up 25
times. He was the "Coach of the Year" in the conference 25
times and four times in the state. In 1988, he was awarded the Region
2 cross country "Coach of the Year" by the
National
High
School
Athletic Coaches Association. Jim served as the state cross country
chairman and was a member of the state track & field committee. He
founded the hugely successful
Lake
Forest
Cross Country Invitational and the Keith Burgess Track & Field
Invitational. He was a major force in not only the southern part of
the state, but was greatly influential in the progress of our sports
in the entire state for more than three decades. Jim was one of the
most respected high school track & field coaches in memory.
KEITH S. BURGESS
Keith
has been extremely important in the promotion of cross country and
track & field in Delaware in the 50’s and 60’s, instrumental
in starting programs at Harrington, Greenwood, Milton, and Felton and
is considered by many as the father of cross country in lower
Delaware. He secured an entry for Dwight Hackett of Harrington as an
individual in the 1957 state cross country championship. Over the
years, he transported hundreds of young people to and from practice
and organized teams for the Jr. Olympics. Keith promoted our sports
and wrote about them in the Harrington Journal, now known as the
Journal, for 47 years. He has been honored with an invitational in his
name at Lake Forest High School.
CONNIE M.
ELLERBE
During
her High School career at William Penn H.S., Connie won the State
Division I Championship in the 300m low hurdles 4 straight times
(1984-87). She set a new State Record each time and still holds the
State Record of :42.4, ranking her as 1st
on the Delaware H.S. All-Time Performance List (Outdoor). Connie was
4-time New Castle County Champion in the 300m low hurdles. She also
won the 200m dash in the State Division I Championship in 1987. She
ran a leg on the State Record 4 x 400m relay team in 1984 with a time
of 3:49.3 which still stands as the State Record. In 1987, she was the
State Indoor Track "Athlete of the Year". Connie moved on to
West Virginia University where she had an outstanding career. She was
4-time Collegiate All-American. In 1988, she won the Penn Relays 400m
hurdles event with a time of :57.75. In 1992, Connie was 2nd
in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Champions with a time of :55.87 and
she finished 4th
in 1991. Connie placed 5th
in the 1992 Olympic Trials.
CHARLES L.
HOBBS
Charles
was the first Delaware schoolboy to break :50 in the 440yd dash,
running :49.9 in 1965 (cinders) while representing Tower Hill. He was
a double and triple sprint winner in state meet competitions, while
being a triple sprint winner, three years in a row, and a triple
sprint record setter in 1965 in the Independent Conference and a
multiple sprint winner at the Church Farms Invitational. He set two
records at Church Farms in 1964, including a :21.7 in the 220yd dash.
He had one dual meet loss in three years and that was because of a
pulled hamstring. He moved on to Yale University where he earned an
NCAA medal in 1968 in the Indoor Mile Relay (4th)
and in the Outdoor 4 x 110yd. relay (5th).
In 1967, he was part of a 4 x 440yd relay that set records in the
Heptagonal Meet, 3:12.4, and at the IC4A’s in 3:09.7. He set Florida
Relays meet records in the 1968 Sprint Medley and the 1969 Distance
Medley. In 1968 he ran his best open time, :47.5.
JOHN C.
PRETTYMAN
John’s
running career began at Mt. Pleasant High School in 1957. In 1960, he
was Blue Hen Conference and New Castle County Champion (50.9 on
cinders) in the 440yd dash, setting records in both. He was runner-up
in the 440yd dash to State and Track Hall of fame inductee, Mike Brown
of Conrad, in the State Championship and the State Open. He ran the
3rd leg on Mt. Pleasant’s State Record 880yd relay team (1:32.0 on
cinders). John continued his career at the University of Maryland
where he won 7 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, 6 in the Mile
Relay Indoor & Outdoor from 1962-1964. His individual Championship
was recorded in 1963 at the Indoor ACC championships in the 600yd run
where he won and set a new record with a time of 1:12.5, which broke
the record by two seconds. In 1963, he was a member of two University
of Maryland teams that set Florida Relays records in the Sprint
Medley, 3:22.3, and Mile Relay, 3:14.7 (the fastest time in the event
in A.C.C. history). John ran the lead off leg for the winning mile
relay team that set a record 3:15.7 (cinders) at the District of
Columbia A.A.U. Championship.
UKEE WASHINGTON
Competing
for Dover High School, Ukee was one of the best hurdlers in the State
of Delaware, as his times on the Delaware High School All-Time
Performance Lists indicate. In 1975, he won the State Division I
Championship in the 120yd high hurdles, with a time of :14.1, and the
180yd low hurdles with a time of :19.8. In 1976, he doubled in the
hurdle events again in the State Division I Championship, winning the
110m high hurdles in :14.2, and the 300m intermediate hurdles in
:38.6. Also in 1976, in the Southern Region Division I, Ukee set a
State Record in the 300m intermediate hurdles with a time of :37.9. He
was a member of 1975 mile relay & 1976 4 x 400m relay State
Division I Championship teams. On the Delaware H.S. All Time
Performance Lists, Ukee is 6th
in the 110m high hurdles with a converted time of :14.20 and 3rd
in the 300m intermediate hurdles with a converted time of :37.82.
2003
ROBERT LEWIS BRYANT
Robert
was a truly outstanding runner at Delaware State. His long sprinting
ability gave the Hornets
many outstanding performances in the late 70’s while leading them to
numerous titles. He was a two-time NAIA 600yd Champion, winning titles
in 1976 and 1979. Robert anchored his mile relay to the Penn Relays
college division championship in 1979. His sub 46 second speed made
Delaware State the favorite in many relay competitions. He
participated in the 1980 Olympic Trials. Robert was a 1972 graduate of
Bridgeton Senior High School, located in Bridgeton, NJ where he also
lettered in Track and Field.
WADE COLEMAN
Wade
went to the University of Delaware as a shot and discus thrower. He is
still ranked by the University as second all-time in discus and in the
top ten in the shot put, both indoors and outdoors. However, he found
a new event while competing at Delaware, the hammer and 35# indoor
weight throw. He became a three-time NCAA Championship qualifier,
securing All-American honors in the hammer in 1993. In the 1993 IC4A
competitions, he placed second in the weight throw, second in the
discus, and seventh in the hammer. He twice won the national 56#
weight throw championships. Wade also won six conference championships
and holds the school records in the weight throw, 67’ 9¾", and
the hammer, 207’8", by significant amounts.
BILL FRANCISCO
Bill,
a Mt. Pleasant graduate, became the State’s premier 180yd Low
Hurdler in 1960. That year he set the State Record of 19.9 seconds
elevating the event to a new level. Bill’s :19.9, run on a cinder
track, was an achievement only he attained until all-weather tracks
had been in use for many years. Bill was undefeated in Dual Meets in
1960. That year he set meet or State Records in every major meet
including the Conference (1959 and 1960), County, State and State Open
meets. Bill’s County Meet record stood for twelve years and his
State Record held up for thirteen years. Bill’s State Record of
:19.9 is fifth on the all-time list. Bill also ran sprints, helping
his 880yd relay team set a State Record of 1:32.0.
KIM A.
HERRMAN
Kim
was an exceptional hurdler for the Delaware Sports Club and University
of Delaware in the 1970’s, competing in the 60 yard hurdles indoors
and the 100 meter and 400 meter outdoors. Kim was selected for and
competed in the 1975 Pan American Games Trials and the 1976 Olympic
Trials in the 100 meter hurdles. Kim also ran the 60 yard hurdles at
the National AAU Indoor Championships in 1975 and 1978. At the AAU
National Junior Championships, she was fifth in 1975 and sixth in 1976
at 100 meter hurdles. As a Blue Hen, Kim held the school record at 400
meter hurdles.
GUY E. RAMSEY, SR.
As
a high school senior at Dover Air High School, Guy jumped into second
place at the prestigious Penn Relays high school high jumping
championship with a leap of 6’10¾" in 1976. He was the state
champion in that event in both 1975 and 1976 and still is listed as
the second best Delaware high school high jumper ever. His Penn Relay
jump was, at that time, better than the state record. But, it was not
ratified because an application for a new record was not submitted.
Guy competed for the University of Delaware for three years while also
playing free safety on the UD Divisional II Championship football
team. He placed third in the Penn Relays at 7’ 1¾" in 1978 and
is still listed second on both the indoor and outdoor University
all-time lists.
2002
RAYMOND
BOARDLEY
A Dickinson High School
graduate, Raymond was an outstanding sprinter and collected 28 medals
from 1978-81. He was the New Castle County Champion in the 100m, 200m,
and 400m dashes. He was a three-time State Division I Champion: once
in the 200m dash in 1981 (:22.1), and twice in the 400m dash (1980 and
1981), running :48.3 in 1981, a time which is still fifth on the
all-time list. Raymond went on to run as a collegiate at Florida A
& M where he was Freshman Track Athlete of the Year. He also
clocked a :46.7 400m dash while at Florida A & M.
HENRY L.
BURTON
This
Howard High athlete dominated the distance events in the late 1950’s
like very few had done in the past. During his senior year, he won the
State High School as well as the State Open Cross Country championships,
the State mile championship in 4:32.6 on cinders, the New Castle County
championships, and was undefeated that year. He was also a State Open
two mile Champion. He anchored Howard H.S. to a third place finish in
the distance medley relay at the Penn Relays Championship of America
race. He ran as a collegiate at Southern University in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. He was elected to the Cross Country 50’s All-Decade Team.
ROMAN
"RAY" CIESINSKI
During
the 32 years Ray coached at Newark High School from 1949 to 1981, he
spent 23 years as the head coach of cross country and 19 years as the
head coach of track and field. Ray was one of the founding fathers of
the Blue Hen Conference. He won more than 20 Blue Hen cross country and
track and field titles as well as two State cross country championships.
Outstanding athletes include Chris Dunn, Olympic high jumper, John
Greenplate, two-time State cross country champion, and Pat Walker, State
champion hurdler. Many of his other athletes won individual State
championships. Ray was instrumental in starting teams for girls in both
cross country and track and field. In 1971, he was honored with the
"Coach of the Year" award.
DANA
COMBS-FENWICK
Dana had an outstanding career competing
for Padua Academy from 1984-87. During her high school years, she was
first team All-State five times and accumulated 23 state championship
medals and was a ten- time state champion on eight state championship
teams. In 1987, she set a state record in winning the New Castle County
400m dash in :55.0 which still remains as the state high school record.
During indoor track and field, she was the state MVP in 1987, winning
four gold medals, setting three state records and another meet record,
and was also the Delaware Valley 300yd champion. She went to Temple on a
scholarship, but was unable to compete due to an injury.
ARNOLD
L. TUCKER, SR.
Arnold
was a great sprinter who held the state 440yd dash for over 20 years. In
1967, his junior year at DeLaWarr, he won the 100yd dash in :09.8, the
220yd dash in :21.8 and the 440yd dash in :48.1. The first two were
division records and the third was the state record. Arnold also won the
440yd Dash in :48.8 at the Meet of Champions in Philadelphia. Who knows
what might have happened during his senior year had he not been
sidelined with injuries.
2001
PHILIP
MYRLE ANDERSON, Sr.
A Howard High School schoolboy middle distance runner who was a member
of the state championship mile relay team in 1959, 1960, and 1961 when
that team was also New Castle County champion. Phil was the individual
county meet champion in the 880 in 1961 and at the Meet of Champions
that spring anchored the victorious Howard mile relay team, which posted
a state record time of 3:22.3, a record which lasted for twenty-four
years. Phil graduated valedictorian from Howard High School with
distinguished honors and awards. While a student at the University of
Delaware, Phil set a school record of 1:53.6 in the 880, which stood for
fifteen years. In 1967, he graduated magna cum laude from the University
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. His loving kindness and
devotion was revered and he took special pride in the success and
achievements of all those he loved. Phil died prematurely in June of
2000.
REGGIE BRIGHT, Jr.
Reggie was a Delaware high
school track and field phenomenon who represented Delcastle Technical
H.S. from 1980-1983. During that period of time, he won three state and
county 100m dashes, posting a best time of :10.7. He also won
three 200m championships at the same meets. In 1983, he set a state
record in the 200m dash of :21.2, which still stands as the co-record
today. Reggie ran :10.5 in the 100m to win in Philadelphia’s
Meet of Champions, which ranks as a third place tie on the all-time
list. During his track career at Delcastle Technical H.S., he was
undefeated in dual meet competition and won additional titles in the
long jump with a PR of 23’ 5¾"w. Reggie continued his
outstanding track and field career at Texas Southern University on a
track and field scholarship.
JEFFREY J. BROKAW
Jeff
was an outstanding distance runner in the late 60’s for Tower
Hill. In cross country, he was the Division II champion three
times, and won the state AAU Open title twice, setting course
records. While at Harvard University, he made the All-Ivy
team. On the track he won four one mile state titles and two more
at the 880yd distance. Jeff broke the high school one mile record
on three different occasions, his best time being 4:19.9. He was
the Greater Philadelphia indoor two mile champion while in high school
and the Greater Boston three mile freshman champion while at
Harvard. Brokaw also was named to the All-Ivy track and field
team.
VICKI
HUBER-RUDAWSKY
Vicki
graduated from Concord High School where she won five state
titles. She still holds the state high school records in the 800m
(2:11.8) and 1600m (4:54.4) events. Vicki went to Villanova where
she won eight NCAA titles (one cross country, four indoor, and three
outdoor) and seven Penn Relay watches. She made two Olympic teams,
finishing sixth in the 3000m run, and one World Cross Country team, a
team that placed second while placing fourth as an individual. The
NCAA named Vicki the Track & Field Athlete of the Year for ’88-’89
and ’89-’90 and she was named the Broderick Award Winner, an NCAA
award which is given to the overall Athlete of the Year for the ’88-’89
school year.
DAVID L. SHEPPARD, Jr.
A
William Penn grad that had a solid high school career, David blossomed
when he reached the University of Delaware. David collected
fourteen collegiate conference championships, eight at distances ranging
from 200m to 500m plus six as a member of the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m
relays. In his senior year, he ran an indoor NCAA provisional
qualifying time in the 400m of :47.98 and placed at the 1990 IC4A
outdoor meet in both the 200m and 400m, running the 400m in
:47.02. He was a member of Shore A.C. 4 x 200m national club
championship team. He currently holds four records at the University of
Delaware.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR OUTSTANDING
ACHIEVEMENT
1958 HOWARD HIGH
SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
 
(Left picture, banquet, 2001, left to right, Emmett Osburn, Art Collins,
Calvin Perry, Marvin Hackett, Melvin Perry, Bob King, missing Phil
Anderson
deceased, Right picture, 1958 State Championship picture, top row left
to right, Calvin Perry, Marvin Hackett, Melvin Perry, Bob King, bottom
row left to right, Art Collins, Emmett Osburn, and, Phil
Anderson)
Arguably the greatest
Delaware high school boy’s cross country team of All Time. The
1958 State Champion team set and still holds the record for the lowest
score ever, 17 (only one division in 1958). They were undefeated in dual
meets and took the City Title with a score of 18. This historical
team was coached by the late and legendary George Johnson, who was
inducted into both the State Hall of Fame and the State Track &
Field Hall of Fame. Their order of finish; Bob King, 1st, Melvin
Perry, 2nd, Marvin Hackett, 3rd, Calvin Perry, 4th, Art Collins, 7th,
Phil Anderson, 15th, and Emmett Osburn, 55th.
2000
BERNARD
"BUNNY" BLANEY
Bunny
is a 1981 inductee into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame. Blaney,
though mainly known for his football exploits, was also an exceptional
sprinter at Newark High School in the early 1950’s. He was the
state’s Junior High Champion at 50 yards and 100 yards in 1949.
He finished 2nd in 1950 in the 100 yards and was a state champion in
1951 and 1952 (where he ran the first :9.9 100 yard dash in the
state). In winning the 220 yards in 1952 with a time of :22.6, he
broke the oldest standing state record in the books, which was set in
1932. He was also county champion in both the 100 yard dash (1951 and
1952) and the 220 yard dash (1952).
ERIC CANNON
Eric is one of the state’s
greatest hurdlers. He graduated from Delcastle where he was the state
110m high hurdle champion in 1983, 1984, and 1985 and the 55m HH and 50
yd dash indoor champion in 1984 and 1985. He was also the State
Division I 100m champion in 1985. Eric was National Scholastic
Indoor Champion in the 55m HH with a time of :07.30 which is still the
state record. He still holds the state record for the 110m HH of
:13.8 which he set in 1985. He moved on to Pittsburg where he
finished as high as second in the HH’s in the NCAA Meet and was
six-time All-American. He was a two-time Big East and IC4A
Champion. Eric qualified for numerous national meets and trials
and was considered one of the best hurdlers in the nation.
TISHA
MILLIGAN DESHIELDS
Tisha was one of the best
all-around track & field athletes in Delaware girls’ track &
field history. She completed for Seaford from 1986-89 and was the
indoor and outdoor high jump champion, four times each, with a state
record 5’ 8¼" jump. She won one indoor and three outdoor
hurdles championships and one indoor and one outdoor shot put
championship. She placed fifth (fourth American, since one girl
was from Canada) in the nation in the pentathlon and sixth in the high
jump at the National Scholastic Indoor Meet. She twice qualified
for the NCAA Meet in the heptathlon and became an All-American for the
University of Tennessee.
GEORGE
GARDNER
George was an outstanding
track and field coach for 31 years starting at Laurel in 1927 and
continuing at Wilmington High School from 1931 until he retired
following the 1957 season. At Wilmington H.S., he produced four
state championship teams (1949, 1950, 1951, and 1954) and numerous
individual state champions. In the 1930’s and early 1940’s,
his teams competed primarily against Pennsylvania schools. He was one
of the true pioneers of track and field in Delaware. For many
years, he encouraged the development of track and field in Delaware,
and helped plan and run meets along with Frank Newlin, another Hall of
Fame inductee, at Baynard Stadium.
DAN
RINCON
Dan
was an outstanding distance runner for Dover Air Force Base High School.
While in high school, he won two state cross country titles (1969 and
1970) and (2) two-mile championships (1970 and 1971) with a personal
best of 9:33.0. He also won Henlopen Conference championships in
cross country (1969 and 1971) and in track & field (1970 and
1971). While at the University of Maryland, he was the ACC
six-mile champion and a cross country All-American. He qualified
in the marathon for the 1976 Olympic Trials with a 2:20:07, running for
the Delaware Sports Club.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR
OUTSTANDING
ACHIEVEMENT
1962 HOWARD HIGH
SCHOOL 440 YARD RELAY TEAM
(Lee Williams, Courtland Camper, Randy Brittingham, Spencer
Henry)

(Left to Right, Lee Williams, Courtland Camper, Randy Brittingham,
Specer Henry)
From one of Delaware’s
smallest school’s competing in the finals of the Championship of
America, Howard’s relay team set a state record of 43.0 on cinders,
winning the Championship of America at the Penn Relays in 1962.
The team consisted of (in order of running) Lee Williams, Courtland
Camper, Randy Brittingham and Spencer Henry and was coached by the late
Quinton Sterling. To this day, no other Delaware school has won a
Championship of America race. Also, to demonstrate their sprinting
superiority in winning the State Championship in 1962, Howard’s
sprinters ran 1,2,3 in the 100 yards (Brittingham, Henry & Williams)
and 220 yards (Henry, Brittingham & Williams) when there was only
one division in the state.
1999
JAMES
E. "JIMMY" FLYNN
In 1954, Jimmy ran a 5.3, 50yd dash on an indoor dirt track for a
University of Delaware record that still stands! It was later tied
by Mike Brown, also a Hall of Fame member. Not only a short dash
sprinter; he also ran a leg on a University, record setting, mile relay
team. In the fall of 1960 Jimmy was named Head Coach of Track and Field
and an assistant Football coach at the University of Delaware. In
the Spring of 1961 he took a struggling program and in just two years,
turned it into a conference championship team with mostly Delaware H.S.
athletes, the first ever for a University of Delaware track and field
team. His nineteen-year dual meet won and loss record was 93-28
(76.8%). He coached a number of athletes who still hold University
records. He was director of the state High School championship
meet for many years and was a tireless promoter of track & field in
the state of Delaware. He hosted many college and high school
indoor meets and was a strong supporter of the University’s women
program and helped support it when it was in its infancy. He
coached track & field because it was fun. He had a genuine
love for the sport, was highly principled, held very high standards for
the conduct of the sport, and would not compromise those
standards.
TOM HICKMAN
The dean of downstate track
& field coaches, Hickman coached three Cape Henlopen High School
teams to victory as Division II State Champions in 1971, 1972, and
1973. The first person to receive the 1971 Delaware Sports Club
"Coach of the Year", he pioneered winter track downstate, and
ran youth programs during the summer in Milton, Rehoboth and
Lewes. Among the great runners he nurtured, and in some cases
discovered, were Emory Howell, who never lost a race in high school,
Jerry Maull, a state champion in the high jump, and Brad Waples, who
anchored Cape’s winning mile relay team. Tom discovered future
great Lance White who was just a youngster running in the fields of
Slaughter Neck. Other state champions were Vincent Lewis, Larry Savage,
Leslie Freeman, Henry Brisco, Paul Jones, and Henry White and a host of
others. Hickman was and remains a staunch supporter of scores of
ex-lower Delaware runners, and is still a modest and selfless champion
for those he coached.
VERNON
"CHIC" REED
The late Chic Reed is still a great name from the past that old-timers
still mention. This Middletown High School boy won the National
high School high jump championship, sponsored by the AAU, in 1940 at
Madison Square Garden with a record jump of 6' 0". That
record is said to have lasted in Delaware for 22 years and was set when
Reed used the western roll. Reed was Delaware state high school champion
in both the high jump and broad jump in 1938, 1939, and 1940. He set a
state record of 5'10½" in 1938, and a meet record an inch higher
the following year at the state meet. Reed also won a total of
four New Castle County meet championships in the broad jump and high
jump in 1938 and 1939. In 1938 at the age of 16, Reed broad jumped
22' 3½" at the Tome School interscholastic meet. Chic had a best
of 6’ 3¼" in the high jump and a broad jump of 22’ 8½"
in 1940.
DAVE
ROMANSKY
Dave represented the Delaware Sports Club from 1967 to 1976.
During that time, he set three world records and twelve national records
as a racewalker. He was an Olympian in 1968 in the 50K walk and
won the first of twelve National Championships in the 40K in 1968.
Dave placed eighth in the World Championships in the 20K in 1970 and
placed third in the USA-USSR dual meet in 1972. Dave was named the
U.S. Outstanding Walker of the Year in 1970. He represented the
USA every year from 1968 through 1972. He is an active walker, and
coaches race walking competitions. He was named Walker of the Year for
ages 55-59 from 1995 through 1998. He also was named Walker of the
Year for 40 & over in the nation in 1997 and 1998.
KEN
WILLIAMS
A 1976 graduate of Tower Hill, Ken was a state meet triple winner three
times, winning in seven different events (100m, 200m, HH, IH, LH, LJ, TJ)
in a period when there was a three event limit. Ken, at one time,
held state records in the high hurdles and triple jump, and still holds
the 180yd. low hurdle record. He set three records at the New
Castle county meet in 1976. At the University of Pennsylvania, he
went on to score seven times in the high hurdles in the Heptagonal
Conference and three times in the IC4A competitions. He
co-captained the 1981 team which won the indoor Heptagonal meet.
Ken was able to accomplish all this in spite of suffering a serious
ankle injury during the Blue-Gold Football Game.
1998
RANDY
LAMBERT
An outstanding long and high
jumper and sprinter both at Mount Pleasant High School and the
University of Delaware. While a schoolboy, Lambert was a seven
time High School State Champion in the High Jump (3x indoors, 1x
outdoors), and the Long Jump (1x indoors and 2X outdoors). He set
state records of 23’ 5½" indoors and 23’10½" outdoors in
the Long Jump. As a collegian, Randy was an eight time qualifier
for the IC4A Championship in the Long Jump. At the U of D, he
leaped to three outdoor Conference championships and had a best of 24’
9¼", still the school record outdoors, to win the Penn State Open
Track and Field Invitational. He also ran the leadoff leg for the
winning 400m relay team that set a school record of 41.23 at the
Conference Championship. Indoors, he won two Conference titles, one with
a leap of 23’ 9½", another school record. Lambert remains
second on the all-time indoor and outdoor performance list by a Delaware
schoolboy.
DENISE
MARINI
Denise was a seven time
State Champion while competing for Padua Academy from 1977-1980. She
established a state record of 10:04.7 in the 3000 meters, which converts
to 10:49.2 in today’s 3200 meter run, still first on the Delaware high
school all-time list for that event. Denise was State Champion in
the 800 meters four times with a best of 2:15.5, and three times in the
1500 meters, with a best of 4:39.0. She was the National Junior
Olympic Champion at 3000 meters in 1980 with a time of 9:37.7. She was
selected for the 1980 Prep School Girls All-American track team by Track
and Field News. She later competed for the University of Florida
where she was a two time national qualifier in cross country, and ran a
best of 17:34 for the 5K cross country race. She transferred to
James Madison University and continued her distance domination by
winning the ECAC cross country championship. Her 3000 meter and 2
mile times at JMU remain as school records.
BARBARA
SOWDEN NOWELL
An national class woman
sprinter of earlier times from Delaware who competed for the Delaware
Track & Field Club long before organized track was available for
females in high school or college. Barbara was selected for the
1964 Olympic Trials where she advanced to the semi-finals in the 100
yard dash. In 1966, in addition to reigning as the premier woman
sprinter in the Middle Atlantic area, she anchored the DTFC’s relay
team to win the Penn Relays 440 yard relay championship with a time of
49.5, beating such well known teams as The Atoms Track Club of Brooklyn
and the Mayor Daley Youth Foundation of Chicago, which had a number of
Olympians on it’s team. Miss Sowden won numerous sprint titles
indoors and outdoors from 1964 through 1968 when she retired.
CANDY
CASHELL O’MALLEY
Candy stands out as the
finest woman high jumper ever from Delaware with a best of 6’
3¼", which has not been approached by any other Delaware
jumper. In 1982, she was an All-American at Utah State. Candy was
also accorded All-American honors as a University of Delaware student
after competing in the 1986 NCAA championships, placing 6th with a mark
of 6’ 0½". She was selected for and competed in the 1988
US Olympic Trials. Candy won the Gatorade Invitational in
Knoxville, TN in 1986, 1987 and 1988, and won the Jesse Owens
Invitational at Ohio State University in 1988 after finishing as a
runner-up in that meet in 1987. TAFNEWS ranked Candy 8th in the
U.S.A. in 1988 and 10th in 1989.
MIKE
WILSON
The greatest distance runner
in Delaware State University history and certainly one of the best ever
from Delaware. At DSU, Mike is the school record holder for every
distance over 880 yards. Representing the Hornets, he holds school
records for the mile (4:06.9), two mile, three mile (13:54.9) and six
mile (29:29.0). He was named Delaware State College "Athlete of the
Year" in 1972, 1973, and 1974. He was the first Delaware
State runner to compete in the NAIA National Championship (cross
country). As a collegian, Mike won numerous cross country and
track competitions and was named the "Most Outstanding
Athlete" in the South Carolina State University Relays in 1972,
1973, and 1974. Mike was also the "Most Outstanding
Athlete" in the Norfolk State Relays in 1974
1997
JAMES
BRAY
Jim was the foremost miler
in the state schoolboy history, having run a 4:15.7 at the New Castle
County Championships in 1972, a mark which is a superior performance to
today’s State Record in the 1600 meters. He also ran a 4:16.4 at
the State Championships in 1972 which remains the State Meet mark to
this day. Jim placed second at the State Cross Country
Championships in 1971, when Newark defeated Salesianum for the team
championship, a rare feat in those days. Due to injury and
mononucleosis, Jim was only able to compete for about three fourths of
one season in college. He set one of the more long standing
University of Delaware records in the Steeplechase with a time of 9:10.4
in 1975 when he won the Colonial Relays Steeplechase. In 1976, he
was named to the IC4A All East team in cross country.
WILLIAM
DEGNAN
Coach Degnan is revered by
all who knew him as one of the most successful coaches ever from lower
Delaware. Bill passed away unexpectedly and suddenly in the prime
of his life in 1996 at the age of 43. His coaching successes include
leading Woodbridge High School, the smallest school in the state at the
time, to a Division II State Champion in Cross Country in 1978, and also
winning the outdoor track & field title the following spring in
1979. Woodbridge won the Henlopen Conference title in 1981, and
culminated an undefeated season the following year by again winning the
State Championship team title in Division II. Later at Cape Henlopen
High School, Bill also led a team to the Division I State Championship
in 1986 and was named Delaware’s State Coach of the Year. Bill’s
contributions can hardly be measured by a won-loss record. He came
to mean so much to the Woodbridge and Cape Henlopen communities through
his personal inspiration to countless young men and women who learned a
love for track and field and the purity of the sport.
MARSHALL
L. DICKERSON
A star coached by George Johnson at
Howard High School and one of the finest school-boy track men from
Delaware in the 1950’s. Marshall won the State High School
Championship at 880 yards twice and set a State Record of 2:00 flat in
1957. He was a member of the fine Howard mile relay team that won
the championship in 1955 and 1956 at the Penn Relays. Dickerson
was the first Delaware high school runner to consistently run the 880
around the 2 minute mark. Later, Marshall attended the University
of Michigan and ran the quarter in 47.2 and the 600 yards in
1:12.2. He competed throughout the Midwest for the Wolverines
including the Penn Relays, Ohio State Relays, Cleveland Relays, Chicago
Relays, and the Los Angles Relays.
ED
MCCREARY
Although Ed won a
"gimmick" race of 100 yards at Brandywine Raceway against a
standard bred horse and a Model T Ford at the same time, it is his
effort against other humans and his records at the University of
Delaware that set him apart. His old coach said that his great
drive and ability to get everything possible from his performances, made
him a special person. McCreary still holds the UD record at 10.33
for 100 meters and 21.00 for 200 meters run in 1980, in addition to
records for every sprint event at the University. He qualified for
and ran in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100 meters, and also
qualified for the Olympic Trials in 1980. While in high school at
Brandywine in 1976, Ed was New Castle County’s 100 yard & 220 yard
Champion and Northern Regional Division I Champion in the 100 meters
& 200 meters.
EDWIN
L. MONGAN III
A versatile athlete who went
from a two time State High School Champion at Tower Hill School in the
Triple Jump, to the Indoor IC4A quarter mile champion, as will as a
school record holder at the University of Delaware in the 440 yard
Intermediate Hurdles, and the Indoor 440 yard dash, and Indoor 880
yards. Ed was a seventh place finisher in the NCAA Indoor
Championships in the 400 meters in 1973. Ed anchored the
University of Delaware mile relay team to victory in the East Coast
Conference Championships in 1972, setting a conference record and the
school record (still standing) for the mile relay both indoors and
outdoors along the way. Mongan ran for the Philadelphia Athletic
Club mile relay teams that won at the Millrose Games and the
Philadelphia Track Classic and he anchored the Delaware Sports Club mile
relay team (which included Brad Morris) that won at the Penn Relays in
1976.
BRADFORD
E. MORRIS
Brad, a two time NCAA Division I All
American at Delaware State University, was the first student athlete in
the history of the school in any sport to receive NCAA Division I All
American recognition. Brad finished fifth indoors at the NCAA
Championships in 1975 with a time of 49.1 and was an MEAC Conference
Champion and the team captain at Delaware State. In 1974 and 1975,
Brad was an NAIA All American in the sprints. During 1974, he
either held or was a co-holder of five of Delaware residents all time
track and field records; quarter mile, 47.3; 440 yard relay, 41.9; 880
yard relay, 1:27.8; distance medley, 10:05.2; and sprint medley,
3:22.2. His best time in the 440 yard was 46.7 and he ran the 100
yard and 220 yard in 9.6 and 21.7.
MIKE
SEITZ
Seitz was an accomplished Mount Pleasant
High School sprinter who almost never lost a dual meet race over a three
year period. In 1973, Mike was undefeated at 100 and 220 yards,
winning those races in 9.7 and 22.0, along with a record of 48.6 in the
440 yards at the State High School Championships. Mike was the
National Junior Olympics Champion in the 100 yards in 1973, after
finishing second in that event at the Regional Championship the previous
year. The University of Pennsylvania elected Mike their team
captain, and he was the Heptagonal Champion in the 100 yards in 9.7, and
the 220 yards in 21.1 in 1974. In a triangular Indoor meet against
Princeton, Mike won the 55 meter dash in 6.36, a University of
Pennsylvania record. Mike represented the USA at the Maccabbiah
Games in Israel in 1977.
1996
ROBERT
V. (BOB) BEHR
One of the truly outstanding high school
and club coaches in state track and field history, Bob coached Tower
Hill School from 1962 to 1981 and also helped initiate as well as coach
the Delaware Track & Field Club women’s (won seven Middle Atlantic
titles) and men’s (1975 title) teams. He was also a sprinting
consultant for the Phillies for 12 years. Tower Hill, one of the
state's smallest schools, became a force in T & F competition
beginning with the New Castle County title in 1964. Hiller
athletes set eight state records: Chuck Hobbs was the first Delaware
schoolboy under :50 in the quarter, Jeff Brokaw the first miler under
4:20, Bill Neff the first vaulter over 13’, Kenny Williams the first
to triple jump over 46’ and the first to hurdle 14.2, Ty Roberts the
first to triple jump over 49' and J.D. Carroll still holds the state
outdoor record of 6'11¼" in the high jump. Behr’s dual
meet record was 160-28-2. His mile relay teams won their class at the
Penn Relays four times and 56 Hillers won State II titles. Behr’s
teams won the state crown three times. In cross country, his teams
won 124 dual meets plus conference and state titles. Individual state
champions included Mac Thornton, Jeff Brokaw three times and Rick McCabe
twice.
PEGGY
(McVEY) McCOY
Peggy was an All American College
performer at George Mason University. She was Outdoor All American
in the Long Jump with a distance of 20’1½" in 1985 and in 1984
was on the National Championship Division II 4 x 400m relay team which
ran 3:37.70. She had an outstanding college career at G.M.U., and
was inducted into G.M.U.’s Track & Field Hall of Fame in
1991. In 1985, her senior year, Peggy was the MVP of the
Conference Championship Meet. At Padua Academy, Peggy was many
times Division I State Champion (1980, 400m 58.7; 1981, 400m 58.4, 200m
25.2, 200m hurdles 29.3). She was New Castle County Champion
(1980, 400m 58.9, 200m 25.5, Long Jump 17’6"; 1981, 400m 57.5 to
tie State Record, 200m hurdles 29.2). Peggy also set a State
Record in the 1981 Catholic Conference of 28.6 in the 200m hurdles.
WILLIAM
C. MOORE
Bill Moore was one of Howard High School’s
outstanding runners. He was a member of Howard’s New Castle County and
State Championship Teams of 1959, 1960, and 1961 (when there was only
one division). In 1961 Moore won the State and New Castle County
Championships in the 440y. He was also the suburban 880y champion
at the Philadelphia Spike and Shoe Meet at Franklin Field. In 1962
he was the State Open Meet Champion in the 880y. In 1963 and 1964
he was the State Open Meet Champion in the 440y. He broke the meet
record in 1963 and his own record in 1964. In 1964 he competed in the
Indoor National AAU Championships at Madison Square Garden, in the 600y
run with a time of 1:12.5, a school record for Delaware State
College. In addition, in 1964 at Delaware State College, he
anchored relay teams that set school records in the 440y, 880y, sprint
medley, and mile relay teams. He also set school records in the
220y and the 440y with a time of 47.8. During the summers and after
graduating college, Moore was a regular relay runner for the
Philadelphia Pioneer Club.
GREGORY
ROWE
Greg was the preeminent high school
weight thrower of his time, winning the state championship, both indoor
& outdoor, for Woodbridge High in the shot put three times with a
best of 60' 8" set in 1979. Greg established a new state
record in his junior year and reestablished it several times. Greg
was credited by Track & Field News with the nation’s best
schoolboy throw indoors for several weeks in 1979. Greg also won the
state title three times in the discus and had a PR in that event of 188'
8" which stood as the state record for several years until Terry
Thomas came along. As a high school senior, Greg won the Penn Relays in
the shot put. Greg was awarded a full scholarship to the
University of Maryland and while competing was the Atlantic Coast
Conference champion in the shot put and won the Penn Relays Collegiate
division in both the shot and discus in 1983. Greg had PR's of 60'
10¾" in the shot put and 170' 1" in the discus during his
collegiate career.
MARY
VIRGINIA "GINGER" SMITH
In 1963 Ginger became interested in T
& F and came to be the pioneer in girl’s track competition in
Delaware. When she began there was no girl’s team at Tower Hill
School or even later at Stanford University or Cornell where she studied
in the 1960s. Ginger was the first Delaware woman to run in the
Philadelphia Penn Relays and she qualified for the 1964 Olympic Trials
at Randals Island and placed eighth in four events there: the 80 meter
hurdles, and the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes. In the 1965 AAU
National Championships, Ginger placed second in the girl's division 50
yard hurdles in 7.1. At the 1966 Penn Relays, Ginger won the open
quarter in 58.9 and ran lead-off for Tower Hill's winning 440 yard relay
team. Ginger later ran for the Millbrae Lions Track Team in California
and won the 100 yards in the California State meet in 1967. Later
Ginger began masters competition and won the 600y and took two 2nd
places in the 35-39 division of the National Masters Track & Field
Championship in 1985 and was a double winner in the Eastern Masters
Championships that same year.
HAROLD
TROTTER
When local track and field
veterans reminisce about the memorable schoolboy athletes they have seen
over the years one name always comes up. Harold Trotter of
Claymont set a standard for generations to follow when he won the state
high school meet in the 100y event in the seventh, eight and ninth
grades. In 1957 when Harold was a ninth grader, he ran a 9.9 100 yards
which tied the state record and set a state record in the 220 of 21.6.
As a sixth grader, he broad jumped (note the old event reference) 19’7"
which was a junior high record and then as a ninth grader in 1957, he
broad jumped 22’8½" while winning the Suburban
Championship. He went on to win the state broad jump title in
1958. Trotter was a six time state champion when there was only
one division and was way ahead of his time with performances which would
be considered first-rate today nearly 40 years later.
LANCE
WHITE
Lance was an outstanding runner at both
Cape Henlopen High and Edinboro State University and helped both teams
to numerous conference and state championships. Lance won two
state titles in cross country and four individual championships outdoors
in addition to anchoring two state winning relay teams. He was
undefeated in track and cross country in high school for three years,
except for a single second in the state cross country championship meet
in 1976. Lance won the Inquirer Meet high school two mile race on
a Tuesday night and returned there Friday to win the Mile title.
At Edinboro, he was an All-American in both cross country and track and
was a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion at 1500
meters, as well as winning the conference 800 meter championship in
1983. Lance ran 3:47.3 in the 1500 and 1:49.7 in the 800 meters.
1995
MIKE BROWN
One of the
most gifted and aggressive long sprinters ever from this state, according to
one old-timer who has observed the local track scene for over 35
years. Mike was a dominant runner for Conrad High School winning three
consecutive State Championships in the 440 yard dash from 1958 through 1960,
and also winning the 220 championship in 1959 as well. Mike
established the state record in the 440 yard dash at the time. Brown
later competed for the University of Delaware, where he was a star halfback
on the football team, in the early 1960's. The UD top ten performance
lists still show Mike as co-holder of the University's 50 yard dash record
in 5.3, and 3rd all time at 200/220, and 400/440 with 21.5 and 48.3 sat in
1963-1964.
JOHN
WM. CROWTHER
One of the all-time great
Delaware high school track & field Coaches. Crowther's Mt. Pleasant
teams included two Division I team champions between 1959 and
1984. He developed many great individual champions including Rod
Lambert, Mike Seitz, Keith Saddler, Paul Olivere, John Pfotzer, Dan
Foran, Jim Gano Bob Tjaden, and those exceptional weight men Bill
MacLaughlan and Dave Crew. Bill has been the discus crew chief at
the Penn Relays or 14 years, and a respected official of weight throws
at the national Indoor and Outdoor Championships, the IC4A
Championships, the Colonial Relays, and our High School Championships,
all for 12 or more years. He also served as crew chief at the 1988
International Youth Games, and was on the discus crew at the World
University Games at Buffalo in 1993. Bill was honored to be
selected as an Olympic official for the 1984 games in Los Angeles.
Crowther served as director of the DSSAA track & field committee for
thirteen years.
VANDO
P. DAVIS
Davis is considered to be one of the
best ever Delaware high school sprinters. Vando established state
records at 100 and 400 meters, and tied the 200 meter state record,
while competing for Dickinson High School in 1985, and those records
still stand. Davis was State Champion in all three sprints and was
named a high school All-American for his 21.2 200 meters in 1985.
Davis attended the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship but
was able to continue his running career with the Volunteers long enough
to contribute a fast leg to the 1600 meter relay team which scored in
the NCAA Championships.
BRUCE HARRIS
Unquestionably the finest half miler
ever from Delaware. Bruce was unable to compete for his Dover High School
team as a senior, but in 1984 he set a Delaware State record of 1:49.4
while winning the Meet of Champions at Penn's Franklin Field as a high
school junior. Bruce later won the TAC National Junior Championship
and placed in the top five at the Keebler High School All-Star meet in
Chicago at 800 meters. Bruce holds the State Championship Meet
record of 1:51.9, also set during his junior year, and was a three time
Division I 800 meter champion, and two time state title-holder at 1600
meters, Harris anchored the Dover High sprint medley team which was ranked
by Track & Field News in the top ten in the country, with a time of
3:28.7. Bruce competed for the great Villanova University team, and
anchored the 4 x 800 relay team to victory at the Indoor NCAA
Championships, for which he was named an All-American. He
represented the USA as a member of the National Junior Team in 1986, and
recorded a personal best of 1:47.2 at 800 meters.
EMORY L. HOWELL
Emory was Delaware State College's first
track & field All-American. Earlier Howell led Cape Henlopen High
School to prominence in the 1970's and was a significant reason for Cape's
winning the first team State Championship by a down-state squad.
Prior to Howell's arrival down-state teams expected to lose to up-state
schools. When Cape Henlopen, shown the way by Emory, stunned the northern
schools by winning the State Championship in 1971, lower Delaware achieved
track parity with the elite in Delaware high school track & field
competition. As a school runner Howell was mainly a middle distance
runner, but he ran everything from 100 yards to the two mile run, and
never lost a race! Emory was one of the first Delaware schoolboys to win
the Meet of Champions at Penn's Franklin Field, in a 1:57.7 880 yards, as
well as the Philadelphia Track Classic in Philadelphia's Convention
Hall. Emory was a two time State Champion in the 880 running a
1:59.1 in 1970, and he anchored Cape's winning mile relay team in
1971. It was said by his coach that Emory Howell always ran fast
enough to win, no matter what the competition or how far the distance.
BOB KING
King was remembered by his coach
George Johnson at Howard as "the most versatile high school runner in
the state" because he ran everything from 100 yard dash to the two
mile run, and also hurdled and long jump, all with grace, gift and
ability. Bob was the State Cross Country Champion for two years and
broke Vic Zwolak's record while winning that title in 1957, in what was
then termed the "race of the decade", against a formidable Mt.
Pleasant runner. Bob was State Champion in the 180 low hurdles and
the 880 yard run, as well as a member of the winning mile relay
team. His relay team also won at the Penn Relays in class mile
sections in both 1958 and 1959, and placed 5th in the 4 x 880 yard
Championship of America race at the Penn in 1959. While running for
a fine Morgan State University team, Bob's mile relay won the Millrose
Games, and the Washington Star meet for two straight years, and the Boston
Garden Meet and again Millrose in his senior year when he was team
captain. In 1962 his Morgan mile relay team won the Indoor National
AAU Championship contested at Madison Square Garden, and they also won the
college division 880 yard Championship at the Penn Relays in 1963.
As a coach, Bob King directed Howard High to five State H.S. Championships
outdoors, and they won Indoors in 1982. His 1984 State Championship
1600 meter relay team set a State Record of 3:14.1 which stands today.
JAMAH
MOSWEN (TERRY THOMAS)
"The greatest schoolboy weight
thrower ever from our state" is the reference usually applied to
Terry Thomas (now Jamah Moswen). While representing Howard Career
Center Jamah won seven State Titles Indoor and Outdoor in the shot put and
discus from 1980 to 1982, culminating in three State Records in 1982.
Jamah's records of 195'10" in the discus and 64' 8" in the shot
put were exceptional throws then and remain as records today in
Delaware. Moswen won the Penn Relays High School Shot Put
Championship in 1982. After high school Moswen attended the
University of Florida where he was named All-Southeastern Conference both
indoors and outdoors. He later competed for North Carolina State and
was named All-ACC conference there as well, both indoors and outdoors, and
participated in the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the Wolfpack.
Jamah was a member of the US Junior National Track & Field Team.
ROBERT
F. NEYLAN
As a Dover schoolboy hurdler Neylan won
the State Championship in the 120 yard high hurdles in 1961, and was a
member of the shuttle hurdle relay team which established the State Record
that remained unbroken for eleven years. Bob set a State Open record
of 14.4 in the 120HH in 1963. Neylan competed for the University of
Alabama where he ranked second in the Southeastern Conference at 300
hurdles, and finished second in the SEC Conference Championship meet in
the 120HH. He later ran for Florida State University and lettered in
track there also. As a coach at Dover High School he inherited a
1987 team in shambles, and took them to a third place finish in the State
Championships, losing only one dual meet along the way. Bob's record
at Dover High School was 107 wins against only 13 dual meet losses from
1973 to 1982, and included four State Team Championships. He was
cited as the Henlopen Conference Track Coach of the Year six times, and
chosen as Delaware Sports Club's Coach of the Year and Lower Delaware
Gridiron Club's Coach of the Year both in 1976. Neylan was chairman
of the DSSAA State Outdoor Track & Field Committee for eleven years,
and has been meet director of the Outdoor Championship since 1982, making
great progress in bringing our state's Outdoor Championships to an elite
level Delaware high school competition.
1994
JOSEPH
BEATTIE, O.S.F.S.
Father Beattie's Salesianum
teams won the Delaware State High School Cross Country Championship 13
times between 1966 and his departure in 1984. Six times a Salesianum
runner won the individual state title from 1969 to 1983. Salesianum
track teams won the state track title four times and the New Castle County
Championships four times. More than 20 Salesianum track and field
athletes won State Championships. During his heyday in cross country
at Salesianum, the school finished in the top four at the state meet 20
times.
DICK
CEPHAS
One of the fine athletes
developed by Howard High School's George Johnson. Dick won the
Delaware High School Low Hurdles Championship and the New Castle County
High Jump Championship in 1957, and then attended the University of
Michigan. Cephas won a Big Ten Championship in the 220 yard low
hurdles, setting a new Big Ten record, and was the school's record holder
at the indoor 60, 65, 70, and 75 yard low hurdles. His outdoor
school records were the 220 yard low hurdles, both straightaway and around
a curve, 440 yard and 400 meter intermediate hurdles, the high jump, and
he was a member of the record holding 440 yard relay, and sprint medley
relay teams. Dick placed 6th in both the NCAA and AAU Championships
in 1960, and went to the semi-finals of the 1960 Olympic Trials. He
later became a member of the U.S. Military track team where he won a
bronze medal in the 440 yard intermediate hurdles at the Military Olympics
held in Brussels. He was also a member of the United States team
that competed in Africa, where his 400 meter intermediate times were
faster then the National Records of five of the six nations in which he
competed.
CHRIS
DUNN
Chris went to the Fosbury
Flop before it even had a name and eventually soared to Olympic heights with
it. His 7' 3" jump at the 1972 Olympic Trials earned him a berth on the
U.S. team at Munich, where he cleared 6' 11½". He won the NCAA
Indoor Championships, Penn Relays, Martin Luther King Games, and the IC4A
Championships that year by clearing 7' 2" or better. Chris was an
outstanding jumper at Newark High School where he was State Division I
Champion in 1968 & 1969, and won the State Open Decathlon Championship
after the close of the scholastic season in 1970. Later at Colgate he
was twice the NCAA Indoor High Jump Champion. Dunn was named
Delaware's Athlete of the Year in 1972 and was inducted into the Delaware
Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. Chris continued to compete until 1976 as
a member of the touring professional International Track Association.
TOM
FORT
Fort has been president of
the Delaware Sports Club for 16 years and during that time spearheaded the
officiating division into one of the best in the region. Tom himself
has worked at over 450 high school and college meets in Delaware
alone. Tom placed in the Conference Championships at two miles while
running for the University of Missouri. He was a significant masters
runner at 1500 and 5000 meters in the 1970's, and since that time has
dedicated himself to improving administration and officiating competence at
the state level. Fort was a member of the DSSAA State Track &
Field Committee for several years. The Outstanding High School Track
& Field Male Athlete of the Year award in Delaware is named for Fort.
BILL
GEROW
"Delaware's fastest
human" in 1936, Gerow was undefeated at 440 and 880 yards for seven
years and in 1978, at age 59, still had the speed to set a Philadelphia
Master's Record for the 880 in 55-60 age group. He earned letters in soccer,
basketball and track and field at the University of Delaware, captaining the
basketball and track teams in his senior year. Bill was an organizer
and director of officials for the Delaware Track & Field Club (now
Delaware Sports Club); he has officiated for over 30 years at the high
school, college, state, regional and national levels including being the
starter for the Liquori-Ryan "Dream Mile". He was awarded
the Roberson trophy by the Wilmington Touchdown Club, for which he served as
secretary and president for 32 years, for his outstanding contributions to
football. Gerow was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in
1994.
W.
FRED HARMER
Harmer was probably the first
noted Delaware track and field athlete, after winning the Penn Relays 440
low hurdles in 1922. Fred died in 1959 and left an athletic legacy at
the University of Delaware as a football, basketball and baseball
star. But it was in track that he made his greatest mark when in 1922
he established school records of 51.0 for 440 yards and 2:02.0 at 880
yards. Both records stood for 30 years. Fred was remembered years
later by an old News-Journal editor as having placed second in a five mile
cross country race that finished between the halves of a football
game. Then he put on a uniform and played halfback the rest of the
game. Fred was an active AAU official for many years, and served as a
timer at the Penn Relays from 1947 through 1958.
SPENCER
HENRY
Henry had a celebrated career
as a sprinter and as a high school coach. Spencer's high school record
peaked in 1962 when he anchored Howard High School to the only Championship
of America win at the Penn Relays ever by a Delaware high school.
Spencer won four (two individual) sprint titles in the Delaware State High
School Championships and anchored three relay teams to state records, all of
which lasted for 25 years or so. Later Henry competed for Morgan State
and ran on the relay team which won the 1964 Penn Relays Championship of
America in the 4 x 200 relay. In 1963 Morgan's sprint medley relay won
the National AAU title, again with Spencer sparking the team. In 1965
Spencer won the Mid-Atlantic 200 meter title and was runner-up in the IC4A
200 meter dash. As a high school coach Henry's Wilmington High School
team won three City and New Castle County Championships, two state titles,
and five Conference Championships. Later Dickinson High School won two State
Championships along with two County and eight Conference titles while Henry
coached there. Spencer developed Vando Davis and Eric Hamilton who
still hold state high school records. Spencer is a member of Morgan
State's Track and Field Hall of Fame. Henry currently serves as
chairman of DSSAA Track and Field Committee.
GEORGE
JOHNSON
Regarded as state's all-time
high school track and field coach, he retired from the Howard High School
position after the 1961 season. In his last seven years, Howard won the
Delaware Interscholastic (state meet) 7 times, the Group 1 title in the
Peninsula Relays 7 times, New Castle County Championships 6 times, Group 2
in the Bridgeton Relays 5 times, City championships 3 times and a class
relay at the Penn Relays 6 times. In the Penn Relays High School
Championships of America races, Howard placed 4 times with 2 thirds and 2
fifths. Johnson started cross-country at Howard in 1956 and won the
state meet 4 times, city meet 2 times and 33 straight inter-school
meets. He coach for 14 years (since 1948), retired at age 39 because
of the long hours involved for 9 months of the year. Top athletes he
developed included Bob King, Mel Perry, Dick Cephas, Marshall Dickerson,
Quinton Sterling, Spencer Henry, and Randy Brittingham. Johnson
himself was a high jumper for Howard High School and Indiana
University. He was induced into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in
1986.
ROD
LAMBERT
Rod had an illustrious career
both as an athlete and as Padua's winningest coach. As a Mount
Pleasant high schoolboy Lambert was the state record holder in the 100 yards
in 9.5 and the 220 yards 21.0 both set in 1960. He was the State High
School sprint champion three times and the National Junior AAU champion at
100 yards, run in the record time of 9.6, in 1961. Rod's running
achievements include an indoor 60 yard dash of 6.1, then 0.1 second off the
word record. At Padua, where he coached for 10 years, the Pandas won
an amazing 20 State Team Champions in cross country, indoor track and
outdoor track. Over 50 young women that were Padua athletes during
Rod's tenure won state individual titles or were members of winning relay
teams at the state meets. Rod is the state track and cross country
historian, and is in charge of the track honor roll published weekly in the
paper during the season. Lambert was honored 12 times as Delaware High
School Coach of the Year in cross country and track.
FRANK
NEWLIN
Mr. Newlin is perhaps the
father of modern schoolboy track & field and cross country in the
state. As head of the Wilmington Parks and Recreation department he
established the State Cross Country Championship at Rockford Park in 1954,
he stimulated the summer development meets at Baynard Stadium (where the
track is named after him) and encouraged their growth to their high point
in the 1970's. Frank was responsible for the construction of an
all-weather track at baynard, which has seen more track meets than
probably all of the other venues in the state combined. Newlin
started and conducted the the City Championships and the DelMarVa
Relays. The runner with the fastest boy's time in the state cross
country meet receives an award named after Frank (W. Frank Newlin Award,
started in 1967). He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of
Fame in 1977.
BILL
SKINNER
At his peak, one of the
world's greatest javelin throwers, he swept the NCAA, AAU, and USTFF
titles in 1970 and was named both College Field and Delaware Athlete of
the Year. He threw 291 and 278 feet to beat the German and Russian
athletes respectively in European appearances while serving as captain of
our National Track & Field Team. Bill also was captain of the
men's track & field team at the 1971 Pan-American games in Cali,
Columbia. Skinner was a four time All-American and won five National
Championships. Bill accepted a track scholarship to the University
of Tennessee at the age of 29, where he graduated with honors in
1971. Bill was once ranked by Track & Field News in the top five
in the world. He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame
in 1981.
CAROL
THOMSON-SLOWIK
Recognized as one of the
top women hurdles of her time, Carol was nationally ranked for over a
decade. When she began there was no high school track for girls in
Delaware, and she represented Delaware Track & Field Club and the
University of Delaware until her retirement in 1978. As an age
group competitor she was a National AAU 60 yard hurdles champion.
Carol was the 1976 National Collegiate and USTFF champion at 100 meter
hurdles, the Word Record holder at 60 yard hurdles, and the American
record holder at both 50 meter and 60 meter hurdles indoors.
Thompson was awarded All-American status by the AIAW (women's NCAA), the
USTFF and the AAU in 1976-1977, and was ranked second in the word in 1977
by Track & Field News in the 50 meter hurdles. She competed as a
member of the USA National Team many times against the USSR, Germany,
Canada and other national teams. She placed in the top six at the
AAU National Championships 11 times. Carol became the University of
Florida's woman's head coach and later coached at Drake, Rutgers and East
Carolina Universities as well as the South and East teams at the U.S.
Olympic Sports Festival.
BILL
THOMSON
A USA National Team coach
several times in the 1970's and 1980's, Bill was head coach for the
American teams vs. Russia, Canada and Mexico and an assistant coach for
our USA National Teams vs. the USSR, Germany, Italy, Pan Africa, China,
Japan and many of the Eastern European national teams. He also
headed the East team at the 1979 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival.
During the 15 years that Bill coached for Delaware Sports Club he worked
with five American Record holders, one World Record holder, three
Olympians, eight junior and senior National AAU champions as well as three
NCAA champions. Thompson was the National Coach for women's hurdles
for six years ending in 1980. As an official Bill has served as a
referee and seeding chairman for our Indoor National Championships for 17
years, has been the referee at the Penn Relays for 25 years and is the
High School referee, as well as referee for the women's NCAA indoor
championships twice. He has been a certified master referee and
clerk-of-course for nearly 20 years and has officiated Delaware High
School and Collegiate meets for over a quarter of a century. Bill is
a member of the DSSAA State Track Committee and served as Delaware's high
school rules interpreter.
VIC
ZWOLAK
Victor was probably the
first track man from Delaware to make an Olympic Team (1964). Zwolak
pulled off a difficult double in the 1964 IC4A championships by winning
the 3-mile in meet record time and returning 33 minutes later to win the
3000 meter steeplechase while running for Jumbo Elliott's Villanova
team. While competing for Villanova Vic won the IC4A Cross Country
Championship in both 1963 and 1964. Zwolak was the NCAA Cross
Country Champion in 1963. Vic won four gold watches at the Penn
Relays while winning the steeplechase, and running on the Championship of
American four mile relay, distance medley relay and the two mile relay
teams. At Salesianum Vic set a state schoolboy mile record that
stood for many years thereafter. Zwolak was inducted into the
Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1976, and was Delaware's co-athlete of the
Year in 1963 and won the same honor alone in 1964.
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