Our very fine
Laundry and Morale Officer alerted me to the recent induction of
Michael Wyatt to his High School Hall of Fame in Suburban Buffalo.
Mike belongs in many more Halls of Fame for his accomplishments on and off the track. I was always amazed by his range from 800M to the Marathon. I was pleased to run the first 20 with him during his marathon in 1979, his first ever run over 15 miles.
And learning he played tennis in his first 2 years instead of running track is priceless. Congratulations, Mike! My high school would confuse me with the janitor nowadays.
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| Mike Wyatt |
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| Notice the tennis in place of track in his first 2 high school years! |
The plaque didn't mention that Mike also held a share of the PSU DMR record in 1979, set at Dogwood Relays (1200 leg in 2:54+) as well as the 4x1500 in both '78 and '79 with 3:44/45 legs each year. In order to fit all that on the plaque, however, they would have to reduce the font and only people under 40 could read it. Not an optimal solution.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Mike, who was a fantastic teammate and a great competitor! LTM
A couple of things stand out for me about Mike:
ReplyDelete1. He was the only person to ever stop and help me when I (frequently) sprained my ankles in the woods during 10 milers. He did this many times.
2. The amusement on his face in the XC van Freshman year when 9 skinny white guys sang along to Earth, Wind and Fire songs.
3. He is the definition of "smooth". (And also "class")
Mike's two All Americas were in the indoor DMR, both 3rd place finishes. He ran the 880y leg in '77, and the 1320 leg in '78.
ReplyDeleteHe was the inventor of compression socks, for which he failed to apply for the patent.
Jan Merrill could have patented the rights to compression socks long before Mike wore them. I have several "poor man's patents" on medical devices and instruments. Just waiting for someone else to come out with them so I can pounce. Ca-Ching!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be "just like Mike" long before Mark Parker created Air Jordan...
ReplyDeleteCongrats, and all the best, Mike!
TRB