Penn State's Individual Cross Country Champion 1926, 1927

Even though Mike Fanelli is in Vietnam right now with his Nittany Lion wife, his garage can still be forthcoming.  Here's some news from days of yore involving our alma mater.

Penn State's Bill Cox won the ICAAAA (IC4A) Cross Country Championship in 1926 and 1927 at Van Cordtlandt Park.  That was the National Championship at the time.  He also won the Indoor and Outdoor one mile track championship in those years.

His star burned bright but didn't last long. And they weren't exactly understanding at the Pittsburgh Press.

My best guess, and it is just a guess, is that he met the future Mrs. Cox. He still is a hero of mine now.

Director of Fun Still Bringing It

As we last brought you stuff from NYC's very own Teddy Quinn, he alerted us to some great photos of Bill Cox, a PSU runner in the 20's.  Bill was an Olympian even before traveling to the "middle of nowhere" in Central PA.  He was a member of the XC team in the 1924 Paris Games.

He also seems to have had a Sophomore Slump* (like me! Except mine lasted far, far longer...)

Bill Cox's Sophomore Slump

Teddy also has some great stuff from the "recent" 70's!

The 1973 Dream Mile was supposed to bring the first ever sub-4 mile to Rochester NY.  It pitted the follicle-challenged Dick Buerkle and the Olympic Gold Medalist Dave Wottle.  It also included Allegheny Community College star and future Nittany Lion, Paul Stemmer.

The result was a 4:00.6 mile with Buerkle edging out Wottle and a bicep-enhanced future Nittany Lion in 4th.

* I am betting that Bill met the future Mrs. Bill Cox just prior to this "slump".

Vintage PSU Track From Our Director of Fun

Teddy Quinn has taken time off from his life of fun, leisure and frolic in NYC and has sent in some great photos and stories about PSU Track Alums of old. The first one takes us back to the 20's!

Here's some photos of Bill Cox, PSU Class of 1929 running a fast mile in Teddy's home town of Rochester NY.  And that's him wearing a few of his medals from his stellar high school career where he had set the National record in the 2-Mile of 9:44.3 before matriculating in Happy Valley.

Photo courtesy of NY Public Library.

Photo courtesy of NY Public Library.