The Ones Who Started It All

Two years ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming Horace Ashenfelter, Al Porto and Bob Parsons to our Alumni Reunion and Golf Tourney.  Eight decades worth of PSU Track and Field and Cross Country Alumni got together for the very first time.  I doubt if other Alumni Groups can boast the same!

I learned several things from them at the time:

1. Al Porto and Horace Ashenfelter are both better golfers than I.  Bob told me he no longer golfs. SO I got him beat.
2. A long run for those 3 NCAA Champions was considered anything over 3 miles.  A 5 mile run was the longest they went.  And never on Sunday.
3. All three of them credited Curtis Stone for encouraging them to run.

With the help of our new friend from British Columbia, George Brose, I have been pointed to some great stuff.  His Blog, Once Upon a Time in the Vest is a treasure trove of great stuff from the 50's, 60's and 70's of Track and Field, and is well worth a visit.  Prepare to spend some time.

Curt Stone is, of course, familiar to a lot of us.  He was quite a remarkable character and ran in 3 Olympics, after what he calls "his prime" during the cancelled 1944 Games. He also ran in the 1952 and 1956 Games.

Penn State Coach Chick Werner with 3 1952 Olympians, Bill Ashenfelter, Horace Ashenfelter and Curt Stone.

Here is a great 3-piece article about Curtis Stone detailing his Olympic Exploits, his PSU career and more, including some interesting tidbits about revolutionary "two-a-days and fartlek".

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Curt Stone's 1948 Spikes.

Coach Chick Werner's patented shoes. Photo from Phil Scott collection.

Chamois insides of Coach Werner's sockless shoes. Photo from Phil Scott collection.

Only Seven Cross Country Coaches in 99 Years!

I have lifted this entire History of Penn State Cross Country from the All-Sports Museum Archives.  I hope this constitutes fair use!  I do this in order to emphasize that PSU runners are the most loyal group of athletes in the sport.  Only 7 coaches in our history, and the first one was the ex-football coach and only started the program and gave the reins up after one year!

PennState first fielded a men’s cross-country team in 1912, under coach Pop Golden, who ten years previously was the Nittany Lions’ football coach.  After one season, C.W. Martin took over the coaching reins, and in 1920, John Romig became the school’s first of seven Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) individual champions. Under Coach Nate Cartmell (1922-1932), Bill Cox won consecutive IC4A individual championships, the only Nittany Lion to accomplish this feat, and the team won IC4A championships in 1926, 1927, 1928, and 1930.
Chick Werner was appointed head coach in 1933.  Under his tutelage, PennStateenjoyed great success at the national level. The Nittany Lions finished in the NCAA top 5 nine consecutive times and eleven times overall, shared one national title (1941) and won two others outright (1947, 1950).  PennStatealso won IC4A team championships in 1950 and 1951, Curt Stone and Horace Ashenfelter were NCAA individual runners-up (in 1946 and 1947 respectively), and runners earned 22 All-American honors.
John Lucas succeeded Werner in 1962, and Howie Deardoff earned All-American honors that year.  In 1968, the legendary Harry Groves became head coach.  Since then, the Nittany Lions have won three Central Collegiate team championships, one IC4A championship, and eight NCAA Region II championships, four of them consecutively (1978-1981).  In 1991, PennStatebegan competing in the Big 10, one of the nation’s toughest cross-country conferences.  The Nittany Lions have finished as high as third four times (1992-1994, 2000), but are still seeking their first championship.  They have fared better in the NCCA Championships during that same time period, placing in the top 10 in 1991 and 1994. 
In all, Groves’ runners have earned 23 All-American honors, won seven Central Collegiate individual championships, two IC4A individual championships, and two NCAA Region II individual championships; Dan Mazzocco was Region II’s Cross-Country Champion and Athlete of the Year in 2003.
Groves, a two-time national cross-country coach of the year, retired after the 2005 season.  The U.S. Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association named its Mid-Atlantic Region Cross-Country Coach of the Year Award in his honor, the first time such an honor has been bestowed on a coach.
Beth Alford-Sullivan, women’s cross-country coach since 2000, was named Groves’ successor.  The 2010 team finished 4th at the Big 10 Championships, 4th at the NCAA regionals, and 30th at the NCAA Championships.  Kyle dawson and Vince McNally both earned ASll-Big 10 and All-American honors.

Champions Reunite

The Banner Unfurling at the Horace Ashenfelter III Complex last week brought back a number of members from the great NCAA Championship teams from 1942, 1947 and 1950.  They include:

 Bob Parsons, ‘51
Robert Freebairn, ‘51
Howard Horne, ‘47
Gerry Karver, ‘48
Al Porto, ‘51
Bill Gordon., ‘51
Bob Rossler, ‘53

They all are cordially invited to the 10th Annual Harry Groves Golf Tourney in May.  

In wide ranging discussions between Coach Groves, Steve Shisler and Greg Fredericks, it was finally learned that Sunday runs were only an attempt by Coach Groves to restrict the team's late night Saturday shenanigans.  It may be the only failure of Coach Groves' career!  It was also learned that there were no Sunday runs in the 40's and 50's!  Coach Chick Werner wouldn't allow them.  Their long runs were on Mondays and consisted of 3 to 5 miles.  I may have to get back into the game, as apparently I run a long run every day!  (Thanks to Steve for the inside info.)