Oh, So Long Ago

Our Chief Laundry and Morale Officer somehow found 1977 PIAA results and sent me a pic.  For the younger set out there, this was when we still measured things in yards, wore little skimpy shorts, had long hair, and ran on track surfaces you would be triggered by!  (Just joking...)

The specific events in the pic were selected as they include three future Freshman on the Penn State teams.  George Severine 880Y (1:55 880HS to 800U!) and Marc Dunmire Mile (RIP) join me in the medalists in the distance events listed.

As it turns out, I was 3 for 3 in my District and State races, as I won both the Mile and 2-Mile at Districts and the 2-Mile at States.  (The disqualification for tripping Inside Track-Harrisburg Manager Henry Klugh in the Mile at Districts sealed my 2-Mile effort at States. A true blessing in disguise!)  It took a 58 second last lap to erase a 60 yard deficit to win. Maybe our Grand Exalted IT Czar can verify those facts for those who realize that accuracy isn't my best feature! And I never even qualified for Districts in my first three years!

Student-Athlete Still Means Something To Me

Most of us know at least the rudiments of John Urschel's tenure at Penn State.  But it's worth dwelling on it a little more than most feel good stories. We may not see this story repeated ever again.

When I first matriculated at PSU, I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do after college. But I really wanted to improve my running too.  It was something that I only started to excel at (notice I didn't say excel!) in my Senior Year of High School.  That's why I was never on any Division I radar screens, let alone Coach Groves' thought processes.  He already had signed up the PA and Ohio State champions in the Mile.  He also was getting the PA mile runner-up and one of the better 880 yard specialists from PA in just one year.  (That's Larry Mangan, Tom Rapp, Mark Dunmire and George Severine for those keeping track!)* So when I asked (begged?) to be allowed to walk on, I was super delighted to get the chance.  I was always going to PSU, even though I did visit several Division III schools as a courtesy. Every one in my extended family and my wife's family have PSU degrees.  I wasn't going to buck the trend.

But I found that running at a top level (which I almost accomplished my Freshman year) AND getting good grades was harder than it looked.  My first term (yeah youngsters, there were 3 of them every year!) with Calculus, English and Speech humbled me beyond belief. Thank Goodness for Science, is all I can say.  Being a Student-Athlete isn't a jog through the Park.

Another somewhat unheralded athlete came to PSU being called a 2-Star (out of 5) Recruit in recent years.  The fact that he has a bachelor degree, one Masters degree and another Masters degree almost completed while being one of the best offensive lineman in the nation is rather impressive.  When you add that the degrees are in Mathematics, it kind of blows your mind. And he never even got a single "B".  Student-Athlete at its best by definition. Next stop the Wunderlic!  (He'll do better than Vinny Testeverde did, I'm pretty sure.)

I know what Mathematics is all about; my brother has a Masters degree in Computer Science and is near completion of another in Mathematics, in addition to his PSU bachelor degree in Accounting and his PSU MBA degree. I only managed a "C" in college calculus.  John has my utmost respect for what he has accomplished in his 5 years at PSU.  The world is a better place because of it.

So when I hear about college athletes being "paid", I turn off the sound and shake my head.  I'm not saying I'm for it or against it.  I'm just saying that  I will miss "amateur athletics" once it is gone.  And it will be, if it isn't already.  (I'm an idiot, but not blind!)

John Urschel Article on ESPN for the Campbell Trophy

* Please correct any of that for me if I'm wrong.

Pennsylvania and Ohio Distance Champions in the 70's Chose Penn State

Larry Mangan recently pointed out how nearly all the Pennsylvania distance champions in our day gravitated to Penn State. We are doing our best to make that happen all over again.  Title IX makes that difficult on the mens side.  The list is rather impressive.  Let's see if I can get some of them:

Pennsylvania:
1.  Dave Felice, mile 1976
2.  Ray Krombel, 2-mile 1976
3.  Larry Mangan, mile  1977
4.   Marc Dunmire, mile 1977
5.  George Severine, 880 1977
6.  David Baskwill, 2-mile 1977
7.  Gary Black, mile 1978

I'm forgetting others!  Write a comment below to update the list.

And lets not forget Ohio, the state that's "high in the middle and round on both ends" (from Tom Rapp himself).   The Ohio State Mile Champions at PSU in my day are:

1.  Tom Rapp 1977
2.  Alan Scharsu  1978 (in the photo)
3.  John Zishka  1979
4.  Clark Haley  1981

All of this was off the top-of-my-head, which is notably deficient.  Please send me additions and corrections in the comment section!

Ah, the updates are rolling in, just as I had hoped. 

1.  Mike Cook, 1600 1979.

2.  Mark Overheim, 1600 1981

3. Jay Novak, 3200 1986

4. Dan Mazzocco, 3200  2002

5.  Dave Greene 800, 1979

6.  Doug Walter, 800 1986

7.  Mary Rawe, mile 1977 or 1978?
8.  Robert Snyder, mile 1974, 1975
9.  Kathy Byrnes, 880, 1977