Reggie Dunlop Might Have Been Our Coach This Day

 Early in the 1979 Cross Country Season an intrepid cast of characters set out in a van for the home of the Charlestown Chiefs.  Instead of meeting the Hanson Brothers on the ice, we met a bunch of other runners for the Johnstown 10K.

But we did use the Cambria County War Arena as our dressing room.  That's the scene of much of the filming for what Paul Newman called his favorite movie, Slap Shot.  We actually dressed in the stands right where goalie Denis Lemieux met player/coach Reggie Dunlop after asking Manager Joe McGrath "Who Own the Chiefs?"    Owwwwwns...




Several of us set PRs for the 10K, and everyone knows Johnstown has hills!

Penn State Runners:

  5.  Gary Black                 29:58
  7.  David Baskwill           30:37
  8.  Brad Althouse            30:40
11.  Mark Hawkins            31:01
12.  Marc Dunmire            31:14
14.  Don Ziter                     31:33
15.  Doug Kent                   31:54
18.  Rich Prann                  32:17
19.  Ray Krombel               32:20
23.  Mark Fordney             32:50
26.  Mike Cook                   33:07
42.  Roger "Gunny" Roll   34:53

I further pissed everyone off after the race by winning a pair of running shoes randomly from a local running store, delaying the return to State College!  They ended up giving me an injury...

"We go to Florida and I get the money." 

-Denis Lemieaux.

    

There Were More Than Sophomores At The 1977 AAU XC Meet at Belmont Plateau: Along With Another World Exclusive!

Although I wasn't there (and I"m not sure why????), a bunch of Sophomores were joined by Junior Tim Backenstose to win the overall race on the hills and dales of the Belmont Plateau course.  I'm wondering if they blew me off, or if I blew them off, as I was in very good shape at that time and even ran a 51:11 10-Miler in Millersville then.

But needless to say, they didn't need me!

Kelly O'Brien, Tim Backenstose and Jim Clelland.

"Noisy" Jim Clelland, "Official Physicist" Brian Boyer and Tim "Marathon Man" Backenstose

Brian Boyer, Doug Kent, Ray Krombel, Kelly O'Brien, Tim Backenstose, Jim Clelland, Erik Christiansen and Syd White.

And I am in debt to Tim Backenstose for these vintage photos, AND the only picture (that I know of) of me running in a Penn State uniform!!!!   This is from the 1979 Penn Relays Marathon won by Tim.  That's me leading the other PSU runners.  They all ended up beating me! 

If anyone knows who the guy is on the right of the AAU XC team photo  (Now identified as Syd White by Brian Boyer himself!) AND how to improve on this photo, let me know!

Rich Prann, Doug Kent, skwilli and Al Wolfe.

This was the only race I ever ran in these shoes! Took half of my right foot off.  

I Hate The Pagoda

Our Keeper of the Cup Harry Smith will not be joining us this year at the Golf Outing due to his coaching duties. Volleyball coaching duties!  He reports that The Harry Groves Memorial Cup will be updated with the new engraving and dropped off in time for our tourney, however.

And he dug into his dusty archives to come up with a way of tormenting me.  Turns out we ran in the same race back in 1978, with 3 other teammates.  I'd rather forget the Pagoda 1/2 Marathon Classic in Reading PA.

The Pagoda sits on top of the mountain above Reading, so probably all of you have seen it without the shivers I get every time.  The race started in downtown Reading and the Pagoda was the turn-around spot.  In other words, the first half is all uphill and the second half is all downhill.  I was a pretty good uphill runner, but not very good at running downhill.  That meant a splendid turn-around place every year and then watch as people passed me the whole second half.

Turns out that 5 PSU runners were there, including the winner, "Noisy" Jim Clelland!

1. (1)    Jim Clelland     1:07:17
2. (14)  Dave Baskwill  1:12:30
3. (20)  Harry Smith      1:13:26
4. (30)  Doug Kent        1:14:48
5. (35)  Rich Prann        1:15:10

I'll just add that this race was a very difficult one, so quit criticizing the times!

Some say that's me on the right of the pic next to the bushy-haired Mark Amway!

"Noisy" Jim Clelland breaks the tape.