We received this piece from Eric Tweit in Huntington Beach, CA
Chaffey High School
Second-best high school stadium records?
by Larry Knuth
Other than California’s Arcadia High School, home to the prestigious Arcadia Invitational, the best high school stadium records might be Chaffey High School (Ontario, Calif.) where four men’s world records and two American records were broken in one afternoon in an inter-squad meet (!).The meet involved the 1956 US Olympic team competing against each other in an Olympic development meet in October before leaving for the Melbourne Olympics that December.
World records set were 10.1 for the 100 meters, 213-8 in the hammer throw, 61-4 7/8 in the shot put, and 3:08.6 for the mile relay (The second-place USA team tied the existing world mark.).
In addition, Greg Bell (Indiana U.) missed Jesse Owens’ existing world record in the long jump by two inches with a jump of 26-6½. He also had two other jumps over 26 feet. And this was the era of dirt runways.
The historic meet also saw two American records broken. In the 5000 meters, Max Truex, two-time Olympian of USC, 1957 NCAA Cross Country Champion, ran 14:22.8 in a near solo effort and Ira Davis erased the 24-year-old American triple jump (then called the hop, step, and jump) record with a 51-11 effort.
The team followed up this meet the following week with another momentous afternoon at Santa Ana College, where a handful of American and world records were broken in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 3,500.
T&F News archives
*Five CIF-Southern Section High School T&F Championships were held at Chaffey High School: NHSR-1961-Ulis Williams (Compton HS) 440y- 46.1
Ed. note:
I saw what was probably the previous high school 440 record of 46.6 set by Dave Mills, Lakewood HS near Cleveland, OH at the Ohio HS State Meet in 1958. He also won the 100 in 9.7 and the 220 under 22.0 but don't ask me the fraction. Cinder track. The 440 was run out of the chute and only around one turn. A few wiseacres may cast despair, but still not a bad afternoon for those days. The meet was held in the Ohio State football stadium (The Shoe) in those days, but the need to put in more seats brought an end to that in the 1970's. I was a high school freshman that year. A very kind senior, Shelby Rogers, took me to see that meet along with our pole vaulter Dave Dull. Dave had to baby sit his four year old brother who was a serious handful. We lost him in the stadium, but Dave eventually saw him in the upper deck walking on the top railing which was about a foot wide. We got him down and got him home in one piece. Sometimes at basketball practice if Dave was on the baby sitting routine, he would lock the little brother in one of those dressing room half lockers for the duration of practice. I can only imagine the psychological effect of that routine. What people did to survive in single parent families. George Brose
Dave Mills Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. They credit him with a 46.5 but I always remembered 46.6.
Moved to Lakewood from Canada with his family at the age of 13 to carve a niche at Lakewood High School well up on the long list of first magnitude track stars who first shone on Greater Cleveland ovals, Gave notice of what lay ahead by winning the OHSSA state title in the 440-yd. dash as a sophomore in 1956 and defending his title as a junior, also finishing second in the 100 and 220-yd dashed that year. Then, as a senior in 1958, he turned in one of the most memorable performances in Ohio state meet annuals, winding up an undefeated scholastic career in the 440 by running the fastest schoolboy time (46.5 sec.) ever recorded in he U.S. and capturing the 100 and 220 titles to pace Lakewood to the state crown. As a collegian at Purdue, he set an American indoor record of 47.2 sec. in the 440 in 1960, won two Big Ten indoor 440 crowns and one outdoor championship, and ran for the United States’ 4 x American games. Became a teacher in the Dayton area after his track days and remained there in his retirement.
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