1900-1983 Distance and Cross Country
Cross Country and distance
TLSN builds bridges to the past to remind all Longhorns that heritage shapes the present and inspires the future. There is no better vista for storytelling than through the eyes of those who were part of memorable moments in Longhorn sports history.
I admit it, as a young man, one of my motivations to play football was the attention received from fans and girls and the roar of the crowd on game day, but such shallow reasons do not motivate all athletes. A Cross Country athlete’s motivations are pure and personal. These athletes remain motivated in a sport that receives little recognition, few fans, little press, and lots of bad weather, and for choosing this sport, this is what waits for them at the finish line. WebMaster- Billy Dale
“Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.” Tim Noakes
WHEN TO CELEBRATE A LOSS.
Track, Field, and Cross Country are not complicated sports. These athletes don’t need to learn complicated plays, study films to determine team tendencies or change offensive and defensive techniques every week to exploit the weakness of their next competitor. Track participant’s main goal is to convert innate talents, strong discipline, and hard work into maximum performance. Track forces participants to confront personal character flaws, demons, personal weaknesses, and insecurities. Jesse Owens says about mental toughness “The Battles That Count Aren’t the Ones For Gold Medals. The struggles within yourself – The Invisible, Inevitable battles Inside all of Us – That’s Where It Is At.” Patti Sue Plumer agrees, saying, “Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.” Augie Garrido, the Longhorn head baseball coach until 2016, says winning should never determine your self-worth. Coach Weis, the Longhorn women’s Golf coach from 1969-1993, agrees. She says, “As long as you feel you’ve given your best, that you’ve given 100 percent effort on every shot, no one can complain. There can only be one winner!” My respect for track and field athletes is deeply rooted in my past. I have experienced the invisible struggles that exposed my flaws and insecurities. In my senior year in high school, I set my personal best time in the 100 but finished last in my heat. As a 17-year-old boy, I was surprised that I was happy finishing last, but this epiphany help me re-calibrate my definition of success for my life journey. There will always be someone better, but that does not mean I am a failure. Track taught me to celebrate finishing last in some “life events”.
Meb Keflezigihi said it best. “I also realize that winning doesn’t always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.”
I Hope With Time This Site Can Add Some Historical Insight And Tell The Full And Compelling Story Of The Texas Cross Country Tradition.
Overview-
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Texas has been a top 10 finisher at the NCAA Cross Country Championship 7 times (1956, 1986, 1990, 1991, 2005, 2006, and 2012)
Cross Country is a sport of man against nature, and while Cross Country depends on individual performance, teamwork is needed to reach the final goal of winning. Each member of the team must share the responsibility to maximize their talents by maintaining a discipline work-out that requires running 70 to 100 miles a week. Coach Cleburne Price said it best when you run as well as you can. You’ve got to be happy with the outcome.
1986 Coach Crawfords’s Cross Country team is National Champions
Legacy Longhorn cross country runners represent a Portal To The Past That Reminds Longhorns That Heritage Shapes The Present And Empowers The Future.
1900-1905 Coach F.H Curtis
1906-1909 Coach J.P. Howser
1910 C.S. Snyder
1911 J. Burton Rix 1911
Women and cross country competition started in the early 1900’s with women walking instead of running to victory.
1912-1914 Coach Carl C. Taylor – Pending
1915-1916 Coach W.E. Metzenithin- pending
1918- 1920 Coach W.J. Juneau- pending
Conference Champion
1921
Captain Johnny Trout wins the conference run. Photo below
1922
Unfortunately, in 1922 John Trout was inflicted with dengue fever that hurt his performance all season and Texas A & M won the conference championship.
Jeff Neely – Conference Champion Cross Country
1923 – 1924 Coach McLean-Conference Champion
Captain Jim Reese was declared ineligible, but the team still won the Conference title. This was the first year the team received national recognition by winning the medley relay in Kansas.
1925- 1926- 1927 Coach McLean
Jim Reese Is Texas First National Champion Winning The Outdoor Mile Run.
Sandi Esquivel- is an All American and Conference Champion in Cross country in 1924 and 1925. His conference record in the 2-mile run stood for 24 years.
Harry Miller Captain
1928 Coach Mclean
In 1927, Texas had no lettermen on the football team, but Blanton was the standout player that year. McLean also contributed to the football staff by creating the game charts. Additionally, his cross country teams won two Southwest Conference championships in that sport.
1929- Coach Roy McLean
Finished 2nd in conference to the Aggies.
1930 Conference Champions-Coach Roy McLean
1931 Conference Champions-Coach Roy McLean
Adolph Schiller – Conference Champion Cross Country
1932 Conference Champions-Coach Roy McLean- Pending More Info
Lane ??? – Conference Champion Cross Country
1933 Conference Champions Coach Roy McLean
McLean was the coach of the wrestling and cross-country teams in the Department of Physical training. McLean also plotted charts for all football games.
George Wilson – Conference Champion Cross Country in 1933 and 1934
1934 Conference Champions- Coach Littlefield
1935 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
Earl Johnson – Conference Champion Cross Country
1936 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
???? Thomas – Conference Champion Cross Country
For the 5th consecutive year, UT wins the SWC. Earl Johnson, Remus Thomas, and Captain Buren Edwards took the first three places at the SWC meet. The Cactus called Johnson the “midget sophomore”.
1937 Conference Champions-SWC Champs- Coach Littlefield
The team lost some great runners in 1936, but this team surprisingly beat the Rice Owls for the SWC.
1938 Coach Littlefield
After a 7 year run, Rice finally beat the Longhorns and won the SWC. Injuries and ineligibilities hurt the team this year.
1939 Conference Champions-SWC Champs-Coach Littlefield
1939 meeting was held at A & M . A “T” winged letter was presented to 7 athletes who finished in the first 10 of the SWC meet. They were Joe Garret, James Edminister, Bardwell Odum, Tommie Lostak, Forest Hill, Jesse Thompson, and Thomas McSpadden.
Harry Hafernick – Conference Champion Cross Country
1940 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
1941 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
1942 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
Mac Umstattd
1943 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
Jerry Thompson finishes first and Bob Umstattd finishes 2nd in the SWC championship
1944 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
Bob Umstattd – Conference Champion Cross Country
Team wins first 6 places in the SWC Cross Country championship
1945 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
Mule Wilson is 6th in the two mile run
Don Fox – Conference Champion Cross Country
1946 Conference Champions-Coach Littlefield
1947 Conference Champions-Coach Lovvorn
The team wins their 17th consecutive SWC championship. This is one of the best Cross Country teams in Longhorn history. Jerry Thompson his first year set a record for the 2.7-mile course.
Jerry finished 3rd at Nationals in the 4-mile course.
Jerry Thompson is National Champion in the two mile run. He is also Conference Champion in the Cross Country in 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947.
Don Sparks is 6th in the mile
1949 -Pending More Info
The team finished third in the SWC. Longhorn Tom Rogers was only beaten for the SWC championship by one-tenth of a second.
1950 -Coach Lovvorn
The team finished 3rd behind Texas A&M and Arkansas
1951 -Coach Lovvorn
Front- Lavvorn, Merola, Riess, Rundell, Garcia, Littlefield
Back Salling, Odell, Wiggins, Whitesides, McCurtain
Team finished 3rd in SWC. Longhorns only place one athlete in the top 10 finishes.
1952 -Pending More Info
3rd place finish again
1953 -Coach Lovvorn
Front- Foerster, Rogers, Spence
Back- Neighbors, Hole, Lovvorn, Caruther, Cantu
The team finished in second place in the SWC championship by two points. Inocenio Cantu was second in the championship run.
1954- Conference Champion Coach Lovvorn
Cantu, Foerster, D> Foerster, Hale, Neighbors, Hanson
Texas won the conference championship for the first time since 1947. Over the course of six meets, the team secured first place four times and second place twice. Inocencio Cantu set two course records during this remarkable season. In 1954, Cantu earned All-American honors by finishing in 11th place, putting the Horns on the cross-country map.
View fullsize
1955 Conference Champions- Coach Lovvorn
Lovvorn, Wallace, Holt, Hanson, Foerster, Crawford, McNew, Pitner, Hale
#1 song in 1955
Walter McNew led the team. In eight scheduled events, the Horns came out first only two times, one of which was the SWC championship.
1956 -Pending Coach Lovvorn
1956 – The Horns finished 3rd in Cross Country. Walter McNew wins the NCAA championship.
Texas highest finish (3rd) at the National Cross Country.
In 1956, he was Conference Champion in the Cross Country.
1957 -Coach Lovvorn
Ranked 11th nationally
Joe Villareal was 4th nationally in the mile in 1957 and 7th in the 5000 Meters nationally in 1958.
Walter McNew is An All American In The Cross Country In 1956 And 1957. He Is The Only Texas Cross Country Runner To Win A National Championship.
1958- Coach Lovvorn
Front- Lovvorn, Yarbrough, Neel, Musser, Barham
Back- Hiller, Smith, Maxfield, Escj;e. O’Quinn
1959- Coach Lovvorn
Coach Lovvorn, Adams, Maxfield, Mason, Dunlap, Eschle
Second at the SWC meet. The Horns lost more than they won this year
1960- Conference Champion Coach Lovvorn
The slide show is below.
Ranked 12th nationally in Men’s Cross Country.
1961- -Coach Lovvorn
Henry, Rogers, Gunther, Taylor, Roark, Adame,Rhodes, Thorne, Strickland, Eschle shown above
Finished 3rd in the SWC. Steve Strickland had a 9th place finish at the SWC championship.
1962- Coach Price
1963- Coach Cleburn Price SWC Champs
Wheat, Gilbreath, Yates, Frawley, Hennen, Rhodes,Davis, Romo, Hart.
Preston Davis is Conference Champion in the Cross Country in 1963 and 1965
1964-Conference Champions Coach Price Pending More Info
Ricardo Romo is Conference Champion in the Cross Country
Romo recovers from injuries and sets SWC meet records in the mile and three-mile runs. He placed 7th nationally in The Mile In 1962 and 3rd in 1966.
HOH inductee in 1987 for CROSS COUNTRY (1963-65) and
TRACK (1964-66)
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First UT runner to break 4:00 min mile (3:58.8)
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Third in 1966 NCAA mile run
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1964 NCAA cross country title
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1966 All-American
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SWC mile champ from 1964-66 won a three-mile run in 1966
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Member of 1966 U.S. national track team
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Served as UT vice provost for undergraduate education and a member of Men’s Athletics Council
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Named president of the University of Texas at San Antonio in May 1999
At UT Austin, He Was The First Texan To Run The Mile In Less Than Four Minutes, A Record That Lasted 41 Years.
Ricardo Romo is the fifth president of the University of Texas at San Antonio, a school designated by the Texas Legislature as an emerging Tier One research university and a leader in providing access to excellence in teaching, research, and community outreach.
Under his leadership, student enrollment increased by 68 percent. The university added numerous programs and facilities to enhance student life and expand its research capacity. In fiscal year 2011, total research expenditures amounted to $56.8 million, reaching $79.4 million, representing a six-fold increase during Romo’s tenure.
David Matina
1967 Conference Champions-SWC Champs- Coach Price
Brian Woolsey leads the team. 5 team members place in the top 20 at the SWC meet.
Brian Woolsey is Conference Champion in the Cross Country in 1967 and 1968.
1968 – Coach Price
1969 Conference Champions-Coach Daniels
Team finishes 2nd to SMU. For the first time all SWC teams attend the Cross Country event.
Fred Cooper is Conference Champion in the Cross Country.
1970-Pending Coach Jack Daniels
Coach Daniels
1971 Conference Champions- Coach Daniels
Jack Daniels team finishes 2nd at the NCAA district 6 meet.
Ricky Yarbrough places 3rd in the SWC Championships
1972 Conference Champions Coach Price
In 1972, while traveling between Austin and College Station, the cross country team had two drivers, Price and James Blackwood. They stopped by the side of the road, and Paul Craig, John Craig, and Lloyd Stephenson got out of the car to walk in an old cotton field. They began picking cotton bolls from the remaining stems. John mentioned that they had never seen cotton outside of a blue box, so they asked Coach Price to stop. All of us Texas boys had a good laugh over that.
Rey Moreno
Tim Patton
1973-Coach Blackwood
1974- Coach Blackwood Pending More Info
1974- NCAA – Paul Craig 7th In The Mile
1974 Reed Fischer is the first Longhorn to run a sub-four-minute mile.
(Romo also ran a sub 4 mile, but it was after he graduated from Texas.)
Tim Patton wins the 3 miles Conference title.
1975- Coach Blackwood Pending More Info
Front: Klonower, Subrt, Patton; Back: Fisher, Maldonado, Moreland; Coach: Blackwood.
We finished second to Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC). Coach Price acknowledged our performance, saying, “When you run as well as you can, you’ve got to be proud, and that is what we did.” Paul Craig led the team to a fourth-place finish at the SWC meet.
(Note: Romo also ran a sub-4 minute mile, but that was after he graduated from Texas.)
Tim Patton won the 3-mile conference title.
1976-Coach Price
Finished 2nd to Arkansas in the SWC. Coach Price said we finished 2nd, but the guys ran the best they could. “When you run as well as you can, you’ve got to be proud, and that is what we did.
The women’s team finished 12 at the AIAW national championship meet.
1977- For the first time Women cross Country is featured in the Cactus Annual.
The women’s team suffered many injuries this year and finished 16th at the national meet.
Cross Country runners
1978- Coach James Blackwood
Women’s
Women’s Cross country starts in a big way. They are first in four of seven meets. The Horns win the TAIAW championship, and the tower is orange. The runners were 16th at the national meet.
The women’s team won the regional meet, and the tower is lit up. The team placed 16th at the National meet.
Men’s
Men placed 4th at District 6 Cross Country Championship but 7th in the SWC championship
Men placed 4th at district 6 Cross Country Championship, but 7th in the SWC championship.
1979- Coach Phil Delavan
Coach Delevan receives kudos for his kind and philosophical approach choosing not to show anger. He stressed dedication, perseverance, and academics. His friendly attitude toward his team creates a strong feeling of camaraderie.
Women
1980- Coach James Blackwood & Coach Delavan
Teri Anderson was hired as the first full-time assistant coach for Phil Delavan.
Finished 2nd in the SWC, but only Sitonik placed at the National meet and received an All-American status.
Ranked 26th nationally
1981-Coach Delavan women placed 12th at nationals
The women’s team goes undefeated and qualifies for Nationals.
This is Delavan’s 4th team that qualified for the National meet. The team finishes 13th at Nationals.
The men’s team from 1981 finished 16th at Nationals and second in the SWC and the District 6th meet. Sitonic, Koech, and Rivero lead the way.
1982- Coach Delavan
women 1982
Cross Country Women finish # 12 . The highest team finish in Longhorn history thru 1982.
Men 1982
Sam Sitonik is 7th nationally in the steeplechase in 1980 and 6th in 1982. This was the first time in the history of Texas track that a Longhorn placed in the steeplechase.
Sam Sitonik is Conference Champion in the Cross Country
Women’s coach Terry Crawford 1983-1991
1983- Coach Blackwood Ranked 21st nationally
MEN
Sitonik, Chelelgo, Sang, and Trickett won All-conference honors.
