Tommie Smith, San Jose, 1967, 44.5s for 400m

Any clips of the race would be great to.

Doesn't answer your question, but some old timey footage from the Speed City era:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV4zvaxeI94

Those guys were awesome runners.

OJ Simpson should have been mentioned. He was a star during that era.

Bud Winter's book, "Relax & Win: Championship Performance in Whatever You Do" is one of the best coaching books I have ever read, and I have read most of those relating to distance running.

The book, Lee Evans the Last Protest by Frank Murphy will give you good insights into speed city.

In 1967 the track in San Jose was not synthetic.

This race would have been hand timed, and yes probably taken from a 440y race.

He also had a 19.5 for 220y in 1966(hand timed).

His Olympic gold was 19.83 for 200m.

He could fly.

Bro - Mama wrote:

In 1967 the track in San Jose was not synthetic.

This race would have been hand timed, and yes probably taken from a 440y race.

He also had a 19.5 for 220y in 1966(hand timed).

His Olympic gold was 19.83 for 200m.

He could fly.

He would have easily beaten Bolt the Dope(r).

I was there right at the finish line. I was 13yo. My three younger brothers were there also, my Dad took us down to watch. We lived in Almaden Country Club area of San Jose. (I still live there!) It was pretty much built up as a match race between Evans and Smith. I don't recall if anyone else was in the race but probably so. I'm pretty sure the track was cinders not a prototype synthetic or anything. I distinctly remember about 4-5,000 people jammed around the track, up in the trees and standing on hoods of vehicles. I great cheer went up when they announced Smith broke both the 400m and 440yd WR. Most likely it was hand times as I remember a bunch of men near the finish line comparing stop watches after the race.

I'm also writing a novel of that year where this race figures into the plot. The novel also includes The Count Five(Psychotic Reaction) rock band from Pioneer High School, The Summer of Love, The Monterey Pop Festival, early Grateful Dead gigs in and around San Jose, Harry Edwards and the SJS sprinters, etc

Tom the Tank Engine wrote:

Hi, anybody know much about the track in San Jose in 1967. Was it Cinders or an early synthetic/tartan track?

Was the 44.5s an electronic timing or hand time?

It looks like it was part of a 440y race?

Most likely dirt. There were very few artificial tracks in the in the world in 1967; I highly doubt SJS had one. From memory, SJS were among the early schools to get a tartan track, but I doubt it was back in 1967. The 1968 Mexico Olympics was the first global competition to use an artificial track. Btw, a well kelp hard compacted dirt (not cinder) track is pretty fast; perhaps not too much of a difference between an artificial track. The main benefit and original purpose of tartan tracks was the fact that they were all-weather.

With all of that said, the track & athletes from the 1960s were incredible.

San Jose State has a very rich history on the track.

San Jose State has a very rich history on the track.

Write your novel, tell us when it is ready.

Bro - Mama wrote:In 1967 the track in San Jose was not synthetic.

This race would have been hand timed, and yes probably taken from a 440y race.

He also had a 19.5 for 220y in 1966(hand timed).

His Olympic gold was 19.83 for 200m.

He could fly.[/quote]

The 19.5 was 220y straightaway.

220y straight was more common in the 1960s. There were also single turn 440y runs.