Arkansas Runners- McDonnell Era

This tread was great, coming up on two years old now. any more stories to be told?

I'm REALLY late to this thread, obviously. I learned a lot and grew alot from my time with John. But it took me time to realize it. As I said from the beginning... I'm REALLY late, er... slow.

I didn't appreciate or realize the impact John had on me in those early years.

Now I do, much, much later in life.

One, the Arkansas haters that imply that athletes from another country were the only reason we won, well, it didn't matter where you were from. John would get you to where you needed to be. Yes, people fell off during the 4 - 5 year period, but if you stuck with it, WOW. It took John and I 5 years to figure me out. And it worked. I was a 4:20 miler in HS who walked on and ended up running 28:31 and 13:10 (Indoor 3M) in my senior year.

I was there before all the National Championships. But we transformed from an XC 21st place to an XC and Indoor 2nd in my time there. I was an American walk-on who earned 4 track All-American certificates in the early 80's.

And for our academics? Well I graduated with a degree in Geophysics and run a $700mm company, my teammates became very good and great coaches at all levels, doctors, lawyers, presidents of national companies, etc.

John was, quite simply, the most competitive man I've ever met. I've worked for many demanding Wall Street folks from the 80's to to now. Charlie Keating from the S&L crisis included. Sorry, John could and would have run circles around them ALL. He was (and is) that good.

Posting by an ancient Razorback

Arkansas started the run exactly at the same time I graduated high school. Actually they won the first of 41 NCAA championships my senior year during cross country. Or maybe it was the indoor NCAA that was the first.

At the time my high school teachers in the Midwest told me you want to stay away from Arkansas, the academic reputation and all. And these are people that graduated from Bowling Green and Findlay. There was bias in their mind regarding SEC academics versus everything else.

I know he wrote a book recently but I would really love to see the actual training logs from 1984-2001. When I was in college we always heard about the workouts Arkansas were doing. The ladders with short recovery, the mile repeats at 4:30 pace and under during cross. It sounded brutal and harder than what we did at a team that beat them two times at NCAA cross when I ran.

I doubt I could have held up but for those that could this was the program but you never know until you commit for a year.

Free Beer wrote:

The Greatest Joe Falcon Races:

1. Oslo Dream Mile 3:49

2. Owning 3:33 Kenyan Kip Cherouyiat in front of packed Franklin Field on the 1989 DMR anchor

I watched my father's vhs video tape of #2 probably 1000 times in the mid 90's. Was googling for actual race footage when I came across this thread.

I know one thing, we've fallen as far as distance is concerned. Not a single runner in the 10,000 at NCAA's or in the 5,000. No one in the steeple. Finished 8th in the 1500. 12th overall. Got 5th in cross, but only had two runners in the top 50.

Haven't won an outdoor title since 2005. Haven't won indoor since 2013, but have had two runner up finishes in 2014 and 2016.

Jack Bruce ran very well in the 2017 5000 final, but overall, the trajectory is downward.

Desmond oconner never ran for Arkansas . He went to san Angelo . Ran like a 9:12 indoor 2 mile in NAIA . Best 10 k was a road race in coca cola classic. 29 and change

2:18 at the casino wrote:

Desmond oconner never ran for Arkansas . He went to san Angelo . Ran like a 9:12 indoor 2 mile in NAIA . Best 10 k was a road race in coca cola classic. 29 and change

He did go to Arkansas. Was run off for stealing from teammates. Think he was a HOG for a year before John gave him the boot.

yellow14 wrote:

I know one thing, we've fallen as far as distance is concerned. Not a single runner in the 10,000 at NCAA's or in the 5,000. No one in the steeple. Finished 8th in the 1500. 12th overall. Got 5th in cross, but only had two runners in the top 50.

Haven't won an outdoor title since 2005. Haven't won indoor since 2013, but have had two runner up finishes in 2014 and 2016.

Jack Bruce ran very well in the 2017 5000 final, but overall, the trajectory is downward.

Rumours are swirling that Bucknam is taking the Texas job, so perhaps we'll get a replacement that praises tradition instead of admonishes it...? I still have a hard time believing that John "handpicked" Bucknam.

runner in awe wrote:

I can only add that when I was in college Arkansas won everything- Texas/Penn Relays, Cross/Indoor/Outdoor. If there was a razorback entered in a horizontal jump event or the 800-10k they were probably going to win it.

What a dynasty.

Yep. I ran at a school that was in the same cross country region, and in those days, only two teams from each region qualified for nationals. That meant that in our region, there was only one spot up for grabs. Everyone KNEW Arkansas was placing first.

I remember the first time I saw John McDonnell in the flesh at a meet. As a college aged running nerd, it was like seeing Mohammed Ali or Babe Ruth. I was in awe.

I wonder why the recovery was so short on the 300 and 400 workouts. In my experience these workouts usually have a recovery of a jog equal in length to the interval. In other words, does anyone know what is being trained by having a shorter recovery? Those are certainly some tough workouts.

Bump. Maybe these were late season workouts similar to a race simulation?

Howdy! I was on the team for Arkansas in 2007-8 for the 400m. I never ran a single meet and I injured my hamstring and spent most of my 1 year in rehab. When John left I changed schools. The workouts we did were unsustainable for a later career. They did half scholarships for almost every allowed more people to be on the team... The workouts were designed to kill out the weak (like me).

Just wondering

How many Arkansas alumns here still support Bucknam at this point?

I know several prominent alumni of the track and cross team that hold no allegiance to him and want a change. I know Arkansas has a new AD from Houston so he’s familiar with guys passionate about the sport With succes (Burrell, Lewis,)...and to a far lesser extent Magness but looking at results, challenging for conference championships shouldn’t be enough.

Unless Bucknam is bringing in some huge international recruits next year and this was just a rebuilding year he needs to be put on a hot seat immediately.

To set the record straight, John DID NOT handpick Bucknam. In fact, he strongly suggested they hire Centrowitz and keep the rest of the staff as-is.

But Jeff Long really wanted to do this own thing (and not listen to John).

I think Bucknam has done an OK job. It's our fault for getting a guy that was a decent coach, not a great coach. Oregon went after Vin. We got a guy nobody had ever heard of. I support him because he is our coach. But man, I miss the days of John McDonnell.

I was part of 9 NCAA Championship teams while in college (we were narrow losers - 2nd place -- in 2 of our 3 losses). John was such a great coach. He is a great man. Such good values. I can't imagine any other coach influencing young men in the same way.

Arkansas wrote:

To set the record straight, John DID NOT handpick Bucknam. In fact, he strongly suggested they hire Centrowitz and keep the rest of the staff as-is.

But Jeff Long really wanted to do this own thing (and not listen to John).

I think Bucknam has done an OK job. It's our fault for getting a guy that was a decent coach, not a great coach. Oregon went after Vin. We got a guy nobody had ever heard of. I support him because he is our coach. But man, I miss the days of John McDonnell.

I was part of 9 NCAA Championship teams while in college (we were narrow losers - 2nd place -- in 2 of our 3 losses). John was such a great coach. He is a great man. Such good values. I can't imagine any other coach influencing young men in the same way.

I see D. Minor and Consiglio making an entrance here. Even Pat Vaughn! John had more influence on me than any other person on this earth. He took a rough shod rebellious kid, and sharpened me into a young man ready for success in life. I owe so much to him.

Is this the best Arkansas thread or is there another one?