How do you rank Jim Spivey among the USA's 1500m greats?

Never ranked him in the 1500 but I have him a solid 5th in the MILE.

I guess for me, as I just noted this post, one has to be proud to have run in 3 OG's, made 5 WC teams, fast times and a AR. The info below, taken from the March 1999 Track & Field News, so 2 years after retirement, also was something that kept me focused - running fast times in the top 10 for the USA all time list, over a variety of events:

1000m Ranked #5 2:16.54 1984 Eugene (J Cruz won) age 24

1500m Ranked #2 3:31.01 1988 Koblenz, W. Germany, 1st

Mile Ranked #4 3:49.80 1986 Oslo, 3rd

2000M Ranked #1 4:52.54 1987 Lausanne, 1st

3000m Ranked #5 7:37.04 1993 Koln 3rd age 33

5000m Ranked #9 13:15.86 1994 Berlin, 9th age 34

6 top 10 rankings in 10 years of racing. (rankings, as noted, are USA rank, as of March 1999)

Don't want to look now! But good to see the "old" guys being pushed back.

J Spivey

Great runner but cursed to fail at highest level when in peek shape as is the case with all American milers.

American milers are cursed and none have lived up to their potential when it mattered most.

Hey Jim,

Do you know if video is available of the Oslo race in which you set your mile PR? I would love to watch that race.

Thank you.

I think he sits 7th:

Ryun

Scott

Lagat

Liquori

Manzano (consistency!)

Webb (this is 1500/mile specific)

Spivey

Maree

Centrowitz (he could jump big, with a couple more years)

Burleson

Outside the top-10:

Holman (close call with Burleson; didn't quite have the standing)

Beatty (innovator, fast times)

Falcon (international results lacking)

Sheppard (1908 OG Gold was a soft field, more success at 800m)

Wheating (short success, ranking could change in the next few years)

Krumm (a fast PR, but only broke 3:35 one year)

Mac Demarco wrote:

I think he sits 7th:

Ryun

Scott

Lagat

Liquori

Manzano (consistency!)

Webb (this is 1500/mile specific)

Spivey

Maree

Centrowitz (he could jump big, with a couple more years)

Burleson

Outside the top-10:

Holman (close call with Burleson; didn't quite have the standing)

Beatty (innovator, fast times)

Falcon (international results lacking)

Sheppard (1908 OG Gold was a soft field, more success at 800m)

Wheating (short success, ranking could change in the next few years)

Krumm (a fast PR, but only broke 3:35 one year)

Nice list but I'd move liquori and burlson to the 2nd tier. Also add Jennings to the 2nd tier.

I'd move Manzano to #2 U.S. All time. Consistent championship racer with 3:30.98 pr.

Fanzano wrote:

Nice list but I'd move liquori and burlson to the 2nd tier. Also add Jennings to the 2nd tier.

I'd move Manzano to #2 U.S. All time. Consistent championship racer with 3:30.98 pr.

Revised my list, with some more research: Manzano and Spivey up, Liquori, Webb down. I always want to give Marty a little more than he might deserve. He was a strong competitor and held good rankings. Leo has been consistent at the big meets (with a few flops), but can't stack up to Ryan or Lagat for amazing performances or to Scott for the ability to run at a high level week-to-week, season after season. Spivey had a similar longevity and ability to race at a high level that Webb didn't, Centro does, and Manzano is appearing to solidify.

Ryun

Scott

Lagat

Manzano

Spivey

Maree

Webb (this is 1500/mile specific)

Centrowitz (he could jump big, with a couple more years)

Liquori

Cunningham

2nd Ten:

Burleson

Holman

Beatty (innovator, fast times)

Falcon (international results lacking)

Sheppard (1908 OG Gold was a soft field, more success at 800m)

Grelle

Wheating (short success, ranking could change in the next few years)

Jennings (raced when it counted, weak PR and Int results)

Lomong (raced well, solid PR and reliable on the podium while he ran the 15)

Krumm (a fast PR, but only broke 3:35 one year)

[/quote]

If you're going to include Wheating and Jennings, you might as well include Craig Masback and Steve Lacy, both of whom had better international records.

Being a great athlete is one thing but from one observers view, Jim was always a good person and very approachable. We were the same age and ran in several common meets like the Dogwood Relays or Drake. I was a nobody of course but he always had the time to chit chat and take a pic rather than offer a cold shoulder. Many years later, I am always proud to introduce some of my HS athletes to him if i get a chance to while at the Drake Relays when he's there. I was a fan of his. Steve Scott and Calvin Smith were awesome as well.

It's deal wrote:

Great runner but cursed to fail at highest level when in peek shape as is the case with all American milers.

American milers are cursed and none have lived up to their potential when it mattered most.

He did get a World Championship medal in 1987.

Not bad considering the top runners at the time were Cram, Aouita, Coe, Bile, Scott

Below these three studs:

Steve Scott

Sydnee Maree

German Fernandez

no particular order

Not an Olympic gold from any of your top ten. Sad, cursed American milers.

#1.

Fast as hell and generous enough to share his thoughts with the misfits and malcontents of LRC.

Jim Spivey 13 wrote:

I guess for me, as I just noted this post, one has to be proud to have run in 3 OG's, made 5 WC teams, fast times and a AR.

J Spivey

Yep. 99% of the people reading that sentence would cut off a finger (at least!) to accomplish half of that (or parallel accomplishments).

Mac Demarco wrote:

I think he sits 7th:

Ryun

Scott

Lagat

Liquori

Manzano (consistency!)

Webb (this is 1500/mile specific)

Spivey

Maree

Centrowitz (he could jump big, with a couple more years)

Burleson

Outside the top-10:

Holman (close call with Burleson; didn't quite have the standing)

Beatty (innovator, fast times)

Falcon (international results lacking)

Sheppard (1908 OG Gold was a soft field, more success at 800m)

Wheating (short success, ranking could change in the next few years)

Krumm (a fast PR, but only broke 3:35 one year)

it is really, really hard to argue with this list--sad that it took a while on this thread before maree or was mentioned (or lagat for that matter). i'll quibble though: hard to not have beatty in the top 10. i'd switch him out for liquori. but move liquori to burleson's spot. i'd put grelle in before wheating or krumm in the 2nd tier.

it's difficult, at least in my eyes, to know what is more valuable individually, a world record or an olympic/world gold (or any medal), but certainly world records are more valuable than making olympic teams. as much as longevity is valued, that is a fairly new phenomenon with more money in the sport...

seeing your revised list, holy sh!t, how did i forget cunningham???

i'd still put beatty in the top ten with cunningham, i guess bumping liquori out...

And a product of Fenton HS! I ran HS track at a competing school, and Spivey's times were always the things we aspired to (and never came close to!).

A bit more: Spivey was my fav distance runner growing up. Seeing him at the Pan Am Games and Trials (both at Indy, though I think I only have pictures of him at PanAm, and who knows where those are all these years later!) was a real treat for a HS runner.

And what about Wes Santee?