Jim Ryun, Steve Prefontaine, Alan Webb, Jesse Owens, Allyson Felix Among The Inaugural Inductees Into The National High School Track And Field Hall Of Fame
Press Release
February 5, 2018
NEW YORK – The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF), a non-profit organization created to support and promote high school-age track and field, today announced the inaugural class of the new National High School Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Jim Ryun and Ian Brooks at the 111th NYRR Millrose GamesImage ©ÊRoss Dettman
Featuring the sport’s immortal legends like Jesse Owens and Jim Ryun, to all-time greats like Steve Prefontaine and Mary Decker Slaney, to current Olympic superstar Allyson Felix — the inaugural class will feature 30 athletes, coaches and contributors spanning 11 decades of excellence in high school track and field.
“Our goal in creating a hall of fame for high school track and field is to honor the greatest athletes, coaches, innovators and contributors in high school track and field history,” said James Spier, Executive Director of the NSAF. “The inaugural class of athletes, coaches, and contributors includes icons of the sport and each of these individuals has made a lasting impact on high school track and field. Generations of athletes have been inspired by and have benefited from their historic accomplishments.”
The 2018 class will be inducted during a gala awards dinner on Thursday, March 8, 2018, at the New York Athletic Club. The dinner will take place on the eve of the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships at the Armory in New York City.
The Hall of Fame selection committee included noted track and field historians and statisticians Mark Bloom, Bob Jarvis, Dave Johnson, Mike Kennedy, Joe Lanzalotto, Marjorie Larney, Walt Murphy, Jack Pfeifer, Jack Shepard, Jim Spier and Tracy Sundlun. The Hall will honor three categories of inductees:
- Athletes: Competitors who have demonstrated exemplary athletic performance while in high school.
- Coaches: Leaders who have created excellence at the program level, achieving extraordinary results year after year.
- Contributors: Innovators and game changers. These may include administrators or media members who have elevated high school-age track and field through innovative work and tireless dedication.
The following is the complete list of inductees, including their high school, hometown and year of graduation:
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Ted Meredith Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA, 1912 Sol Butler Rock Island HS, Rock Island, IL, 1915 Lee Barnes Hollywood HS, Los Angeles, CA, 1924 Frank Wykoff Glendale HS, Glendale, CA, 1928 Betty Robinson Thornton Township HS, Harvey, IL, 1929 Cornelius Johnson Los Angeles HS, Los Angeles, CA, 1933 Jesse Owens East Tech HS, Cleveland, OH, 1933 Helen Stephens Fulton HS, Fulton, MO, 1935 Eddie Morris Huntington Beach HS, CA, 1940 Alice Coachman Tuskegee Prep School, Tuskegee, AL, 1942 Bob Mathias Tulare HS, Tulare, CA, 1948 Milt Campbell Plainfield HS, Plainfield, NJ, 1953 Willye White Broad Street HS, Shelby, MS, 1957 Dallas Long North Phoenix HS, Phoenix, AZ, 1958 Gerry Lindgren Rogers HS, Spokane, WA, 1964 |
Jim Ryun East HS, Wichita, KS, 1965 Steve Prefontaine Marshfeld HS, Coos Bay, OR, 1969 Lynn Bjorklund Los Alamos HS, Los Alamos, NM, 1975 Mary Decker Orange HS, Orange, CA, 1976 Kathy McMillan Hoke County HS, Raeford, NC, 1976 Chandra Cheeseborough Ribault HS, Jacksonville, FL, 1977 Renaldo Nehemiah Scotch Plains HS, Scotch Plains, NJ, 1977 Michael Carter Jefferson HS, Dallas, TX, 1979 Kim Gallagher Upper Dublin HS, Fort Washington, PA, 1982 Alan Webb South Lakes HS, Reston, VA, 2001 Allyson Felix Los Angeles Baptist HS, North Hills, CA, 2003 COACHES & CONTRIBUTORS John Dye Founder, Dyestat.Com Ed Grant Journalist Joe Newton York High School, Elmhurst, Il Don Norford Long Beach Poly, Long Beach, CA |
For more information on the High School Track and Field Hall of Fame or to view detailed biographies of the inaugural induction class, visit nationalhighschooltracka
About the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, Inc.
The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, Inc. (NASF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 c (3) organization founded in 1990 with the mission of supporting high school and junior-aged track and field athletes in the US. The NSAF conducts national high school competitions, including the New Balance Indoor and Outdoor Nationals; clinics and event-specific development projects as well as various grant programs totaling over $250,000 annually. For more information about the NSAF, please visit nationalscholastic.org.