Inaugural Inductees Announced for NSAF’s National High School Track and Field Hall of Fame

by Dan Cruz for the NSAF
PRESS RELEASE
  • An inaugural class of 30 legends of track and field, spanning more than 100 years of the sport, were selected by a team of historians
  • The National High School Track and Field Hall of Fame will induct the inaugural class of athletes, coaches, and contributors on March 8, 2018 in New York City
  • All Hall of Fame profiles can be viewed at the new website: nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org

NEW YORK – February 3, 2018 - 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.

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:

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 nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org

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.
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