Public invited to nominate National High School Track & Field Hall of Fame Class of 2019

by Steve Underwood

PRESS RELEASE
 

NEW YORK – October 22, 2018 – Nominations are open for the National High School Track and Field Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019. Athletes, coaches, families, fans and anyone else with an interest in the sport is invited to participate in the nomination process. Visit the Hall of Fame website at nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org by the October 31, 2018 deadline to nominate your favorite prep track and field athlete of all time for the Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

The inaugural class of 30 legendary athletes, coaches and contributors was inducted during an unforgettable ceremony at the New York Athletic Club this past March.

This historic class included greats of HS track and field dating from the early 1900s through those graduating in 2003. The inductees included current and recent superstars Allyson Felix and Alan Webb, baby-boomer era barrier breakers Jim Ryun, Michael Carter, Mary Decker, Renaldo Nehemiah, Kim Gallagher and Gerry Lindgren, and legends of the past Jesse Owens, Betty Robinson and Bob Mathias. (See full list of 2018 inductees below.)

The 2018 class was nominated and selected by a committee of 13 track and field historians. For the 2019 class, however, the public is invited to participate with these historians in the nomination process – which continues through October 31, 2018 – by voting on the above-mentioned website. Athletes who graduated in the year 2004 or earlier are eligible for this class, which will be inducted Thursday, March 7, 2019.

Newly eligible athletes include record-setters such as Galen Rupp, Erica McLain, Jason Richardson, Ashley Owens, LaShawn Merritt, Gayle Hunter, Elzie Coleman, Shalonda Solomon and Natasha Hastings, among others. Meanwhile, some of the top vote-getters and other legendary performers returning from last year include Houston McTear, Debbie Heald, Roy Martin, Amy Acuff, Carl Lewis and Sanya Richards.

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, Josh Rowe, Jack Shepard, Jim Spier and Tracy Sundlun.

The full list of Class of 2018 inductees is as follows:

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) was founded in 1990.  It is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 c (3) organization with the mission of supporting high school and junior-aged track and field athletes in the US.  The NSAF supports the sport through national high school competitions, including the New Balance Indoor and Outdoor Nationals; clinics and event-specific special projects; vigorous grant programs, which enable high school athletes to compete around the country, at USATF Junior Nationals, and internationally; and with program development grants, which are awarded in the winter and fall each year. The NSAF provides approximately $250,000 in grants annually. For information about how to get involved with NSAF, please visit nationalscholastic.org.

 


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