1968 MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Philadelphia Inquirer
March 17, 1968
By Gordon Forbes
DETROIT, March 16--Villanova barely missed a sweep of the relays Saturday as Jumbo Elliot's stable of runners carried the Wildcats to their first NCAA track title since the Ron Delany era before a sellout crowd of 9556 at Cobo Arena.Â
Sophomore
Larry James' blistering 0:46.6 anchor gave Villanova a new meet record of 3:14.4 in the windup mile relay ad a 1-2-1 performance in the three baton-carrying events.
This kind of seed enabled the Wildcats to pile up 35 1/3 points in an unswerving march to the indoor title. Southern California, the premeet favorite and defending champ, came in with 25 points, ahead of Oklahoma, with 17; Kansas, 15 1/3; Tennessee, 12 1/3; Harvard, 11, and Washington State, 10.
OLYMPIC PROSPECTS
The Trojans, expected to gather a windfall of points in the pole vault, hurdles and sprint, met with disappointing results in each event.Â
"For running strength, this is the best team I've ever had at Villanova," said Elliott, whose 1957 team captured the NCAA outdoor championship. "My '57 team was a little better balanced. I think we've possible got three Olympians -- James, (Dave) Patrick and (Frank) Murphy."
Villanova, running against the clock in two sections of the mile relay, clipped 1.1 seconds off the meet record with its 3:14.4 effort.
35-YARD MARGIN
Ahead of James, who is playfully called "The Burner" by teammates,
Hal Nichter ran a 0:50.7 leadoff,
Hardge Davis, 0:48.5, and
Ken Prince, 0:48.6. James was 35 yards ahead of Kansas' Ben Olison when he hit he tape.
Murphy, a junior from Ireland, keyed Villanova's distance medley victory with a 4:06.8 mile. The Wildcats were timed in 9:49.5 as Murphy shook off a mild bid by Southern Cal's Carl Trentadue on the middle laps. Midway through the final leg Trentadue passed Murphy, but only temporarily. Murphy, with 2 1/2 laps left, shot back and won by a widening 15 yards.
The other legs were 1:52.7 by
Charles Messenger in the half, 0:50.3 by
Bob Whitehead in the quarter and 3:00.1 by
Tom Donnelly, who gave the Wildcats the lead th his driving three-quarter.
HARVARD SETS MARK
If Villanova was burned at all during the day, it as in the two-mile relay. And it took a new NCAA mark of 7:26.8 by Harvard's aroused Crimson runners to do it.
"The thing that did it was when Trey Burns grabbed the lead on the first leg," said Harvard coach Bill McCurdy, "the other teams just couldn't catch us."
Patrick gave it a mighty try, though. Running the final 880, the Villanova captain melted down a 40-yard deficit until he had Harvard anchor Dave McKelvey (a product of Detroit's Redford High) literally and figuratively sweating.
With half a lap to go, Patrick trailed by 20 yards. At the wire the margin was three yards, with Patrick timed in 1:49.1 for his leg.
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VILLANOVA ROSTER
|
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
High School |
| Vince Bizzarro |
Senior |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
Father Judge |
| Dick Buerkle |
Junior |
Rochester, N.Y. |
Aquinas Institute |
| Bill Dailey |
Sophomore |
Cleveland, Ohio |
St. Joseph's |
| Hardge Davis |
Sophomore |
Montclair, N.J. |
Montclair |
| John Derent |
|
|
|
| Tom Donnelly |
Junior |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
La Salle |
| Timothy Drake |
|
|
|
| David Fender |
Junior |
Bel Air, Md. |
Bel Air |
| Mike Garvey |
Sophomore |
Cranford, N.J. |
Roselle Catholic |
| Bill Grant |
Senior |
Manhasset, N.Y. |
Abington |
| Erv Hall |
Junior |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
Overbrook |
| Ian Hamilton |
Senior |
Cobh, Ireland |
Presentation Brothers |
| Cliff Harbourt |
Junior |
Trenton, N.J. |
Steiner |
| Larry James |
Freshman |
White Plains, N.Y. |
White Plains |
| Albert Kreischer |
|
|
|
| Bill Marvin |
Senior |
Roslyn Heights, N.Y. |
Chaminade |
| Al McCafferty |
Senior |
New Milford, Conn. |
Quincy |
| Desmond McCormack |
Sophomore |
Dublin, Ireland |
Colaister Mhuire |
| Daniel McGroarty |
|
|
|
| Charles Messenger |
Senior |
Baltimore, Md. |
Kenwood |
| Robert Miller |
Sophomore |
Elkins Park, Pa. |
La Salle |
| Richard Moore |
|
|
|
| Frank Murphy |
Junior |
Dublin, Ireland |
|
| Greg Muth |
Sophomore |
Somerset, N.J. |
St. Joseph |
| Craig Nation |
Senior |
King of Prussia, Pa. |
Upper Merion |
| Hal Nichter |
Senior |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
Bishop Loughlin |
| Jack O'Leary |
Senior |
Linden, N.J. |
Essex Catholic |
| Andy O'Reilly |
Sophomore |
Floral Park, N.H. |
Bishop Reilly |
| Dave Patrick |
Senior |
Baltimore, Md. |
Kenwood |
| Ken Prince |
Senior |
Cleveland, Ohio |
St. Joseph |
| Thomas Prince |
|
|
|
| Gene Ritti |
Sophomore |
Malvern, Pa. |
Malvern Prep |
| Rene Schlag |
Sophomore |
Malvern, Pa. |
Malvern Prep |
| Michael Scully |
|
|
|
| Tony Sellitto |
|
|
|
| Jim Shillow |
Senior |
New Providence, Pa. |
So. Lancaster Co. |
| James Weir |
Sophomore |
Springfield, N.J. |
Metuchen |
| Bob Whitehead |
Junior |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
Germantown |
| Arthur Zayat |
|
|
|
| James Kane (Manager) |
|
|
|
| Head Coach: Jumbo Elliott |
| Assistant Coaches: Jack Pyrah, Hugh O'Callaghan |
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1968 HONORS AND AWARDS
All-Americans
Hardge Davis (Mile Relay)
Tom Donnelly (Distance Medley Relay)
Erv Hall (60 Yard Hurdles)
Ian Hamilton (Two Mile Relay)
Larry James (440 Yards, Mile Relay)
Charlie Messenger (Distance Medley Relay)
Frank Murphy (880 Yards, Distance Medley Relay)
Craig Nation (Two Mile Relay)
Hal Nichter (Mile Relay)
Andy O'Reilly (Two Mile Relay)
Dave Patrick (880 Yards, Two Mile Relay)
Ken Prince (Mile Relay)
Bob Whitehead (Distance Medley Relay)
IC4A Team ChampionÂ
Villanova
IC4A Individual Champions
60 Yard Hurdles (Erv Hall)
600 Yards (Larry James)
Mile (Dave Patrick)
Mile Relay (Hardge Davis, Hal Nichter, Ken Prince, Larry James)
Two MIle Relay (Alan McCafferty, Andy O'Reilly, Craig Nation, Ian Hamilton)
