A Tribute to Larry James
by Walt Murphy
It was an event as thrilling and memorable
as a day at the Olympics. And no
wonder--everywhere you looked, there were
Olympians, many of them medalists.
Hosted by The Richard Stockton College of
New Jersey, an estimated 1,000 people showed
up on December 1 to pay tribute to 2-time
Olympic medalist �Mr. G. Larry James� for
his �Four Decades of Excellence�. (James won
gold[4x400] and silver[400] medals at the
1968 Olympics in Mexico City)
It became apparent during the afternoon that
James, the Dean of Athletics and
Recreational Programs and Services at the
school, had touched the lives of many people
over the years and the word �love� was used
by just about everyone who spoke of their
relationship with the former Villanova
Wildcat.
This was the kind of tribute normally
reserved for someone who has passed away. In
fact, an equally moving affair had been held
just a few days earlier at the NY Athletic
Club in honor of the late Al Oerter. But
James, a member of USATF�s Hall of Fame, got
to hear first-hand all of the wonderful
things that people had to say about him. And
you�d never know that he was facing an
uphill battle against cancer. As if he
wanted to let everyone know it was OK to
enjoy the day, he had a smile on his face
from the moment he walked into the Sports
Center until the affair ended some three
hours later.
One of the first speakers was Ed Kehe,
James�s coach at White Plains H.S. in NY.
Kehe spoke of James�s all-around talent,
citing his ability in the 180y and 330y
hurdles and the triple jump, as well as the
long sprints. Said Kehe, �Larry, you�re my
hero, I salute you for a life well-lived�.
James was a key member of White Plains teams
that set long-standing National Records in
the 880y and mile relays in 1966.
Dave Patrick, the captain of the Villanova
team in 1968, when James was a sophomore,
said, �Jumbo (Elliott) is looking down on
you, busting out with pride�, referring to
the legendary Wildcat coach.
Patrick spoke of James approaching him early
in the 1968 indoor season concerning the
teams� planned participation in the NYAC
meet in Madison Square Garden. This was a
tumultuous time, when the battle for civil
rights was raging, and James was concerned
about the team supporting an event sponsored
by a club that had discriminatory policies
at the time. Patrick called a team meeting
to discuss what the team should do and the
vote was 17-0 in favor of boycotting the
meet. The united team became known as
�Jumbo�s Togetherness Troupe�. (The NYAC has
come a long way since then--its new Athletic
Director is African-American)
Patrick, the 1968 NCAA Champion in the
1500-meters, then talked about the 1968 Penn
Relays, the setting for one of James�s most
memorable races. Villanova had already won 4
Relays titles, but their quest for an
unprecedented 5th win would have to come at
the expense of favored Rice in the mile
relay, the final event of the weekend.
Said Patrick, �28,000 fans (with most
rooting for the hometown Wildcats) were just
waiting for this event. Rice�s Dale Bernauer
had a 15-yard lead going into the anchor
leg, but you could see by the look on his
face that nothing would stop Larry. The roar
of the crowd was unbelievable--deafening�.
James not only caught Bernauer, he never let
up and went on to win by about 10 yards.
(see link below for photo)
Sitting in the stands, Patrick and other
Wildcats checked their watches to see what
James�s split was. They all had the same
thought--�I must have messed up--no one can
run that fast�. �And then�, continued
Patrick, �we hear Jack O�Reilly (the late
�Voice of the Relays�) say, �Larry James
just ran 43... and you couldn�t hear the
rest, the roar was so loud�. James had run
an incredible 43.9 anchor (for yards!), the
fastest relay split in history at the time.
James was encouraged by his teammates to
take a victory lap in front of the thousands
of fans who were still buzzing about James�s
incredible performance.
Patrick concluded his time at the microphone
by telling James that Erv Hall, one of his
1968 teamates (and the Olympic silver
medalist in the 110-hurdles) had a gift for
him. James had to be convinced it wasn�t a
practical joke, but then opened the box to
find a Villanova warmup shirt, emblazoned
with his worthy nickname, �The Mighty
Burner�, and his Penn split--43.9y. At that
point, all of his Villanova teammates stood
up, each holding their own copy of the
shirt.
Next to speak was another Villanova alum,
Don Bragg, the 1956 Olympic gold medalist in
the pole vault. Bragg, who hired James in
1972 when he was the Athletic Director at
Stockton, said to his former employee, �I�d
like to repeat the words of Johnny
Weissmuller, who said...�--and then
proceeded to give his patented Tarzan yell,
much to the delight of James and the rest of
the crowd. (Bragg had aspirations to play
the jungle role made famous by Weissmuller)
Unable to attend due to a conflict with
the group�s Annual Meeting, which was being
held at the same time in Hawaii, USATF CEO
Craig Masback offered his tribute in a
video. Masback, who followed James at White
Plains H.S., related how he was one of three
8th--graders who got to ask James questions
after he returned home from the 1968
Olympics. Masback then praised James for his
contributions to USATF, which include his
roles as Team Manager at the 2003 and 2005
World Championships and Budget Chairperson.
�We wouldn�t be the same organization
without you�, said Masback.
A poster was then displayed that featured
the signatures of many USATF members who had
to be at the Annual Meeting. The poster was
brought from Hawaii by Accusplit�s Steve
Simmons, who was instrumental in bringing
together many of the athletes for the
occasion.
Simmons, an ardent supporter of the idea
that the 1968 U.S. Olympic team was the
�greatest in history�, told of a
conversation he had with Michael Johnson,
the world record holder at 400-meters.
Referring to the likes of James, Lee Evans,
and Tommie Smith, Johnson said to Simmons,
�You don�t think I could beat those guys, do
you?�. Simmons, not looking to deflate MJ�s
sense of his place in the history of the
400, just said with a smile, �Let�s not go
there�.
One of the many highlights of the afternoon
came when his relay teammates from Mexico
City--Vince Matthews, Ron Freeman, Lee
Evans-- got up as a group to offer their
comments.
Matthews, who competed against James in high
school, said he understood the term �The
Mighty Burner�. �Larry delivered smooth,
efficient, heat�.
Evans, who beat James for the Olympic gold
medal in the 400 in 1968, first saw his
future teammate run at the 1968 Millrose
Games, where he won the 500y. �I said to
myself, �He�s pretty smooth�, and found
myself admiring him. Then I realized he
might be running the 400 outdoors. I asked
Jumbo Elliott, �What�s this kid going to run
outdoors?�. He just smiled, but when I got
back to California, I increased my training
regimen�. (James had been considered more of
a prospect in the 400-meter hurdles entering
the 1968 season)
to page 2
