Eastern Michigan Athletics
Track Hall of Famer James Grant to be Honored at 2014 Penn Relays
4/21/2014 1:57:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, General
Jamaican native's relay team celebrates 50th anniversary
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (EMUEagles.com) — When the Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team travels to Philadelphia, Penn. to compete in the storied Penn Relay Carnival, April 25-26, one former member of the Green and White will be inducted into the Penn Relays Wall of Fame as part of the Class of 2014.
Former track standout James Grant will receive posthumous recognition for his participation in the 1964 440-yard relay. Before donning the Green and White at Eastern Michigan, Grant was a member of the inaugural Kingston College High School 440-yard relay team that finished in 42.7 seconds. While not a meet record, it marked the first appearance of a team from Jamaica in a championship race at the Relays. Grant, along with Rupert Hoilette, Ken Keyes, and Lennox Miler, began a tradition at the Relays that has endured for 50 years. To this day, Kingston College is still an active participant in the annual Carnival.
During his time as an Eagle, Grant received NAIA and NCAA Division II All-American honors, specializing in the 400m hurdles, 400m dash, and was a key member of the 4x400m relay teams. A captain of the 1970-71 then-Huron track teams, his mark of 51.14 in the 400m hurdles stands as the fourth-best time in EMU laurels. Grant took his All-American honors in the indoor 400m and the outdoor 400m hurdles, in which he notched a third-place finish at the national championship meet. He also garnered NCAA Division II accolades for his efforts in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. In the 1970 season, Grant ran on a world record-setting 4x200m team along with Bill Tipton, Ian Hall, and Eugene Thomas, finishing in 1:26.74 inside Bowen Field House.
Grant went on to become the Jamaican 400m hurdles national record holder and was a six-time representative for Jamaica at the Pan American Games and the Commonwealth Games. His induction into the EMU Hall of Fame came in 1991, while he was an assistant coach at the University of Iowa. He continued to coach, serving his final appointment in an 11-year tenure as the head women's track and field coach at Iowa (1997-2007) until his death on July 23, 2007. At the helm of the Hawkeye program, Grant coached 15 All-Americans, 26 Big Ten champions, three NCAA Midwest Regional champions, 28 all-region selections, and 81 NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers.
His legacy at EMU was a memorable one, as Hall of Fame coaching legend Bob Parks spoke fondly of his former athlete. "He was a great guy, great team man and leader, popular with his teammates, and remained close to me," commented Parks, who last spoke with Grant the day before he passed. "Jimmy is in our Hall of Fame and was appreciative of the honor, and he is deserving of the Penn Relays honor." After a two-year battle with cancer, Grant passed away at age 60. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Grant.
2014 Penn Relay Carnival Wall of Fame Inductees
1914 Oxford University 4-mile relay team: George Sproule, David Gaussen, Norm Taber, Arnold Jackson
1939 Pitt 880-yard relay team: Frank Ohl, Al Ferrara, Larry Tregoning, John Woodruff
1964 Kingston College High School 440-yard relay team: Jim Grant, Rupert Hoilette, Ken Keyes, Lennox Miller
2003 LSU women's shuttle hurdles team: Raynish LeBlanc, Tiffany Robinson, Zamyal Jackson, Lolo Jones
Earl Thomson, Dartmouth '22
Mike Stahr, Georgetown '88
Anthony Washington, Syracuse '90
Cheryl Taplin, Louisiana State '94
Former track standout James Grant will receive posthumous recognition for his participation in the 1964 440-yard relay. Before donning the Green and White at Eastern Michigan, Grant was a member of the inaugural Kingston College High School 440-yard relay team that finished in 42.7 seconds. While not a meet record, it marked the first appearance of a team from Jamaica in a championship race at the Relays. Grant, along with Rupert Hoilette, Ken Keyes, and Lennox Miler, began a tradition at the Relays that has endured for 50 years. To this day, Kingston College is still an active participant in the annual Carnival.
During his time as an Eagle, Grant received NAIA and NCAA Division II All-American honors, specializing in the 400m hurdles, 400m dash, and was a key member of the 4x400m relay teams. A captain of the 1970-71 then-Huron track teams, his mark of 51.14 in the 400m hurdles stands as the fourth-best time in EMU laurels. Grant took his All-American honors in the indoor 400m and the outdoor 400m hurdles, in which he notched a third-place finish at the national championship meet. He also garnered NCAA Division II accolades for his efforts in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. In the 1970 season, Grant ran on a world record-setting 4x200m team along with Bill Tipton, Ian Hall, and Eugene Thomas, finishing in 1:26.74 inside Bowen Field House.
Grant went on to become the Jamaican 400m hurdles national record holder and was a six-time representative for Jamaica at the Pan American Games and the Commonwealth Games. His induction into the EMU Hall of Fame came in 1991, while he was an assistant coach at the University of Iowa. He continued to coach, serving his final appointment in an 11-year tenure as the head women's track and field coach at Iowa (1997-2007) until his death on July 23, 2007. At the helm of the Hawkeye program, Grant coached 15 All-Americans, 26 Big Ten champions, three NCAA Midwest Regional champions, 28 all-region selections, and 81 NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers.
His legacy at EMU was a memorable one, as Hall of Fame coaching legend Bob Parks spoke fondly of his former athlete. "He was a great guy, great team man and leader, popular with his teammates, and remained close to me," commented Parks, who last spoke with Grant the day before he passed. "Jimmy is in our Hall of Fame and was appreciative of the honor, and he is deserving of the Penn Relays honor." After a two-year battle with cancer, Grant passed away at age 60. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Grant.
2014 Penn Relay Carnival Wall of Fame Inductees
1914 Oxford University 4-mile relay team: George Sproule, David Gaussen, Norm Taber, Arnold Jackson
1939 Pitt 880-yard relay team: Frank Ohl, Al Ferrara, Larry Tregoning, John Woodruff
1964 Kingston College High School 440-yard relay team: Jim Grant, Rupert Hoilette, Ken Keyes, Lennox Miller
2003 LSU women's shuttle hurdles team: Raynish LeBlanc, Tiffany Robinson, Zamyal Jackson, Lolo Jones
Earl Thomson, Dartmouth '22
Mike Stahr, Georgetown '88
Anthony Washington, Syracuse '90
Cheryl Taplin, Louisiana State '94
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