Eastern Michigan Athletics
Remembering Bob Parks: Week 6
4/15/2021 11:19:00 AM | Men's XC, Men's Track & Field
Hasely Crawford wins gold, 1975-1978
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Despite the graduation of Gordon Minty, Coach Bob Parks looked to have another cross country strong season, especially with the addition of Monroe Community College transfer Joe Caruso.
Eastern Michigan saw some success early on as veteran Tom Hollander finished runner-up at the EMU Open with a 24:20 time with two other harriers followed closely behind. EMU then hosted Western Michigan, with Parks' team thwarting the Broncos 18-40 with Nick Ellis setting a new course record at 24:13.2. However, lack of depth kept meets closer than usual.
While the Green and Gold had a few outstanding runners, the team only got so far without a well-rounded squad. Eastern hosted the 1975 Mid-American Conference Championships, mapping out a six-mile course behind Bowen Field House. Unfortunately, the great crowd and home-field advantage did not result in a trophy for EMU. Parks' team ended up in third place behind Ball State (1st - 48) and Kent State (2nd - 71). Dave Smith captured the individual crown in 29:50 while Ellis grabbed bronze with 30:25, but it was not enough as the next Eastern runner was 22nd.
EMU later placed seventh at the district meet in Bloomington, Ind. hosted by the University of Indiana. Yet, Ellis and Smith both qualified for nationals with their performances. The NCAA title race was hosted by Pennsylvania State University on a wide-open, hilly course. Ellis finished the six-mile course in 29:47 for 49th while Smith was 54th in 29:50.
In the indoor season, the track & field team got off to a hot start at the EMU Invitational. Inside Bowen Field House, the two-mile relay team wowed the home crowd with a first-place finish performance in 7:43.0 from Guy Cole, Craig Gully, Jerry Mojtala, and Mike Arnold. In fact, the sprint medley relay crew and mile-relay squad both won as well. In the field, Carlos Henderson (23'-1.5") took the long jump while football player Ron Gatheright took the shot put (51'-2").
At the Mid-American Conference Invitational, the unofficial indoor league championship meet, EMU totaled 130 points to WMU's 100 for claim indoor supremacy. Inside Read Field House in Kalamazoo, Mich., the Green and Gold swept the three-mile with Hollander (1st -13:43.7), Smith (2nd - 13:51.9), and Rick Goodman (3rd - 13:53.6). Meanwhile, Gatheright tied his own varsity record in the shot put with a heave of 55'-7.75".
As always, Coach Parks' managed to qualify tracksters for the NCAA indoor meet at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Mich. In 1976, Eastern was one of three schools in Division I that qualified for the one-mile relay, two-mile relay, and the distance medley relay. The one and two-mile teams did not advance beyond the prelims, however the DMR crew notched a fourth-place finish in 9:55.4 to wrap up the indoor season.
To open the 1976 outdoor season, EMU went west for a dual meet against Northern Illinois in Dekalb, Ill. Despite the Huskies' decent showing in the field events, Parks' team ran away with the meet, 95-64. Jim Deren paced the Green and Gold 1500m sweep while Smith and Ellis went 1-2 in the 5000m run.
After a trio of dual MAC meets and a few other meets in the Midwest, Eastern Michigan set out to compete for the conference title in Oxford, Ohio. In the heat, EMU got off to a somewhat slow start with all 13 points on day one coming in the six-mile run with Smith grabbing first (29:20.3) while Hollander (30:27.8) and Ellis (30:28.0) took fifth and sixth, respectively. After day one, Eastern led runner-up Western, 13-6.
On this second day, thrower Jim Wetenhall achieved a personal-best heave of 176'-5" in the hammer throw for fourth place. Meanwhile, more preliminary races were held with Eastern Michigan qualifying 12 to Western's 9 for the final day of the championships. That Saturday, EMU grabbed second in the 440-yard relay and first in the pole vault with a 15'-6" performance from Hooker Wellman. The valiant effort by a few individuals helped give Eastern a fight chance, but the team ultimately placed 2nd, falling to Western 107-110. A few of Parks' runners qualified for the NCAAs, however none advanced.
Despite the disappointing finish to the season, Eastern Michigan and its fanbase had something to look forward to that summer; Halsey Crawford at the Summer Olympics. In Montreal, Quebec, the Trinidadian became known as the "fastest man in the world" as he took home the gold in the 100m dash in an astonishing 10.06-second clip.
In the fall of 1976, Eastern Michigan had a large cross country roster to work with, but had to find replacements for Smith, Ellis, and Burkhart who had led the charge over the past few years. Parks and Co. opened up the season in DeKalb, Ill. for a dual meet against Northern Illinois. There, the Green and Gold had no problem taking eight of the first 12 spots.
Weeks later, the team trekked to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to face-off against Central Michigan. Jim Deren and Joe Caruso tied for first as EMU ran away with the meet, 17-46. After a few more tough, hill-filled meets, as well as a few 10K races, Eastern Michigan was prepared to showcase its skills at the MAC title race.
The league championship meet was hosted by Ball State, but the race took place in Eaton, Ind. at the Lakeview Golf Course. There, Caruso battled it out with Western's Tom Duits, the former coming out on top in 31:28. EMU had only been in the MAC race for five years but managed to have an individual earn the crown each time. Unfortunately for Eastern, the fourth and fifth runners on the squad did not have great performances, thus the team finished third overall.
At the regional meet, the Green and Gold had the last laugh, taking fifth place in the race, ahead of BGSU, WMU, and BSU to qualify for the NCAAs. The national title race was held in Denton, Texas where Parks' team finally had the chance to run on a flat course. Against tough competition, EMU ended up in 26th with Caruso pacing Eastern Michigan, finishing 59th.
Early on in the 1977 indoor season, Parks' runners proved to be elite as always. At the Michigan Relays, Eastern Michigan won three relays with the distance medley and mile relay teams qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Later in the season, the school held the EMU Track Classic at Bowen Field House where the team faced a few MAC foes, the University of Kentucky, and even a couple of Canadian schools. The Green and Gold proceeded to win 15 wins, including notching spots 1-4 in the high hurdles.
At the Mid-American Conference Invitational, Parks' team once again asserted their dominance in the league as the team placed in all events except the mile, two-mile, and shot put. Notable event winners were Wes Teeple (pole vault - 16'-0"), Bruce Taylor (60m dash - 6.1), and Jerry Wojtala (880-yard dash - 1:53.7). After the scores were tallied, EMU bested runner-up WMU, 159-108. Sadly though, after great performances at the conference meet and throughout the season, Eastern Michigan did not make it out of the preliminaries at the NCAA meet in Detroit, Mich.
Eastern kicked-off its outdoor slate with a home matchup versus Northern Illinois. The Huskies boasted a solid squad, but EMU handled its business, cruising to a 111-52 victory. Inside Bowen, the Green and Gold captured the high hurdles, pole vault, steeplechase, and more to give the team an easy W.
Later on in the season, Eastern welcomed rival Western Michigan to town. Coming into the meet, the Broncos had enjoyed a 57-straight dual meet win streak. There were close meets between the two institutions in previous years, but Parks' team never managed to pull out a victory. This year was different.
It did not look good for the Green and Gold to start. WMU crushed it in the field, capturing the top spot in several throwing and jumping events. With a win in the steeplechase, Western saw its team hold a healthy advantage over Eastern, 53-28. However, EMU began to turn the tide during the running events, including a sweep in the 100m dash, 200m dash, and 110m high hurdles. It all came down to the mile relay where Parks' tracksters crossed the finish line in 3:18.5 to Western Michigan's 3:19.1.
The Mid-American Conference Championships were held in Athens, Ohio that season, and the first two days of competition did not go as planned for Eastern Michigan. Tom Korpal pulled a muscle during the decathlon which didn't help as the team earned just six points through two days of action, last place in the conference. As always though, the runners came up big time on the third day.
EMU swept the 100m, 200m, and 4x100 events for 58 huge points, giving new life to the team. Then, the Green and Gold started to chip away at their deficit, recording podium finishes in the 110 high hurdles, steeplechase, high jump, 400m, and more. By the end of the meet, Eastern Michigan found themselves on top, 126 to Ohio's 99.5. Parks' had several student-athletes make their way to the NCAA meet in Champaign, Ill., however none of the MAC champions advanced to the finals.
In the fall, the cross country program was without the previous year's top four runners. However, Parks never had to rebuild his teams, he just had to reload. In the offseason, Parks signed N.J. sensation Roger Jones and picked up Mott C.C. transfer John Schulze while veteran Ed Grabowski was elected team captain.
Eastern Michigan opened the season at home in a dual meet against Central Michigan. In the 10K race, Schulze (30:30), Jones (30:43), and Grabowski (30:54) went 1-2-3 while two others in the Green and Gold notched a top-10 finish. Eastern then hosted defending MAC champion Western Michigan where Jones and Schulze came up big again, finishing first and second, respectively. Adding some vital points were Grabowski (fifth), Rick Fethke (ninth), and Wojtala (10th). By the end of the competition, EMU edged WMU 27-28.
The MAC title race was held on the Ottawa Park Golf Course in Toledo, Ohio where inconsistency plagued the harriers. Schulze and Jones both finished in the top-10, however the next three Eastern Michigan runners didn't crack the top-20. Parks' team ultimately ended in fourth place with 119 points with Western taking home the trophy with 52. At the district meet in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Green and Gold did not manage to qualify for the NCAAs as the team finished eighth, missing the cut by three places.
In the indoor season, Eastern Michigan gained experience at the EMU Open where the team won 10 events in the 16-school meet. The shuttle hurdle team captured the event in 28.4 while the distance medley relay team qualified for the NCAA title meet with a time of 9:52.5. At the MAC invitational, Eastern put on a show as they collected 194 points to runner-up Western Michigan's 101. In the mile, Jones and Weaver went 1-2 while Schulze captured the three-mile run. Russel Bailey ran an electric 6.1 in the 60m dash to qualify for the NCAAs.
In Detroit, Mich., a number of Parks' tracksters had admirable performances, however Jeff Dils and the two-mile relay crew were the only ones who placed. Dils recorded fifth-place (48.94) finished in both the 440-yard dash while the relay team (7:36.20) took the same spot.
Early on in the outdoor season, Parks' challenged his team as he scheduled back-to-back meets against MAC competition on consecutive days. First, the Green and Gold squared-off against Central Michigan, a talented throwing team. Despite this, Ernie Demarse and Charlie Grigg went 1-2 in the discus while the team swept the pole vault. Eastern followed this up by slamming the 100m, 200m, and 1500m races. The final score read 94-69 in favor of Parks' run-heavy squad.
In Athens, Ohio, freshmen decathletes Gary Bastien and Dave Gravender displayed their athleticism with Bastien taking gold (7179) and Gravender bronze (6050). For Bastien, his point total was a new varsity record but missed the NCAA qualifying total by 21 points. Meanwhile, other notable performances came from the relay teams, as the team won the 6400m relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Bastien improved upon his performance at the MAC Championships in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Down 31-47 to Western Michigan after two days, Bastien scored big points in the decathlon with a score of 7210. Later, the tracksters went 2-3-4 in the 1500m run while Dils was victorious in the high hurdles with a time of 13.94. Jumper Tim Doyen achieved a personal-best leap of 7'-1" in the long jump to qualify for the national meet as the team started to rack up major points.
Eastern Michigan, though slow to start, won the conference title handily with 156 to Central Michigan's 103. At the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., mistakes plagued the team as the jumpers and vaulters recorded no heights. Bastien ultimately took 17th in the decathlon with 7065 points. The decathlon did not finish until 12:45 a.m., longer than expected. Since the stadium had no lights, thus they lined up cars around the track and brought in portable lights for visibility.
Eastern Michigan saw some success early on as veteran Tom Hollander finished runner-up at the EMU Open with a 24:20 time with two other harriers followed closely behind. EMU then hosted Western Michigan, with Parks' team thwarting the Broncos 18-40 with Nick Ellis setting a new course record at 24:13.2. However, lack of depth kept meets closer than usual.
While the Green and Gold had a few outstanding runners, the team only got so far without a well-rounded squad. Eastern hosted the 1975 Mid-American Conference Championships, mapping out a six-mile course behind Bowen Field House. Unfortunately, the great crowd and home-field advantage did not result in a trophy for EMU. Parks' team ended up in third place behind Ball State (1st - 48) and Kent State (2nd - 71). Dave Smith captured the individual crown in 29:50 while Ellis grabbed bronze with 30:25, but it was not enough as the next Eastern runner was 22nd.
EMU later placed seventh at the district meet in Bloomington, Ind. hosted by the University of Indiana. Yet, Ellis and Smith both qualified for nationals with their performances. The NCAA title race was hosted by Pennsylvania State University on a wide-open, hilly course. Ellis finished the six-mile course in 29:47 for 49th while Smith was 54th in 29:50.
In the indoor season, the track & field team got off to a hot start at the EMU Invitational. Inside Bowen Field House, the two-mile relay team wowed the home crowd with a first-place finish performance in 7:43.0 from Guy Cole, Craig Gully, Jerry Mojtala, and Mike Arnold. In fact, the sprint medley relay crew and mile-relay squad both won as well. In the field, Carlos Henderson (23'-1.5") took the long jump while football player Ron Gatheright took the shot put (51'-2").
At the Mid-American Conference Invitational, the unofficial indoor league championship meet, EMU totaled 130 points to WMU's 100 for claim indoor supremacy. Inside Read Field House in Kalamazoo, Mich., the Green and Gold swept the three-mile with Hollander (1st -13:43.7), Smith (2nd - 13:51.9), and Rick Goodman (3rd - 13:53.6). Meanwhile, Gatheright tied his own varsity record in the shot put with a heave of 55'-7.75".
As always, Coach Parks' managed to qualify tracksters for the NCAA indoor meet at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Mich. In 1976, Eastern was one of three schools in Division I that qualified for the one-mile relay, two-mile relay, and the distance medley relay. The one and two-mile teams did not advance beyond the prelims, however the DMR crew notched a fourth-place finish in 9:55.4 to wrap up the indoor season.
To open the 1976 outdoor season, EMU went west for a dual meet against Northern Illinois in Dekalb, Ill. Despite the Huskies' decent showing in the field events, Parks' team ran away with the meet, 95-64. Jim Deren paced the Green and Gold 1500m sweep while Smith and Ellis went 1-2 in the 5000m run.
After a trio of dual MAC meets and a few other meets in the Midwest, Eastern Michigan set out to compete for the conference title in Oxford, Ohio. In the heat, EMU got off to a somewhat slow start with all 13 points on day one coming in the six-mile run with Smith grabbing first (29:20.3) while Hollander (30:27.8) and Ellis (30:28.0) took fifth and sixth, respectively. After day one, Eastern led runner-up Western, 13-6.
On this second day, thrower Jim Wetenhall achieved a personal-best heave of 176'-5" in the hammer throw for fourth place. Meanwhile, more preliminary races were held with Eastern Michigan qualifying 12 to Western's 9 for the final day of the championships. That Saturday, EMU grabbed second in the 440-yard relay and first in the pole vault with a 15'-6" performance from Hooker Wellman. The valiant effort by a few individuals helped give Eastern a fight chance, but the team ultimately placed 2nd, falling to Western 107-110. A few of Parks' runners qualified for the NCAAs, however none advanced.
Despite the disappointing finish to the season, Eastern Michigan and its fanbase had something to look forward to that summer; Halsey Crawford at the Summer Olympics. In Montreal, Quebec, the Trinidadian became known as the "fastest man in the world" as he took home the gold in the 100m dash in an astonishing 10.06-second clip.
In the fall of 1976, Eastern Michigan had a large cross country roster to work with, but had to find replacements for Smith, Ellis, and Burkhart who had led the charge over the past few years. Parks and Co. opened up the season in DeKalb, Ill. for a dual meet against Northern Illinois. There, the Green and Gold had no problem taking eight of the first 12 spots.
Weeks later, the team trekked to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to face-off against Central Michigan. Jim Deren and Joe Caruso tied for first as EMU ran away with the meet, 17-46. After a few more tough, hill-filled meets, as well as a few 10K races, Eastern Michigan was prepared to showcase its skills at the MAC title race.
The league championship meet was hosted by Ball State, but the race took place in Eaton, Ind. at the Lakeview Golf Course. There, Caruso battled it out with Western's Tom Duits, the former coming out on top in 31:28. EMU had only been in the MAC race for five years but managed to have an individual earn the crown each time. Unfortunately for Eastern, the fourth and fifth runners on the squad did not have great performances, thus the team finished third overall.
At the regional meet, the Green and Gold had the last laugh, taking fifth place in the race, ahead of BGSU, WMU, and BSU to qualify for the NCAAs. The national title race was held in Denton, Texas where Parks' team finally had the chance to run on a flat course. Against tough competition, EMU ended up in 26th with Caruso pacing Eastern Michigan, finishing 59th.
Early on in the 1977 indoor season, Parks' runners proved to be elite as always. At the Michigan Relays, Eastern Michigan won three relays with the distance medley and mile relay teams qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Later in the season, the school held the EMU Track Classic at Bowen Field House where the team faced a few MAC foes, the University of Kentucky, and even a couple of Canadian schools. The Green and Gold proceeded to win 15 wins, including notching spots 1-4 in the high hurdles.
At the Mid-American Conference Invitational, Parks' team once again asserted their dominance in the league as the team placed in all events except the mile, two-mile, and shot put. Notable event winners were Wes Teeple (pole vault - 16'-0"), Bruce Taylor (60m dash - 6.1), and Jerry Wojtala (880-yard dash - 1:53.7). After the scores were tallied, EMU bested runner-up WMU, 159-108. Sadly though, after great performances at the conference meet and throughout the season, Eastern Michigan did not make it out of the preliminaries at the NCAA meet in Detroit, Mich.
Eastern kicked-off its outdoor slate with a home matchup versus Northern Illinois. The Huskies boasted a solid squad, but EMU handled its business, cruising to a 111-52 victory. Inside Bowen, the Green and Gold captured the high hurdles, pole vault, steeplechase, and more to give the team an easy W.
Later on in the season, Eastern welcomed rival Western Michigan to town. Coming into the meet, the Broncos had enjoyed a 57-straight dual meet win streak. There were close meets between the two institutions in previous years, but Parks' team never managed to pull out a victory. This year was different.
It did not look good for the Green and Gold to start. WMU crushed it in the field, capturing the top spot in several throwing and jumping events. With a win in the steeplechase, Western saw its team hold a healthy advantage over Eastern, 53-28. However, EMU began to turn the tide during the running events, including a sweep in the 100m dash, 200m dash, and 110m high hurdles. It all came down to the mile relay where Parks' tracksters crossed the finish line in 3:18.5 to Western Michigan's 3:19.1.
The Mid-American Conference Championships were held in Athens, Ohio that season, and the first two days of competition did not go as planned for Eastern Michigan. Tom Korpal pulled a muscle during the decathlon which didn't help as the team earned just six points through two days of action, last place in the conference. As always though, the runners came up big time on the third day.
EMU swept the 100m, 200m, and 4x100 events for 58 huge points, giving new life to the team. Then, the Green and Gold started to chip away at their deficit, recording podium finishes in the 110 high hurdles, steeplechase, high jump, 400m, and more. By the end of the meet, Eastern Michigan found themselves on top, 126 to Ohio's 99.5. Parks' had several student-athletes make their way to the NCAA meet in Champaign, Ill., however none of the MAC champions advanced to the finals.
In the fall, the cross country program was without the previous year's top four runners. However, Parks never had to rebuild his teams, he just had to reload. In the offseason, Parks signed N.J. sensation Roger Jones and picked up Mott C.C. transfer John Schulze while veteran Ed Grabowski was elected team captain.
Eastern Michigan opened the season at home in a dual meet against Central Michigan. In the 10K race, Schulze (30:30), Jones (30:43), and Grabowski (30:54) went 1-2-3 while two others in the Green and Gold notched a top-10 finish. Eastern then hosted defending MAC champion Western Michigan where Jones and Schulze came up big again, finishing first and second, respectively. Adding some vital points were Grabowski (fifth), Rick Fethke (ninth), and Wojtala (10th). By the end of the competition, EMU edged WMU 27-28.
The MAC title race was held on the Ottawa Park Golf Course in Toledo, Ohio where inconsistency plagued the harriers. Schulze and Jones both finished in the top-10, however the next three Eastern Michigan runners didn't crack the top-20. Parks' team ultimately ended in fourth place with 119 points with Western taking home the trophy with 52. At the district meet in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Green and Gold did not manage to qualify for the NCAAs as the team finished eighth, missing the cut by three places.
In the indoor season, Eastern Michigan gained experience at the EMU Open where the team won 10 events in the 16-school meet. The shuttle hurdle team captured the event in 28.4 while the distance medley relay team qualified for the NCAA title meet with a time of 9:52.5. At the MAC invitational, Eastern put on a show as they collected 194 points to runner-up Western Michigan's 101. In the mile, Jones and Weaver went 1-2 while Schulze captured the three-mile run. Russel Bailey ran an electric 6.1 in the 60m dash to qualify for the NCAAs.
In Detroit, Mich., a number of Parks' tracksters had admirable performances, however Jeff Dils and the two-mile relay crew were the only ones who placed. Dils recorded fifth-place (48.94) finished in both the 440-yard dash while the relay team (7:36.20) took the same spot.
Early on in the outdoor season, Parks' challenged his team as he scheduled back-to-back meets against MAC competition on consecutive days. First, the Green and Gold squared-off against Central Michigan, a talented throwing team. Despite this, Ernie Demarse and Charlie Grigg went 1-2 in the discus while the team swept the pole vault. Eastern followed this up by slamming the 100m, 200m, and 1500m races. The final score read 94-69 in favor of Parks' run-heavy squad.
In Athens, Ohio, freshmen decathletes Gary Bastien and Dave Gravender displayed their athleticism with Bastien taking gold (7179) and Gravender bronze (6050). For Bastien, his point total was a new varsity record but missed the NCAA qualifying total by 21 points. Meanwhile, other notable performances came from the relay teams, as the team won the 6400m relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Bastien improved upon his performance at the MAC Championships in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Down 31-47 to Western Michigan after two days, Bastien scored big points in the decathlon with a score of 7210. Later, the tracksters went 2-3-4 in the 1500m run while Dils was victorious in the high hurdles with a time of 13.94. Jumper Tim Doyen achieved a personal-best leap of 7'-1" in the long jump to qualify for the national meet as the team started to rack up major points.
Eastern Michigan, though slow to start, won the conference title handily with 156 to Central Michigan's 103. At the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., mistakes plagued the team as the jumpers and vaulters recorded no heights. Bastien ultimately took 17th in the decathlon with 7065 points. The decathlon did not finish until 12:45 a.m., longer than expected. Since the stadium had no lights, thus they lined up cars around the track and brought in portable lights for visibility.
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