Eastern Michigan Athletics
Remembering Bob Parks: Week 9
5/6/2021 9:42:00 AM | Men's XC, Men's Track & Field
Three NCAA event titles in two season, 1983-1985
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- In the fall of 1983, Head Coach Bob Parks was tasked with producing another talented cross country team despite losing a handful of stellar runners. Additionally, the Mid-American Conference coaches picked his team to finish second overall (tied with Central Michigan). But Parks and his team did not shy away from the challenge.
At the annual EMU Open, against local schools and a few track clubs, Mark Smith paced all runners in 25:46 while teammate Scott Millis was third as an unattached runner. Eastern built upon its success moving forward as it defeated Ball State (18-45), Michigan State (23-35), and Western Michigan (22-39) in the span of a few weeks.
However, just as the team was getting into a rhythm, disaster struck. One harrier suffered a season-ending ankle injury while another solid performer was found to be academically ineligible. Thus, depth became an issue.
At the MAC Cross Country title race, that lack of depth showed. Smith earned a second-place finish at the race as Pat McGinnis took 13th. From there the next EMU harrier fell to 29th as the team ultimately placed sixth overall. Things didn't get any better at the NCAA regional meet with Parks' team finishing 12th out of 19 teams. Despite the disappointing season, the track & field program looked to turn things around.
The 16th annual EMU Invitational was another strong opening for Parks' tracksters. Earl Jones qualified for the NCAAs in the 600-yard dash (1:09.80) and was runner-up in the two-mile race (9:10.7). Teammate Mike Calhoun also qualified for the national meet as he achieved a 47.19 time in the 400m dash. In the field, Dennis Lewis blew away the competition by recording a 7'-4.5" long jump.
Weeks later, the team trekked to Kalamazoo, Mich. for the Western Michigan Relays. There, Eastern Michigan made history in the sprint medley relay. Calhoun ran the first leg of the race, finishing the 400m in 47.7 seconds. Sprinters Darron Witherspoon and Darryl Curry both ran the 200m legs in 21.9 and 21.5, respectively. Jones anchored the relay, running the last 800m in a remarkable 1:47.6. In total, the crew registered a time of 3:18.7, a new world record.
EMU continued to build on its success as it came time for the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships. Inside Bowen Field House, the Green and Gold cruised to a 159.5-133 victory over WMU. Across all the events, Parks' squad won eight, finished runner-up in five, and earned bronze in six. During the title meet, Jones set a school record in the 1000m race, crossing the finish line in 2:20.83.
At the NCAA indoor meet, held in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., Eastern made a big leap. Despite failing to place in the 500m and 1500m races, Parks knew the team had a chance to do something special in the distance medley relay. Joe Codrington took the first leg, running a steady 800m time of 1:53.5 to barely trail Nebraska's crew. "Codgie" handed off to freshman Erik Frederick sprinted in a 47.8 clip in the 400m as EMU was right on the Cornhuskers' heels. In the 1200m section, Dan Shamiyeh's 2:57.5 helped put the Green and Gold within striking distance. Shamiyeh gave the baton to Jones for the final 1600m. Jones found himself in a tight race with a runner from Wisconsin, however, on the last turn, he emptied the tank to capture the school's first individual national championship since 1975.
His split time of 4:01.5 helped EMU set a new meet and Carrier Dome record of 9:40.18. Additionally, this was the first time in NCAA DI history that a collegiate team from Michigan won a relay event. The 10 points earned in that event resulted in a tie for a 12th place finish in the team standings. Now it was time for the outdoor season.
Parks' took 30 student-athletes down to Athens, Ohio for the Ohio University Relays. There, EMU captured three relay titles (4x800, 4x400, and sprint medley relay) despite being without Curry. In the week leading up to the meet, Curry suffered a back injury and would miss most of the outdoor slate.
At the Dogwood Relays in Knoxville, Tenn., Jones won the 800m dash in an EMU-record 1:48.23. Meanwhile, teammate Shamiyeh qualified for the NCAAs in the 5000m race where he placed eighth in 13:55.38. Weeks later, at the Kentucky Relays, Jones improved his 800m dash time to 1:46.88 for a new program record.
Leading up to the conference meet, Eastern Michigan prepared themselves by competing in a triple-dual meet at home against Central Michigan, Kent State, and Western Michigan. Parks' team handled their MAC foes, winning 13 events against WMU, and 12 against both CMU and KSU.
The MAC outdoor meet was hosted by Kent State University where the Green and Gold looked to defend their crown. On the first day of competition, Smith pulled off a major upset in the 10,000m race as he defeated Jeff Drenth, the favorite from the Chippewas' squad with a PR of 29:30.73. The following day, Kyle Cooley and Eric Durak placed third and fifth, respectively, in the decathlon. Smith returned on day No. 2 to win his third-straight steeplechase in a stadium-record 8:48.94 time.
More points came from on track as Eastern went 1-3 in the 1500m race and 1-3-4 in the 400m dash. Smith continued to earn big points for EMU as he took second in the 5000m (14:30.8) while Shamiyeh grabbed fourth (14:37.26). With members of the Green and Gold picking up points in practically every event, Eastern Michigan scored a whopping 194.3 points. In fact, the 1984 outdoor track & field team still owns the Mid-American Conference record for widest margin of victory at 99 points. Western Michigan finished second with 95.3.
Parks went on to take Jones and Shamiyeh to the NCAA Outdoor Championships held in Eugene, Ore. Jones once again set a new varsity record in the 800m race as he sprinted home in 1:45.79 for second place. Shamiyeh ran hard in the 5000m showdown but found himself running on the outside of the pack which resulted in him running 14:24.48 to round out the top-10.
The harriers opened up the 1984 cross country season going 1-2 in the EMU Open as Smith (25:25) and Millis (25:55) led the way. A trio of Green and Gold runners also made their way in the top-10 in the five-mile run. Weeks later, Smith won the five-mile race in a double-dual meet against Michigan State and Western Michigan, crossing the finish line in 25:10.
EMU dominated Ball State in October, scoring a perfect 15 points in the double meet with Parks' team notching the top-seven spots. The fiver-miler was paced by Millis (25:55), followed by Chris Los (26:01), and Kevin Hurley (26:10). Unfortunately, the team did not look as sharp as hoped for at the MAC title race.
In Toledo, Eastern did not fare well in the 10K competition. Smith once again led the EMU harriers but managed just an 11th-place finish in 31:09 while McGinnis was 16th (31:31). Thus, the Green and Gold produced a fifth-place team performance with 99 points. Miami captured the cross country crown with 40 points as they saw three harriers in the top-four. Smith and McGinnis were also the top-two runners at the district meet in Illinois. There, the pair achieved 22nd and 37th, respectively, as the team placed 13th out of 18 programs.
In spite of a disappointing cross country season, the track & field team looked sharp and ready to go in the winter of 1985. Inside Bowen Field House, Eastern Michigan hosted the 17th annual EMU Invitational small regional teams, including Canadian schools, in attendance. Calhoun took home the invitational 400m dash title in 47.12 as Jones took the 800m run in 1:48.02. The team running events dominated as always with the shuttle hurdle relay team (29.6) and the distance medley relay team (10:00.9) both triumphing.
At the Michigan State Relays, Eastern had balanced success across the board. In the field, jumpers Marvin Jenkins and Terry Beauford went 1-2 in the long jump, respectively, while Anthony Abbett took the high jump. The distance medley relay quartet of Carl Johnson, Calhoun, P.J. Osika, and Jones earned gold in 9:49.96.
Western Michigan hosted MAC Indoor Championships inside Read Fieldhouse where EMU hoped to continue its dominance over the league. However, Parks' group was ultimately edged by the home team Broncos, 159-164. It was a tight meet all around as the two went back-and-forth in event victories. Jones notched a win in the 800m (1:52.49) and 1500m (3:46.94) races while Calhoun achieved the best time in the 400m dash (47.0). However, the distance medley relay team underperformed, mustering a fourth-place finish in 10:11.4.
Though the loss stung, there was hope for a strong showing at the NCAA's inside the Carrier Dome. Luckily, Earl Jones brought his A-game. The Chicago native helped bring unprecedented attention to Eastern Michigan University and he was victorious in the 800m run, sprinting to an incredible 1:47.26 for a new American record. The time was over two seconds faster than his preliminary time of 1:49.56. EMU attempted to build upon this energy heading into the outdoor season.
In a double-dual meet against Bowling Green State (host) and Toledo, Parks' tracksters bested both teams as they tallied 89.5 points. In total, the Green and Gold captured 10 events, with Jones claiming a pair. Later, at Miami's invitational meet, Jones cruised to an 800m win as James Franklin showed out in the shot put, launching a 51-foot toss.
Eastern then went on to square off against two other MAC opponents in another double-dual meet: CMU and WMU. EMU was able to handle the Chips, 109-54, but fell to the Broncos, 72-91. At the Kanley Track in Kalamazoo, Jones hit his usual quota of two event victories (800m and 1500m). Meanwhile, Millis earned the 3000m steeplechase crown (9:00.0) and Will Hamilton took the 400m dash (47.4). The squad of Jess Smith, Hamilton, Johnson, and Jones pulled out a victory in the 4x400m relay as well in 3:14.7. Lastly, in the field, Beauford produced a leap of 50'-10" for the triple jump title.
Parks' team then made its way to Kalamazoo for the outdoor MAC meet where once again, Eastern and Western duked it out. On the track, Jones doubled down with the 800m and 1500mto give his squad some breathing room. Additionally, Calhoun grabbed the 400m dash (47.28) while Glen Williams took the intermediate hurdles (52.16). Later, the tracksters ran away with the 4x400m relay in 3:08.95, nearly five seconds faster than the runner-up team.
However, the Green and Gold were not as dominant in the field, winning just one event as Anthony Abbott paced the field in the high jump (7'-0"). Without strong performances in the field, EMU could not secure a victory. Therefore, Eastern Michigan fell to Western Michigan, 131-169. But there was still hope for a great showing at the NCAAs.
Austin, Texas was the site of the outdoor championships, held inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. There, Earl Jones struck gold once more. In the 800m race, Jones stunned his competitors as he clocked in at 1:45.12, almost a full second faster than the second-place finisher. The clip earned him his second individual national title and marked a new stadium record. Jones later placed sixth in the 1500m run, crossing the finish line in 3:43.25.
This concluded another memorable year for Head Coach Bob Parks and the program. In the offseason, Parks looked to reload and recharge for the upcoming cross country and track & field seasons.
Be sure to follow along in the following weeks as we continue to take a deep dive into Bob Parks' legacy at Eastern Michigan University.
At the annual EMU Open, against local schools and a few track clubs, Mark Smith paced all runners in 25:46 while teammate Scott Millis was third as an unattached runner. Eastern built upon its success moving forward as it defeated Ball State (18-45), Michigan State (23-35), and Western Michigan (22-39) in the span of a few weeks.
However, just as the team was getting into a rhythm, disaster struck. One harrier suffered a season-ending ankle injury while another solid performer was found to be academically ineligible. Thus, depth became an issue.
At the MAC Cross Country title race, that lack of depth showed. Smith earned a second-place finish at the race as Pat McGinnis took 13th. From there the next EMU harrier fell to 29th as the team ultimately placed sixth overall. Things didn't get any better at the NCAA regional meet with Parks' team finishing 12th out of 19 teams. Despite the disappointing season, the track & field program looked to turn things around.
The 16th annual EMU Invitational was another strong opening for Parks' tracksters. Earl Jones qualified for the NCAAs in the 600-yard dash (1:09.80) and was runner-up in the two-mile race (9:10.7). Teammate Mike Calhoun also qualified for the national meet as he achieved a 47.19 time in the 400m dash. In the field, Dennis Lewis blew away the competition by recording a 7'-4.5" long jump.
Weeks later, the team trekked to Kalamazoo, Mich. for the Western Michigan Relays. There, Eastern Michigan made history in the sprint medley relay. Calhoun ran the first leg of the race, finishing the 400m in 47.7 seconds. Sprinters Darron Witherspoon and Darryl Curry both ran the 200m legs in 21.9 and 21.5, respectively. Jones anchored the relay, running the last 800m in a remarkable 1:47.6. In total, the crew registered a time of 3:18.7, a new world record.
EMU continued to build on its success as it came time for the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships. Inside Bowen Field House, the Green and Gold cruised to a 159.5-133 victory over WMU. Across all the events, Parks' squad won eight, finished runner-up in five, and earned bronze in six. During the title meet, Jones set a school record in the 1000m race, crossing the finish line in 2:20.83.
At the NCAA indoor meet, held in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., Eastern made a big leap. Despite failing to place in the 500m and 1500m races, Parks knew the team had a chance to do something special in the distance medley relay. Joe Codrington took the first leg, running a steady 800m time of 1:53.5 to barely trail Nebraska's crew. "Codgie" handed off to freshman Erik Frederick sprinted in a 47.8 clip in the 400m as EMU was right on the Cornhuskers' heels. In the 1200m section, Dan Shamiyeh's 2:57.5 helped put the Green and Gold within striking distance. Shamiyeh gave the baton to Jones for the final 1600m. Jones found himself in a tight race with a runner from Wisconsin, however, on the last turn, he emptied the tank to capture the school's first individual national championship since 1975.
His split time of 4:01.5 helped EMU set a new meet and Carrier Dome record of 9:40.18. Additionally, this was the first time in NCAA DI history that a collegiate team from Michigan won a relay event. The 10 points earned in that event resulted in a tie for a 12th place finish in the team standings. Now it was time for the outdoor season.
Parks' took 30 student-athletes down to Athens, Ohio for the Ohio University Relays. There, EMU captured three relay titles (4x800, 4x400, and sprint medley relay) despite being without Curry. In the week leading up to the meet, Curry suffered a back injury and would miss most of the outdoor slate.
At the Dogwood Relays in Knoxville, Tenn., Jones won the 800m dash in an EMU-record 1:48.23. Meanwhile, teammate Shamiyeh qualified for the NCAAs in the 5000m race where he placed eighth in 13:55.38. Weeks later, at the Kentucky Relays, Jones improved his 800m dash time to 1:46.88 for a new program record.
Leading up to the conference meet, Eastern Michigan prepared themselves by competing in a triple-dual meet at home against Central Michigan, Kent State, and Western Michigan. Parks' team handled their MAC foes, winning 13 events against WMU, and 12 against both CMU and KSU.
The MAC outdoor meet was hosted by Kent State University where the Green and Gold looked to defend their crown. On the first day of competition, Smith pulled off a major upset in the 10,000m race as he defeated Jeff Drenth, the favorite from the Chippewas' squad with a PR of 29:30.73. The following day, Kyle Cooley and Eric Durak placed third and fifth, respectively, in the decathlon. Smith returned on day No. 2 to win his third-straight steeplechase in a stadium-record 8:48.94 time.
More points came from on track as Eastern went 1-3 in the 1500m race and 1-3-4 in the 400m dash. Smith continued to earn big points for EMU as he took second in the 5000m (14:30.8) while Shamiyeh grabbed fourth (14:37.26). With members of the Green and Gold picking up points in practically every event, Eastern Michigan scored a whopping 194.3 points. In fact, the 1984 outdoor track & field team still owns the Mid-American Conference record for widest margin of victory at 99 points. Western Michigan finished second with 95.3.
Parks went on to take Jones and Shamiyeh to the NCAA Outdoor Championships held in Eugene, Ore. Jones once again set a new varsity record in the 800m race as he sprinted home in 1:45.79 for second place. Shamiyeh ran hard in the 5000m showdown but found himself running on the outside of the pack which resulted in him running 14:24.48 to round out the top-10.
The harriers opened up the 1984 cross country season going 1-2 in the EMU Open as Smith (25:25) and Millis (25:55) led the way. A trio of Green and Gold runners also made their way in the top-10 in the five-mile run. Weeks later, Smith won the five-mile race in a double-dual meet against Michigan State and Western Michigan, crossing the finish line in 25:10.
EMU dominated Ball State in October, scoring a perfect 15 points in the double meet with Parks' team notching the top-seven spots. The fiver-miler was paced by Millis (25:55), followed by Chris Los (26:01), and Kevin Hurley (26:10). Unfortunately, the team did not look as sharp as hoped for at the MAC title race.
In Toledo, Eastern did not fare well in the 10K competition. Smith once again led the EMU harriers but managed just an 11th-place finish in 31:09 while McGinnis was 16th (31:31). Thus, the Green and Gold produced a fifth-place team performance with 99 points. Miami captured the cross country crown with 40 points as they saw three harriers in the top-four. Smith and McGinnis were also the top-two runners at the district meet in Illinois. There, the pair achieved 22nd and 37th, respectively, as the team placed 13th out of 18 programs.
In spite of a disappointing cross country season, the track & field team looked sharp and ready to go in the winter of 1985. Inside Bowen Field House, Eastern Michigan hosted the 17th annual EMU Invitational small regional teams, including Canadian schools, in attendance. Calhoun took home the invitational 400m dash title in 47.12 as Jones took the 800m run in 1:48.02. The team running events dominated as always with the shuttle hurdle relay team (29.6) and the distance medley relay team (10:00.9) both triumphing.
At the Michigan State Relays, Eastern had balanced success across the board. In the field, jumpers Marvin Jenkins and Terry Beauford went 1-2 in the long jump, respectively, while Anthony Abbett took the high jump. The distance medley relay quartet of Carl Johnson, Calhoun, P.J. Osika, and Jones earned gold in 9:49.96.
Western Michigan hosted MAC Indoor Championships inside Read Fieldhouse where EMU hoped to continue its dominance over the league. However, Parks' group was ultimately edged by the home team Broncos, 159-164. It was a tight meet all around as the two went back-and-forth in event victories. Jones notched a win in the 800m (1:52.49) and 1500m (3:46.94) races while Calhoun achieved the best time in the 400m dash (47.0). However, the distance medley relay team underperformed, mustering a fourth-place finish in 10:11.4.
Though the loss stung, there was hope for a strong showing at the NCAA's inside the Carrier Dome. Luckily, Earl Jones brought his A-game. The Chicago native helped bring unprecedented attention to Eastern Michigan University and he was victorious in the 800m run, sprinting to an incredible 1:47.26 for a new American record. The time was over two seconds faster than his preliminary time of 1:49.56. EMU attempted to build upon this energy heading into the outdoor season.
In a double-dual meet against Bowling Green State (host) and Toledo, Parks' tracksters bested both teams as they tallied 89.5 points. In total, the Green and Gold captured 10 events, with Jones claiming a pair. Later, at Miami's invitational meet, Jones cruised to an 800m win as James Franklin showed out in the shot put, launching a 51-foot toss.
Eastern then went on to square off against two other MAC opponents in another double-dual meet: CMU and WMU. EMU was able to handle the Chips, 109-54, but fell to the Broncos, 72-91. At the Kanley Track in Kalamazoo, Jones hit his usual quota of two event victories (800m and 1500m). Meanwhile, Millis earned the 3000m steeplechase crown (9:00.0) and Will Hamilton took the 400m dash (47.4). The squad of Jess Smith, Hamilton, Johnson, and Jones pulled out a victory in the 4x400m relay as well in 3:14.7. Lastly, in the field, Beauford produced a leap of 50'-10" for the triple jump title.
Parks' team then made its way to Kalamazoo for the outdoor MAC meet where once again, Eastern and Western duked it out. On the track, Jones doubled down with the 800m and 1500mto give his squad some breathing room. Additionally, Calhoun grabbed the 400m dash (47.28) while Glen Williams took the intermediate hurdles (52.16). Later, the tracksters ran away with the 4x400m relay in 3:08.95, nearly five seconds faster than the runner-up team.
However, the Green and Gold were not as dominant in the field, winning just one event as Anthony Abbott paced the field in the high jump (7'-0"). Without strong performances in the field, EMU could not secure a victory. Therefore, Eastern Michigan fell to Western Michigan, 131-169. But there was still hope for a great showing at the NCAAs.
Austin, Texas was the site of the outdoor championships, held inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. There, Earl Jones struck gold once more. In the 800m race, Jones stunned his competitors as he clocked in at 1:45.12, almost a full second faster than the second-place finisher. The clip earned him his second individual national title and marked a new stadium record. Jones later placed sixth in the 1500m run, crossing the finish line in 3:43.25.
This concluded another memorable year for Head Coach Bob Parks and the program. In the offseason, Parks looked to reload and recharge for the upcoming cross country and track & field seasons.
Be sure to follow along in the following weeks as we continue to take a deep dive into Bob Parks' legacy at Eastern Michigan University.
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