Track and Field 75th Anniversary

By Joy Nalywaiko

This year marks a milestone for Anderson University’s men’s track and field team; it’s the 75th anniversary of the program at AU. The team began in 1930 with only a few men competing against a local high school and has grown over the decades to a team of honor and prestige.

Back when the school was called the Anderson College Tigers, a group of young men formed the first track team. George Montague was the first coach and by 1935, the team consisted of five men with Cecil Brown as the first team captain.

Over the years, Anderson track and field has produced numerous All-Americans and has been named Conference Champions 19 times since 1980. Coach Larry Maddox, who is in his 29th year as head coach, is the first coach to be head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams.

“The biggest highlight of coaching would be watching student athletes come in and surprise themselves with what they’ve accomplished,” he says. “It is an ongoing thing every year, to see them reach their goals, and to see them reach beyond what their goals were.”

Frank Runion BA ’90 was a three-time All-American for indoor track, a two-time All-American for outdoor track, and placed 2nd in the 5,000-meter race at the nationals in Texas in 1990. “I had a lot of fun during my four years on the team, and Coach Maddox molded a lot of people’s lives. He is a great man,” says Runion.

Sean Thompson BA ’05, a long-distance runner who has participated all four years, has learned a lot about himself, thanks to his teammates. “It is hard to explain what it is like to be part of a team such as this one until you’ve run as hard as you can, left everything on the track, and just as you’re about to collapse, one of your teammates is there to pick you up, support you, and congratulate you on an all-out effort,” he says. “Being a part of winning conference the past three years and building on the legacy of track teams that have been put together in the past 75 years has been an incredible privilege and honor.”

To commemorate the 75th anniversary, a six-ton piece of granite was placed by the track listing all of the conference championship team years for the men’s and women’s teams. The team has come a long way since it started in 1930, and junior Kyle Weller, who participates in the 3000-meter steeple chase and distance events, is glad to be a part of the team.

“Nowhere else am I challenged physically, mentally, and spiritually like I am every time I put on my running shoes for a hard workout. I run for the love of the sport and because I’ve been given a great talent and the coaches know how to bring it all out of me so I can reach my potential,” he says.