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Men's Track and Field

Lee Calhoun Memorial Plaza draws attention

MACOMB, Ill.  -  On April 9, 2010, former Western Illinois track and field mentor and Olympian Lee Calhoun was honored in a dedication ceremony of the Lee Calhoun Memorial Plaza, which brought four Olympians, special guests and 200-plus people to campus.

“We are fortunate to have an event like this take place each year,” Western Illinois interim head track and field coach Matt Morris said. “It is such a great honor to have Olympians come to our campus to share their experiences and mentor our student athletes. Having Lee Calhoun associated with our track and field program is a great honor and means a lot.”

The ceremony, held on the track in the North end of Hanson Field, included speakers Dr. Tim Van Alstine, Director of Athletics, Dr. Jack Thomas, Provost and Academic Vice President, Brenda Calhoun Cash, daughter of Calhoun and Daniel Calhoun, son of Calhoun. Gwen Calhoun, the wife of the late Lee Calhoun, presented an award to the winner of the 110-meter hurdles.

After the 21st annual Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational, a banquet was held in Western Hall with former Olympians and track stars Ralph Boston, Josh Culbreath, Hayes Jones, Paul Jones, Willie May and Dave Odegard as guest speakers.

Ralph Boston:
A three-time Olympic medalist, Ralph Boston is considered one of the greatest long jumpers in United States track and field history.

Boston won his Olympic medals in three consecutive Olympics from 1960-68. In Boston's first Olympic appearance, the 1960 Rome Games, Boston won the gold medal along with being named the World Athlete of the Year. In 1964, Boston won a Silver medal at the Tokyo games and in 1968 he won a bronze medal in Mexico City. During this time, Boston was ranked No. 1 in the world in the long jump and was the world record holder.

Boston is a member of numerous halls of fame including: Olympic (1985), Knoxville Sports (1982), Mississippi Sports (1977), U.S. Track and Field (1975) and the NAIA (1973). In 1996, Boston was honored as one of the Olympic flag raisers of the opening ceremonies at the Atlanta games.

After his successful track career came to a close, Boston took to the corporate world, serving in a number of positions before retiring in 2001 as President and CEO of Servicemaster Services in Stone Mountain, Ga. He currently resides in Peachtree City, Ga.

Josh Culbreath:
Josh Culbreath won the Bronze medal  in the 400 meter hurdles at the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne, Austraila. His 300 yard oval grass track time in that same year set a world record. One year later, Culbreath set another world record in the 440 yard hurdles in Oslo, Norway.

Culbreath participated in the first USA vs. USSR track meet in 1958, taking second in the 400 meter hurdles in Moscow, Russia. In 1959 he took second in the same competition held in Philadelphia, Pa.

A graduate of Morgan State University, Culbreath was inducted into MSU's Hall of Fame in 1975. He is also a member of halls of fame with Black Athlete in New York, Norristown, Penn. (hometown) and the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1993 Culbreath became the first USA head coach of men's and women's track and field to win both indoor and outdoor National (NAIA) Titles. He currently serves as a consultant to institutions of higher education.

Hayes Jones:
Hayes Jones was considered one of the best hurdlers in 1960. He burst onto the national scene when he skirted over the 110-meter hurdles at the Rome Olympics, earning a bronze medal for his effort. In 1964, he cemented his claim to greatness with a gold medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics. After returning to the U.S., Jones donated his gold medal to his native Pontiac, Mich., in hopes of inspiring the youth of the community to achieve their dreams.

He held a consecutive win streak of 56 races against the world's top amateurs. He led Eastern Michigan to an upset win over heavily favored Indiana in a dual meet held March 1, 1958, at Bowen Field House. A 19-year-old sophomore at the time, Jones tied the world record in the 60-yard dash of 6.1 seconds and came back to set a new American record in the 70-yard low hurdles with a time of 7.6 seconds. Jones also finished in a three-way tie for first in the high jump and added a second-place finish in the long jump.

Honors for Jones include the Helms Athletics Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, the Michigan Hall of Fame, Eastern Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame, the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Drake Relays Hall of Fame and the Pontiac Central High School Hall of Fame in Pontiac, Mich.

Paul Jones:
Paul Jones, a native of Detroit, lettered two seasons in track at Wayne State (1962-63) as one of the team's top hurdlers and sprinters during WSU's membership in the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC).

Jones led a contingent of Tartars to the 1963 Penn Relays, track's most prestigious event each season. Running the 120-yard high hurdles, he got off to a slow start as the last man over the hurdle, but came back to finish first in 14.2. Jones' time erased a 26-year old team record held by Hall of Fame member Al Tolmich.

Before his pair of PAC titles, Jones won two conference championships at Eastern Michigan as the Hurons won back-to-back conference titles from 1961-62.

He came within one spot of competing for the 1960 U.S. Olympic trials in the 110-meter high hurdles as he finished fifth in the semifinals of the 72nd National AAU Championships. In his last competitive meet before retiring, Jones won the 110-meter high hurdles in 13.9 in the 1967 Ohio Relays.

Jones taught in the Detroit public school system and is now active in his church. He and his wife, Norma, reside in Battle Creek, Mich.

Willie May:
Willie May hurdled his way to the Silver medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome just behind Lee Calhoun. He won all three of his preliminary heats in the 110-meter high hurdles.

A seven-time Big Ten track champion at Indiana University, May became a NCAA All-American in 1959. He won the Big Ten indoor high hurdle title in 1959 and the Big Ten outdoor hurdle titles in 1957, 1958 and 1959. He still holds the Hoosiers' record in the 110-meter high hurdles.

The IU Athletic Hall of Famer retired from his running career in 1964, but went on to coach for 45 years.

He founded the boys track and field program at Richards High School in 1967 and became head coach at Evanston High School in 1976, guiding Evanston to  the Class AA State title in 1979. He coached 19 sectional-title winning teams, 46 state medalists and served 17 years as athletic director at Evanston. May was later inducted into Evanston's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Dave Odegard:
Dave Odegard, a two-sport star in track and field and football during his high school years in Minnesota, was a star high hurdler.  In 1957, Odegard was the Minnesota high school state champion in the high hurdles, which then helped him receive an athletic scholarship to the University of Minnesota. 

In 1959, Odegard placed third at the Drake Relays, one of the biggest outdoor meets in the nation, in the high hurdles behind Hayes Jones and Willie May.  He was also the high hurdle runner-up at the 1959 Big Ten Championships.  1960 was a special and memorable year for Odegard as he burst onto the track and field scene putting his name on the map.  That year, Odegard claimed the Drake Relays high hurdle event, along with being the Big Ten high hurdle champion during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.  At the 1960 NCAA Championships, Odegard took a second-place finish in the high hurdles and was selected as an all-American.

Following the NCAA Championships, Odegard competed in the 1960 United States Olympic Track and Field Trials finishing sixth.  Lee Calhoun won the event followed by May and Jones.  At the end of the 1960 season, Odegard was ranked 12th in the world in the high hurdles by Track & Field News.

Odegard was inducted into the Minnesota Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2003.
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