A promising Class B 660 yards runner in 1964 who bypassed cross-country for football in the fall, Chula Vista junior Tim Danielson ran down defending state champion Mike Ryan and scored a stunning, 20-yard victory in the mile in the 47th state meet, defying the evening heat of Bakersfield.
Danielson’s time of 4:08 was a meet record and fastest ever by an 11th grader in prep competition. Tactically, Danielson was perfect.
Ryan, from Santa Clara Wilcox, forced the pace as most observers expected, running :58.4 in the first quarter, 2:01 at the half mile, and 3:04 for the 1320, but it became apparent that Danielson could win if he stayed close.
RYAN GASSED
“I could tell with about 220 yards to go he was getting tired,” Danielson said of Ryan. “I wasn’t really too tired, but that’s about the hardest race I’ve had.”
“I thought Tim had a better chance if the pace was fast like that; he could stay with him and outkick him,” coach Harry Taylor told me.
Danielson’s last lap was a comparatively slow :63, “but he wasn’t all out,” said Taylor. “He was just following Ryan until the last 150 yards.”
Since late February, when Danielson set a school record of 4:25, he had cut an astonishing 17 seconds off his best time.
NEW EVENT
The two-mile, occasionally run in summer all-comers’ meets or other off-beat competitions, became a staple.
The difference between winning or losing in dual meets went from 52 and a fraction points to 57.
2/23/65
Silas Gross won the 120-yard high hurdles in :15.3, 180 lows in :19.3, and anchored his team to a 1:32.7 victory in Morse’s 78-35 dual meet win over Castle Park.
2/26/65
Lee Damron broke a 26-year-old San Diego High record of 1:59 in the 880-yard run with a 1:58.6 in the Cavers’ 74-51 win at El Capitan.
Jim Brewer broke two minutes for the Hilltoppers in the 1939 Southern Section finals.
–Tim Danielson set a Chula Vista record of 4:25 and Crawford’s Dave Colegrove hurled the shot a record 53-8 ½. Crawford won, 79-35.
–Arnie Robinson’s 6-foot, 5 ½-inch high jump tied for the fifth highest in County history. Hoover’s Eddy Hanks cleared 6-9 ¾ and Lyle Hull 6-6 in 1964, Hoover’s Jack Razzeto 6-5 ¾ in 1948, and San Diego’s Bob Logan 6-5 ½ in 1938.
Robinson, who topped 6-5 as a sophomore in 1964, also won the long jump at 22-9 ½ and Morse defeated Mar Vista and Vista, 76-36-33.
–Pierre Frazier edged Kearny’s Bobby Johnson in a :09.8 100, :22.1 220, and 21-10 long jump, and Hoover won, 71-42.
3/2/65
Byron Olander of Helix ran the 100 in :09.7 and his brother Rick cleared 12-11 ¾ in the pole vault to break the school record of 12-7, set in 1956 by Jim Duea.
Byron also won the 440 in :51.4 as the Highlanders defeated Escondido, 81-32.
3/9/65
Mike Singletary came close to another vintage San Diego High record, racing the 440 in :49.5 as Singletary closed in on Norman Stocks’ record of :49.3 in 1946. San Diego beat Madison, 79-34.
3/12/65
Pierre Frazier won the 100 (:09.8), 180-yard low hurdles (:19.7), long jump (22-3 ½), and anchored Hoover’s 1:32.1 relay win that clinched a 61-52 victory over Point Loma.
Granite Hills’ sophomore George Brown heaved the shot 55 feet, 4 ¾ inches, in a 75-47 win over Monte Vista. Grossmont’s Ed Speed had set a sophomore record of 56-5 in 1960.
—Hilltop’s Terry Rogers posted the fastest 880 of the season, 1:56.6 but the Lancers dropped an 80-33 decision to Sweetwater.
—Tim Danielson clipped 5 seconds off his Chula Vista mile record with a 4:20 in the Spartans’ 58-55 loss to Oceanside.
3/14/65
Point Loma’s Ron Hawkins hoisted the school record to 13-6 ¾ in the pole vault against Hoover, bettering Bruce Long’s 13-5 in 1962.
3/19/65
Pierre Frazier leaped 24 feet, 5 ½ inches in Hoover’s 94-22 win at St. Augustine, breaking Willie Steele’s school record of 24-3/4 in 1941.
3/20/65
Twenty-eight schools entered the 11th annual South Bay Relays at Sweetwater.
Helix’ Byron Olander beat San Diego’s Rex Williams and Hoover’s Pierre Frazier in a :09.7 100. Frazier won the large schools long jump at 23-9 ¾. Helix won that division with 50 points to San Diego’s 39.
–Granite Hills outscored Sweetwater, 41-37 ½, with Madison at 37 to win the medium schools competition.
The Eagles’ Tim Schraeder won the 100 in :10 and George Brown the shot put at 54-6 ½.
–Lincoln ran away with the small schools title with 61 points to La Jolla’s 30.
Mar Vista’s Mike Lemons pole vaulted 14-3 ½ to break the record of 13-5 ¼ by Lincoln’s Vic Montano in 1964.
4/5/65
The meet didn’t come down to the relay, which San Diego won in 1:31.2, and Hoover held on for a 57-56 victory over the Cavers.
Competition originally was scheduled at Hoover but wet grounds forced a postponement and a shift of sites to Balboa Stadium’s new, all-weather track.
A second delay of a couple days was necessary because Hoover did not have suitable shoe spikes for the asphalt (officially Grasstex) layout.
Hoover’s Pierre Frazier was the difference, winning the 100 in :09.8, 220 in :22, and long jump at 23-6.
A 4:29.9 victory in the mile by Don Walker and a first place and third place in that race got the Cardinals over the top. Hoover led, 49-48, entering the next-to-last event.
—Jay Elbel was second in the 220, won the 880 in 1:57.8, and anchored a 1:31.9 relay victory but Madison was short in another 57-56 battle against Mission Bay.
4/6/65
Mount Miguel edged Grossmont, 63-59, coming from a 58-50 deficit late in the day by going 1-2 in the mile and then a foursome of Tom Howard, Dain Demery, Mike Lybrand and John Trask won by 15 yards in a 880 relay school record 1:30.8.
4/17/65
Byron Olander won the 100 in :09.7, ran a :21.1 220 leg on Helix’ eight-man mile relay that set a record of 3:00.2, and a :50.3 anchor in a 3:23.9 four-man mile relay win.
Olander was selected athlete of the meet in the sixth annual San Diego Relays in Balboa Stadium. Lincoln dominated, winning seven events, including :42.9 and 1:28.6 in the 440 and 880 relays.
Chula Vista’s Tim Danielson stepped out of the mile and won the two-mile in 9:26.6.
Athletes vied in seeded (those with leading marks entering the meet) and rated competition.
UNOFFICIAL
Kearny’s Carl Giesser tied with three others at 13-6 in the relays’ pole vault. Given an extra trial Giesser cleared the height and went on to negotiate 14 feet, 7 ½ inches, a record in the County but not considered because of the fourth attempt at the lower height.
4/20/65
Michael Singletary’s :48.3 quarter mile bettered the County record of :48.5 by Hoover’s Tom Agsten in 1963 but Lincoln won, 67-46.
4/27/65
Rudy Silas would represent Lincoln in the state meet long jump, but he was third to teammates Greg Stewart (23-5) and Barry Brinson (22-11) in the Hornets’ 82-31 win over Crawford.
Kearny’s Carl Giesser officially cleared 14 feet in the pole vault against Mission Bay, which won, 66-47.
4/30/65
Facing East with prevailing winds from the West, Morse’s layout for sprints, hurdles, and some jump competition invited outstanding results in those events, but with an asterisk or disclaimer.
San Diego’s 67-46 victory at the Skyline campus on the last day of the regular season included:
–A :09.9 100 and :21 flat 220 by the Cavers’ 440-yard dash ace Michael Singletary.
–:14.3 in the 120-yard high hurdles by Morse’s Harold Burt and :19.1 in the 180 lows by teammate Jerry Daniels.
–A 23-9 ½ long jump by San Diego’s Doyle Steel, for whom Steel’s 6-4 high jump couldn’t be attributed to the hefty breezes.
Most impressive, non-wind mark of the day probably was Morse’s 1:29.8 victory in the 880-yard relay.
5/7/65
LEAGUE TRIALS
And Finals would be held at the same sites.
EASTERN, @BALBOA STADIUM
Lincoln led all qualifiers with 28, followed by San Diego and Crawford, 17 each, Hoover (15), Morse (13), and St. Augustine (3).
AVOCADO, @SAN DIEGUITO
Vista’s Rick Fox ran his 880 heat in 1:58.8 breaking the record of 2:00.4 by Poage of Oceanside in 1963.
WESTERN, @KEARNY
Point Loma led with 21 qualifiers, followed by Mission Bay (17), Madison and Clairemont, 16 each, La Jolla (14) and Kearny (12).
Frank Heitman of Clairemont logged the mile in 4:28.9.
GROSSMONT, @GROSSMONT
Sophomore George Brown hurled the shot 57-10 ½ and El Capitan pole vaulter Andy Steben set a league record of 14 feet, 2 3/8 inches.
Brown’s teammate Arasmus Okware ran :49.7 in the 440.
Dual-meet champion Helix led with 18 qualifiers, with Mount Miguel and El Cajon Valley next at 14 each followed by Grossmont, 13, Granite Hills, 10, El Capitan, 5, and Monte Vista, 3.
METROPOLITAN, @SWEETWATER
The host Red Devils, backed by David Barajas’ 440 (:51.2), and 220 (:23.1) led with 26 qualifiers.
Chula Vista’s Tim Danielson set the pace with a 4:12.8 mile, almost 13 seconds faster than in the school-record 4:25 on Feb. 26.
Joe Brooks, the coach of sophomore star Armando Valencia at El Cajon Valley, said Danielson “can do anything.”
“He’ll make these guys look sick in the state meet,” said Brooks. a former distance runner at San Diego State. “If this kid Ryan (who has run 4:10.4) runs 4:06, Danielson will run 4:04.”
5/14/65
FINALS
WESTERN
Four league records were set and one tied as Mission Bay outscored Point Loma, 56-53, for the team championship. La Jolla had 28, Madison 25, Clairemont 18, and Kearny 11.
100—Rick Tauber, Mission Bay, :09.9.
Mile—Jeff Dragila, La Jolla, 4:27.5.
120HH—Dee Hayes, Mission Bay, :14.8.
180LH—Sam Fernandez, Mission Bay, :19.6 (tied).
Two-Mile—Lane Mason, La Jolla, 9:29.9.
EASTERN FINALS
Michael Singletary circled the Balboa Stadium track in :48.5 for one of three meet records.
Lincoln’s Otis Martin logged 9:41.3 in the first-time run two-mile and St. Augustine’s John Lewis turned 4:23 in the mile.
St. Augustine’s Tom Eklund clocked 1:55.6 in the 880 and San Diego overtook Lincoln in a 1:28.8 relay.
Lincoln scored 60 points, Hoover 35, Morse and San Diego 27 each, Crawford 23, and St. Augustine 12.
GROSSMONT
Rick Heisel of Helix set a 180-yard low hurdles of :20.1 and also won the 120 highs (:15.1). With sprinter Brian Olander sidelined with a muscle pull, the Highlanders needed Heisel’s double.
Helix scored 52 points to 48 by Granite Hills, which emerged as a threat to the city schools in the big meets coming up.
The Eagles’ Tim Schraeder won the sprints in :10 and :21.7 and anchored a 1:30.5 victory in the relay. Arasmus Okware won the 440 in :50.3 and George Brown took the shot put at 57-9 ½.
METROPOLITAN
Sweetwater ran away with the team title with 55 points to Hilltop’s 31.
David Barajas won the 440 in :50.3 and contributed to a 1:31.3 victory in the 880 relay. Burte Jackson won the 180-yard low hurdles in :20.4 and long jump at 21-11. Ward Ring’s :14.9 topped 120 high hurdlers.
Tim Danielson won the mile in 4:13.3 and Hilltop’s Terry Rogers set an 880-yard record of 1:55.2.
PALOMAR
Carlsbad’s 68 points set the pace, almost doubling that of runner-up Ramona, which had 39.
AVOCADO
Brent Rowlett’s 1:56.8 880 was the outstanding performance as Oceanside won the team title with 65 points to runner-up Vista’s 45.
Vista’s Dave Funderburk, defending Section champion, hampered by shin splints and feet soreness late in the season, won the mile in 4:21.9.
5/20/65
SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS
Eastern, Grossmont, Avocado, and Southern League qualifiers met in Balboa Stadium, where sophomore Armando Valencia of El Cajon Valley ran a 4:14.7 mile and defeated Dave Funderburk, who ran 4:15.2.
Helix led with nine qualifiers, followed by Granite Hills, 7, Lincoln and Morse, 6 each, Hoover, 5, and San Diego, 3.
5/21/65
Tim Danielson was running to where no San Diego athlete had gone, leaving records smoldering beneath his rapid legs.
The Chula Vista junior qualified with a scorching 4:08.7 in the trials involving entries from the Metropolitan, Palomar, and Avocado League.
5/28/65
Tim Danielson won the mile in 4:09.9, temporarily surrendering the spotlight to Granite Hills, which made history and won the team championship before about 6,200 persons in Balboa Stadium.
The Eagles became the first team not identified as Lincoln or San Diego to win since the Section’s first championship in 1961.
Coach Rudy Friberg’s squad clinched with 26 points when anchorman Tim Schraeder brought the baton home in the 880-yard relay in 1:28.6. George Brown took the shot put at 56-11.
Helix’ Byron Olander was idle with a muscle pull and out of title contention. Lincoln was second with 23 points, followed by Morse , 22, Helix, 16, Hoover, 12, Point Loma and San Diego, 10 each.
COMPETITION FIERCE
The 880 was the showcase event as the first five finishers ran with marks that had been bettered only five times in area history.
Terry Rogers of Hilltop was the winner in 1:53.2, followed by Joe Gerry, Point Loma, 1:54.7; Tom Eklund, St. Augustine, 1:54.9; Rick Fox, Vista, and Nelson Edwards, Helix, each 1:55.2.
Records:
440—Michael Singletary, San Diego, :48.
Two-Mile—Otis Martin, Lincoln, 9:17.7.
120HH—Harold Burt, Morse, :14.4 (tie).
180LH—Silas Gross, Morse, :19.2 (tie).
6/5/65
STATE TRACK TRIALS, @BAKERSFIELD
Tim Danielson led a group of eight San Diego Section qualifiers in trials of the 47th CIF State track meet on a 90-degree afternoon at Bakersfield College.
Danielson took the lead on the last lap of his mile heat and won in 4:15.2. Lincoln high jumper Phillip Shelley tied with 12 others at 6 feet, 4 inches.
Pole vaulters Mike Lemons of Mar Vista (13-3) and El Capitan’s Andy Steben, who took only one jump in four hours and cleared 13-0, also moved on.
Michael Singletary of San Diego was second in :48.9 in one heat of the 440 and El Cajon Valley’s Armando Valencia was second his mile test in 4:16.3. Bobby Johnson of Kearny was second in a 220 in :21.6 and Lincoln long jumper Rudy Silas tied for fifth at 23-7.
NONQUALIFIERS
120 high hurdlers Harold Burt, Morse, fifth in heat, :14.7; Lincoln’s Ted Scales, seventh in heat, :14.7;
Granite Hills’ Tim Schraeder and John Silva of University, each eighth in 100-yard dash heats in :10.3, Schraeder ninth in :21.7 in 220;
Morse’s Silas Gross (:19.1) and Hoover’s Pierre Frazier (:19.5), fifth and fourth in 180-yard low hurdles;
Hilltop’s Terry Rogers (1:54.6), fourth and Joe Gerry (1:56.2), sixth in 880 heats;
Shot putters George Brown of Granite Hills’ (55-10 ¾) and Dave Helton of Mar Vista (53-4 ½) unplaced;
Lincoln (1:29), sixth and Granite Hills (1:29.4), fourth in 880-yard relay heats;
Discus throwers Johnson, Granite Hills (152-1) and Dave Helton, Mar Vista (144-3), ninth and 12th.
6/6/65
STATE FINALS
Danielson’s star was soaring. See introduction.
San Diego’s Mike Singletary struggled in the stretch but gutted up for a 440 second-place :47.6, to the :47.4 of Garden Grove Bolsa Grande’s Randy Julian.
Andy Steben of El Capitan tied for third with three others in the pole vault at 14-1.
