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History

The 2005 Kansas Relays will mark the 78th edition of this track and field classic. During the three-day meet, over 620 teams and 5,300 high school, college and Olympic-level athletes will fill the University of Kansas's Memorial Stadium with track and field fans. With this state-of-the-art stadium, renewed local support, and a new, aggressive attitude, the KU meet is again living up to its impressive history.

The meet began with the help of legendary Kansas football coach John Outland who was involved with the Penn Relays while growing up in the East. With the help of KU basketball Coach Phog Allen, the first Kansas Relays took place in the then new Memorial Stadium in 1923. The early years featured such great athletes as Tom Poor, Jim Bausch and Glenn Cunningham of Kansas, Ed Weir of Nebraska, Jack Elder of Notre Dame and Tom Churchill of Oklahoma. Equally impressive was the list of meet referees, including the inventor of basketball Dr. James Naismith, KU basketball All-American Adolph Rupp, and Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne.

Program Covers - 1920s  Program Covers - 1930s  Program Covers - 1940s  Program Covers - 1950s  Program Covers - 1960s  Program Covers - 1970s  Program Covers - 1980s  Program Covers - 1990s  Program Covers - 2000s

By the 1950s Coach Bill Easton's crew was an all-star meet all by itself, dominating the Kansas Relays and the entire relays circuit. Athletes like Al Oerter and Billy Mills drew huge crowds to the KU campus and attracted top competition from around the nation. When Bob Timmons took over the reigns of the Jayhawk program in the 1960s, the team didn't miss a beat. Jim Ryun won three consecutive outstanding athlete awards at the Kansas Relays in 1966-67-68 for a Kansas Relays best. The 1970s saw the world's top sprinters come to the Kansas Relays as Missouri standout Mel Gray won three university titles in the 100-yard dash (1969-70-71). In the open 100-yard dash, Olympians John Carlos, Herb Washington and Ivory Crockett each took titles in the early 1970's. Bruce Jenner, the familiar competitor from Graceland College who later gained fame as a 1976 Olympic gold medalist decathlete, was the 1971 titlist as a collegian and also won the 1974 crown. His 8,240 points stood as a record until 1983.

Female athletes made their first appearance in 1962 in a limited number of events. By 1976, a full array of women's events were contested. Perhaps the most dominant performer ever on the women's side was former Nebraska standout and Olympian Merlene Ottey. She won most outstanding performer titles in 1981-82-83, and still owns the 100 and 200-meter dash records. Former Iowa State standout and Olympic gold medallist Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco set a collegiate record in the 400-meter hurdles in 1984.

The Kansas interscholastic meet dates back to 1904 and was once split between large and small school classes. By 1958, all high school athletes competed in the same division, creating one of the best prep meets in the nation with the addition of athletes from bordering states. Now, high school athletes from around the region hope to d get an opportunity to compete against the best at the Kansas Relays. In 2004 athletes from 19 states competed in the event.

The 1980's continued the stream of top athletes to Mount Oread, including a contingent of stars from the Soviet Union in 1983. Many of their top Olympians made the historic journey to Lawrence and smashed several records. In addition, pole vaulter Joe Dial set the university and invitational vault records en route to being named the men's outstanding performer in 1985 and 1987. Dial also was the first high school athlete to be named as the Relays' outstanding performer when he competed for Marlow (Okla.) High in 1980. KU Olympian Scott Huffman etched his name in the Relays history book by being named the outstanding performer in 1988.

The meet fell behind the times in the 1990's and was cancelled in 1998 and 1999 due to renovations to Memorial Stadium. "As qualifying concerns lead to teams chasing marks for nationals, interest in relay events dwindled. And as more sports were added to the public's palate, track and field fell to the background" said current Meet Director Tim Weaver. "The high school aspect of the meet was consistently outstanding, drawing the 24 best athletes in each event from around the Midwest. But the college and elite races suffered some years. Other times the meet on the track was fantastic, but weather and other conditions keep the fans away."

But the 2000 Kansas Relays came back with a vengeance. Fueled by excitement about its return the two-year hiatus and an appearance by Kansas City native and world record holder Maurice Greene, the relays drew a tremendous crowd to Memorial Stadium. With some of the top prep action of the season, outstanding college marks, and a festive environment, the 2000 Kansas Relays made a strong statement about its place on the local sports scene. Under the direction of Weaver, the 73rd annual event began a period of intense refurbishing that has resulted in a new vision for the Kansas Relays and an unparalleled speed of success. Just five years later, the meet is once again one of the premiere athletic events in the nation. The Mega Vision VideoBoard has created quite a buzz as well. With cameras placed all around the stadium, the videoboard is able to present each event live, instant relays from multiple angles, award ceremonies, and on-field interviews in a seamless format. The crowd is treated to a detailed view of each victory or defeat.

The 2001 Kansas Relays, "An Olympic Return," brought over 30 Olympians to Memorial Stadium for the weekend. With a total of nine meet records set, the 74th running of the Relays will certainly go down as one of the best oversall performances in the event's history. The 2002 event celebrated the diamond anniversary of the Kansas Relays in style with a tremendous Friday attendance but ended on a disappointing note when lightening storms led to the cancellation of Saturday's program during the afternoon session. Similar successes were enjoyed in 2003 with record numbers of participants and teams, but again the meet was cut short by weather. But the sun was shining throughout last year's event as 16 meet records were set in front of huge crowds. The performances were so impressive that four athletes of the meet were named instead of the normal two! Also, the university named the first class of the Kansas Relays Hall of Fame.

Now clearly back on track, the 2005 Kansas Relays seeks to continue the recent run of success in building its fan base, increasing the quality of the meet, and rewriting the record books with the GOLD ZONE. The GOLD ZONE will be a collection of feature events full of Olympic athletes on Saturday from 2pm - 5pm. This fan-friendly format for the Saturday finals will be a fast-paced addition to the meet and represents the future of the Kansas Relays.