Our high school 880 relay team ran in the CIF Semi finals in 1961, pretty good for those times when there was only one track final for all the schools in the Southern Section. Each runner ran a half lap, a 220. Almost as important as our speed was the ability to pass the baton from one runner to another. We worked very hard on the baton passes with our coach, Ken Swift. No team except [shudder] San Marino had beaten us all year. As far as the team competition, in 1961, little SPHS had no chance to win a team title against all those bigger schools. Currently there are 5 divisions of CIF, with a champion for each. Then there was only one champion for all of Southern Cal, but of course there are many more schools now. Our relay team contained the only SPHS athletes to make it to the CIF Finals.

I made the CIF semi finals in the 220, but finished 8th. The major reason for that was that there were only eight runners in my heat, although as I recall I did run a good time. I had run last [anchor] on the relay all year, but Coach Swift decided that for us to break the school record, we would have to get a lead, so Paul Johnson started and I ran 2nd. We did get a good position, and at the break to the inside point we were third. I handed to Todd Brem. Todd ran a great leg, but had to dive to barely complete the baton pass to sophomore Bill Patrick. Bill had the misfortune to run anchor against the best runners in the state, including the state champion in the 220, Forrest Beatty of Glendale Hoover. Todd watched Bill run as he skidded along the track, and for his trouble was awarded with strawberries all along his right side, arm and leg and a gash on his leg that required stitches.

Bill ran his fastest leg, but he was our slowest carry and he was passed by several runners including Beatty, who ran 19.9. Bill felt really badly, but no one of us would have done much better against those guys. Coach Swift [great name for a track coach] wrote the splits on the back of the program, which I still have. They were Paul 22.9, Jim 21.9, Todd 23.0 and Bill 23.6 for 1:31.4, a school record. You needed three watches to validate a school record, and the watches read 1:31.2, 1:31.3, and 1:31.4. For some reason, Coach Swift took the slowest of the three times.

We all received gold track shoes as an award for the record, and my wife Sheila still wears mine occasionally on a chain. Aggie Mulhearn and Tamara Asseyev came with our parents, and so shared in the celebration. Still have the baton.

ken swift was the worst track coach i can remember. he had no idea what each track member was capable of performing. he would produce a season pediction of each athletes performance which was just slightly under the top ten best performances of anyone in the cif section! The class of '63 had the finest track team of all time no thanks to him. workouts were close to football-- the big three if someone screwed up-run like a football team. we had Alan Test- a MILER- who asked Swift if he could run aginst Patrick,Vogel,Smith and Dickson- our best sprinters-in practice. well, he ended up running 9.9 and under 22 in the 220-- this was half way thru the season! I was wallowing away in the mile with a best time of 4.49- and that was in practice. Swift couldnt figure out that i could run 60 second quarter miles in practice forever. we had a meet halfway thru the season when our #1 half miler was sick. Swift stuck me in the 880 with instructions to not get in the way of our others guys. i had the outside 8th lane- we came by the quarter mile in 63.i couldnt beleive it-- almost the same time we came thru the first lap of the mile.no one was even close to me as i went to the first lane.the feeling i had was at last i was in an event i loved---next lap 61--a 2:04 first time victory by over 6 seconds in 2nd place.Chaffey relays two weeks later-great competors-we ran the half mile out of the 220 shoot so it was more like a cross country race.Dennis Carr- the national record holder in the mile and 880 finished first but i managed to get fifth in 1:59.6.Ken swift is still teaching in th santa ana school district- a picture of him can be seen on patricia buttresses link on the class of 63. he still looks exactally the same! really enjoyed all your contributions to the tiger blog---what a memory!!

great article, fred. i still recall our all comers 4x100 relay at pcc. dave ran leadoff, greg flint ran second, i "ran" third against russell coe and you ran anchor. i remember getting the baton about 30 yards behind coe and handing it to you with a 80 yard deficit.  steve

As a truly lousy athlete I completely fulfilled my athletic potential by playing trumpet in the band.  I managed to play lead as a junior and senior although Jim Beebe was probably better (and a damn sight better athlete - I think his basketball elbows could cut you). 

I had Shiny Swift for PE as a sophomore.  He and Solari (I suffered in PE with him as a senior) abused us non-athletes.  Neither should possess a credential.  I'm afraid there is no word other than abuse for what they did in PE to those of us who were so remarkably bad as athletes - and I LOVED sports, almost all of them.  The illness seems to go with coaching football as coaches in sports requiring even greater conditioning (swimming, water polo, high altitude mountaineering for example) don't seem to have the same problem.  But, I digress.

To Shiny's credit, as a junior he enabled me to participate in the band.  I had five "solids" plus PE and you had to have a "study" period back then.  I managed to make my study period the same time as Band and was assigned to Swift's study hall.  He permitted me to go to band (for which I received no unit credit since I was "in" study hall) after reporting in to him.  After a month or so he permitted me to just report straight to band.  I still thank him for that opportunity despite his incredibly numerous shortcomings as a coach and a person.  There is some good in everyone.  I just wish that Dr. K, the band leader had done what my daughter's band instructor did with her band - the band announced it would perform at football games when the football team started attending concerts, which, of course, it never did, saving my daughter having to march, every musician's least favorite way to play an instrument.  Anyway, thank you Coach Swift for that opportunity anyway.

Congrats, by the way, to you record holders.