San Diego High and Grossmont were kings of the majors and La Jolla ruled the smaller schools. Hal Norris, Charlie Powell, Jerry Wood and Darnes Johnson were names of note.
It was a solid if unspectacular season in the San Diego area, but Norris, the first of a generation of outstanding shot putters at Grossmont under coach Jack Mashin, won the state championship and had a best throw of 58 feet, 2 1/2 inches.
The canny Mashin, always looking for competitive venues for his athletes, agreed to a meet in Los Angeles with the UCLA freshmen and entered younger shot putter Clyde Wetter in the Fresno West Coast Relays.
San Diego High’s Powell was No. 2 to Norris in the weight event but easily was the area’s premier athlete. He also played baseball, on occasion wearing his flannel uniform and thinclad gear on the same day.
2/24/50
Grossmont won all three divisions, A, B, and C, in the second annual City Relays, a meet in which all field events were scored in aggregate and individual competition was limited to the 120-yard high hurdles and 100-yard dash.
San Diego’s Darnes Johnson won the dash in :10.2 and Jerry Wood of La Jolla set one of five meet records with a :15.1 clocking in the 120 highs.
Grossmont’s Hal Norris, in leading his three-man team to first in the shot put, set a meet record of 56 feet, 8 inches.
Grossmont outscored San Diego, 47-45, in Class A, La Jolla, 54-39, in B, and San Diego 44-34, in Class C.
Eleven schools, from the Coast, Metropolitan, and Southern Prep leagues entered the Balboa Stadium competition.
3/1/50
Hoover and Point Loma each won six events but the Cardinals clinched the 54-50 thriller after taking first and second in the mile, next-to-last event, won by Don Bush in 4:48.9.
–Sweetwater won all but the 440-yard dash and swamped St. Augustine, 90-14. The Red Devils’ Bill Handle high jumped 6 feet.
3/3/50
Chula Vista opened Metropolitan League dual-meet competition with a 74 ½-29 ½ victory over Coronado and Kenny White set a Spartans record with a shot put of 51-9 3/8.
–Sweetwater beat Escondido, 78 ¼-29 ¾, as Billy Howell cleared 12-3 ¼ for a school record in the pole vault.
–La Jolla whipped Kearny, 72-32, with Jerry Wood doubling in the hurdles (:15.6, :21.5) and Dick Blodgett taking the 880 (2:07).
3/8/50
Charlie Powell put the shot 53-7 ½ and Don (Blackie) Norsworthy ran the mile in 4:45.8 as San Diego won a non-league dual with Point Loma in Balboa Stadium, 71 ½-33 ½.
3/9/50
Chuck Embrey hurled the shot 49-4 ½ in La Jolla’s 67 ½-36 ½ win over Sweetwater. Kearny’s Danny Bain, competing in Class B against Escondido, cleared 6-2 in the high jump, compared to the varsity win at 5-8.
3/11/50
Grossmont’s Hal Norris set a Long Beach Relays record of 56 feet, 8 inches in the shot put, bettering his 1949 record of 53-8; Chula Vista’s Kenny White was second (51-10 3/4), and Grossmont’s Clyde Wetter fourth (50-0).
Floyd Hanson of Grossmont tied for second in the pole vault at 12-3. Hoover’s Del Teter tied for second at 5-11 in the high jump.
3/15/50
Writer Gardner Morse of The San Diego Union predicted a 52-52 tie in the Metropolitan League showdown between Chula Vista and visiting La Jolla.
It wasn’t close. Coach Sandy MacLaren’s Vikings won, 66 ½-37 ½, over Forrest Jamieson’s Spartans.
MacLaren surprised when he entered Bill Copnik, who had turned out for baseball, and Jim Ranglos, who was sitting out the spring after playing football and basketball.
Copnik won the high jump at 5-11 ¾ and Ranglos was second at 5-10. La Jolla’s Ted Christman also was a surprising winner at :10.3 in the 100 and :22.4 in the 220 over favored Walt Bubel.
3/18/50
San Diego schools dominated the 29th Southern Counties Invitational at Huntington Beach.
San Diego swept to an 18-point victory with 43 1/5 points in the large schools’ division. Grossmont was fourth with 21 1/2 and Hoover seventh with 10 3/5.
LARGE SCHOOLS
Darnes Johnson won a 220-yard dash heat in :22, and contributed a leg to the winning 880-yard relay team (1:31.6).
San Diego’s Herb McClister won a 440 heat in :52.7 and teammate Howard Simpson was first in the broad jump at 22-1/4.
Del Teter of Hoover took the high jump at 6-2 1/8. Floyd Hanson of Grossmont tied for first at 12 feet in the pole vault.
Hal Norris of Grossmont set a meet record of 56 feet ¾ inch in the shot put, topping the 54-8 1/2 by Anaheim’s Jerry Shipkey in 1943, and was followed by San Diego’s Charlie Powell and Norris’ teammate Clyde Wetter.
SMALL SCHOOLS
La Jolla (29), Kearny (28 1/4), and Chula Vista (28) were 1-2-3. Coronado tied for 11th with 7.
Jerry Wood of La Jolla won the 120-yard high hurdles in :15 and was second in the 180 lows.
John Rushing of Kearny was first in the 180-yard low hurdles in :20.1 and second to a :10.2 100 by Keith Brownsberger of Bonita.
Goodwin of Chula Vista won one of the 880-yard races in 2:06.6. Danny Bain of Kearny was first in the high jump (6-1 1/2).
La Jolla and Chula Vista tied for first in the 880-yard relay in 1:33.8.
3/23/50
Darnes Johnson won the 100 in :10.5, 220 in :22.8 and provided a leg on the winning relay squad (1:33) that decided the Coast League dual at Grossmont in the Hilltoppers’ favor, 55 ½-48 ½.
3/28/50
John Thomas set a San Diego school record of :20.1 in the 180-yard low hurdles and won the shotput at 48-9 ½, and Howard Simpson won the broad jump (20-9) and tied for first in the high jump (5-10) as San Diego won another Coast League dual on the road, 54-50, at Compton.
3/31/50
Grossmont edged Hoover, 52 1/2 -51 ½, and routed Pasadena Muir, 72 1/2-28 ½. in a triangular meet at Hoover, which beat Muir, 71-33.
Hal Norris set a Grossmont record of 57-10 ½, but the Foothillers clinched the meet when Alan Archard, Charles Miller, Clarence Hill, and Mike Martin won the 880-yard relay in 1:33.
–La Jolla set records and almost shut out visiting Escondido, 98-6.
Chuck Embrey’s 51-7 ½ shot put and Dick Blodgett’s 2:03.5 880 were Vikings varsity records, and Bert Rimmer’s 21-5 broad jump established a Class B standard.
–John Holcomb’s 22-3 ½ broad jump and John Benner’s 12-foot, ¼ inch pole vault set Kearny records in the Komets’ 59-45 loss to visiting Point Loma.
–Sammy Woldsdorf broke the Chula Vista record with his :20.5 in the 180 low hurdles.
4/6/50
Losing 83 ½-29 ½ in Los Angeles to the UCLA freshmen wasn’t unexpected, but Grossmont’s Hal Norris, who would go on to compete in football and track at California-Berkeley, was the day’s standout when he hurled the 16-pound, international-weight shot 49-2.
4/11/50
Hoover topped Compton, 63-41, on the Cardinals’ oval and Bill Heaton set a school record of 12 feet, 7 ½ inches in the pole vault.
Hoover’s Don Bush ran the mile in 4:39.6 and Ron Crotts won the broad jump at 21-9 and the 440 in a reported (later disputed) :50 flat.
4/12/50
Grossmont won 11 of 12 events and defeated visiting Pasadena, 93-11. Hal Norris reached 55-7 in the shot put and Floyd Hanson cleared 12 feet in the pole vault.
4/14/50
Hal Norris won the shot put in the Compton Gold Cup Invitational with a 56-foot, 5-inch toss and teammates Clyde Wetter and Ron Humphrey were second and fifth.
The Foothillers were sixth in team scoring with 16 points, behind Long Beach Wilson, the leader with 35 1/2. Kearny and Point Loma tied for ninth with 8 points each.
Point Loma’s Bob Plant ran 4:36.9 in the mile for second and Hal Sweet ran 2:03.1 in the 880 and was third.
Floyd Hanson of Grossmont was second in the pole vault at 12-6, an event in which Kearny’s John Benner set a school record of 12-3 ¼ and tying for third.
4/19/50
Hoover and San Diego met on the same day, in track and baseball.
San Diego won the dual meet at Hoover, 63 2/3-40 1/3, as Darnes Johnson and John Thomas posted double wins in the 100 and 220 and 120-yard high hurdles and 180 lows, respectively.
Johnson ran a :10.3 100 and a not-timed 220, while Thomas was first in the highs in :15.7 and lows in :20.4.
The days’ best mark was by Hoover’s Ron Crotts, who broad jumped 22-10 ¾.
–No double winners but La Jolla routed Point Loma, 73-31, for the Metropolitan League dual meet championship and added B and C titles along the way.
Jerry Wood ran :15.2 in the 120 high hurdles and Burt Rimmer broad jumped 21-11 for the Vikings’. Connie Broome won the 100 for Point Loma in: :10.2.
4/21/50
The first annual Vista Relays featured athletes from Army-Navy, Brown Military, Fallbrook, Mountain Empire, Oceanside, Ramona, San Dieguito, and host Vista.
Escondido outscored Oceanside, 52-51, for the team championship before a gathering described as “800 shivering fans.”
Best individual mark in a meet that featured team aggregate results was the :10.1 100 by Vista’s Dave Pine.
4/22/50
Chula Vista’s Kenny White won the shot put with a throw of 53 feet, ½ inch, and teammate Tom Timmerman won one of two 440 races in :51.7 at the Chaffey Invitational in Ontario.
The Spartans’ Gerrel Prince reportedly was timed in :51.7 in finishing second in the second 440.
4/25/50
San Diego qualified 20 and Hoover and Grossmont 19 each in Coast League trials at Compton.
–La Jolla sent 17 entries forward and Point Loma and Chula Vista 11 each in
Metropolitan League trials at Balboa Stadium.
Dan Bain of Kearny set a Class B record in the high jump finals at 6 feet, 1 ¾ inches. Bob Smerdon of La Jolla was notable with a 50-foot effort in the Class C shot put finals.
4/28/50
San Diego High scored 56 points to runner-up Hoover’s 40, followed by the 38 of Compton, and 26 of 1949 champion Grossmont in the Coast League finals, held on a chilly, rain-threatened afternoon in Balboa Stadium.
Pasadena Muir and Pasadena High brought up the rear with 18 and 1, respectively.
Hilltoppers Hal Espy, John Thomas, and the 880 relay team accounted for three of six meet records.
Espy toured the 440 in :51, Thomas the 180-yard low hurdles in :20, and the relay team of Darnes Johnson, Herb McClister, Frank Johnson, and Espy ran 1:30.4.
Other records were set by Grossmont’s Hal Norris, 56-10 shot put, and Floyd Hanson, 12-10 pole vault, and Muir’s Hank Warner :22 220.
–Kenny White bettered the Metropolitan League meet shot put record with a toss of 54-6 ½, eclipsing the 51-4 ½ in 1946 by George Pinnell of La Jolla.
Jerry Wood of La Jolla was timed in :14.7, breaking the mark of :14.8 by La Jolla’s Art Barnard in 1947 and Wood ran a leg on the winning 880-yard relay team that was timed in 1:31.8.
Chuck Engebretson of Oceanside was a double winner in the 100 (:10.1) and 220 (:22.5).
La Jolla won the team championship in the evening competition at Balboa Stadium with 56 ½ points. Chula Vista had 40 ½, Point Loma 22, Kearny 18, Oceanside16, Coronado 12-1/2, Escondido 8, and Sweetwater 6.
4/29/50
Vista’s Mark Wilson set a Southern Prep League meet record of 4:57.2 in the mile in league finals at Vista.
San Dieguito won the team title with 79 3/4 points to Vista’s 79 and Army-navy’s 71 1/4. Mountain Empire had 19.
5/6/50
As in other CIF sports playoffs, track was in three groups, Northern, Central, and Southern.
Coast League thinclads were competing in the Central Group Divisional at Inglewood.
La Jolla and other Metropolitan League athletes, plus any qualifier from the Southern Prep, was part of the Southern contingent at San Diego State.
Darnes Johnson of San Diego posted career bests of :09.8 in the 100 and :21.4 in the 220 at Inglewood.
Johnson became the fourth Hilltopper to run :09.8, tying the school record jointly held by Jimmy Willson (1929), Mushy Pollock (1933), Glenn Willis (1941) and the third behind Willson and Pollock to run :21.4.
Grossmont shot putter Hal Norris (57-1), San Diego low hurdler John Thomas and quartermiler Hal Espy, and Hoover half milers Milt Hatchell and Phil Selter also won their heats at Inglewood.
Jerry Wood was a double winner at San Diego State, winning his hurdle heats in :14.9 and :20.1 and running a leg as La Jolla won the 880 relay in 1:32.2.
Kenny White of Chula Vista was first with a school record 56 feet, 1 ¾ inches in the shot put.
5/12/50
Grossmont junior Clyde Wetter won the high school shot put in the West Coast Relays at Fresno with a toss of 53 feet, 1 inch.
5/13/50
Glendale outscored San Diego, 34-25, and had 6 qualifiers to the Hilltoppers’ 5 in the Divisional semifinals at Compton.
Darnes Johnson was third to a :09.9 100 by Pasadena Muir’s Hank Warner but Johnson won the 220 in :21.4.
Hal Espy’s :50.7 440 was his best time of the season.
The Hillers’ John Thomas was not listed as qualifying but credited by San Diego High coach Bill Patten with a non-winning :19.5 in the 180 low hurdles. Glendale’s Steve turner set a Southern Section record of :19 flat in the lows.
–La Jolla’s Jerry Wood set the pace with :14.6 in the 120-yard high hurdles and :19.7 in the Southern Group divisional at Riverside Poly. Kenny White of Chula Vista won the shot put at 55-7.
5/20/50
San Diego-area athletes won only two of 12 events but scored in 11 and their 57 points were almost half the possible 121 in the Southern Section finals at Long Beach Wilson.
Hal Norris of Grossmont won the shot put with a school-record throw of 58-2 ½ and the San Diego relay team of Darnes Johnson, Herb McClister, Frank Johnson, and Hal Espy was first in 1:30.8.
Norris led a 1-2-3 finish by area heavyweights. He was followed by Charlie Powell of San Diego, who was second, and Kenny White of Chula Vista, third.
Espy was second in the 440, won in :51.2, and Ron Crotts of Hoover was second in the broad jump, won by Glendale’s Steve Turner, who had a record jump of 24-6 ¼. Darnes Johnson was third in the 100-yard dash and 220, which were won in :10 and :22.3.
Jerry Wood of La Jolla was fourth and fifth in both hurdle races. Malcolm Lewis of Point Loma was fifth and fourth in the hurdles.
Glendale won the team championship with 28 points. San Diego was second with 20. La Jolla had eight, Grossmont 7, Chula Vista 6, Point Loma 5 ½, Hoover 4, Oceanside 3, Coronado 2, and Kearny 1 ½.
5/28/50
Hal Norris of Grossmont was first in the shot put, with Charlie Powell of San Diego second and Kenny White of Chula Vista fourth in 32nd state track meet at Hughes Stadium, Sacramento.
Norris’ winning put was 56 feet, 5 ½ inches, below his best of 58-2 1/2, and was followed by the 55-4 of Powell, and 53-8 of White, who was nosed out for third by the 53-11 of Taft’s Leon Patterson.
A San Diego relay quartet of Darnes Johnson, Frank Johnson, Herb McAlister, and Hal Espy was second in the 880-yard relay in 1:29.8.
Los Angeles Jefferson won the relay in 1:28.6 and ran off with the team title with 40 points. San Diego was fifth with 8.
One small correction about Hal Norris: He played his college football at Cal, not UCLA. He later played a couple of years for the Washington Redskins. I got to know him in the late ’50s when he lived across the street from us in Encanto. His wife worked for my dad in his accounting practice. He, Dad, and I went to the very first Charger game in Balboa Stadium, an exhibition game against the Dallas Texans. It was great to get personal expert commentary from a former NFL player! Later, he owned a construction company that helped build the student union building at Cal.
Thank you, Doug. I must have had UCLA on my mind. I’ll make the correction. Also, the Chargers’ first game in 1961 was against the Houston Oilers. I was there, too. The Chargers won, 27-14, in 93-degree weather under the half-completed upper deck.
You’re right, it was the Oilers. The Texans exhibition game stuck in my mind because, as I recall, it was the one covered by ABC’s Wide World of Sports with a large number of cameras, including one way up in the air on a crane. I remember feeling sorry for the cameraman teetering on that rig!