 | Olympiad alumnus Frank Shorter was joined by current members of the Yale track and field team at the dedication. |
Holding his gold medal from the 1972 Olympics, Frank Shorter '69 -- Yale's most famous runner -- ran a lap by himself to celebrate the dedication on Feb. 12 of the new banked track that bears his name in the University's William Clay Ford '48 Track & Field Center at Coxe Memorial Cage.
Then, for his second lap, Shorter was joined by every member of the current Yale men's and women's track and field teams, who took part in the ceremony while in the midst of a competition with Harvard and Princeton.
The Frank Shorter '69 Track, built through the generosity of Donald M. Roberts '57, honors the former Yale cross country captain, NCAA champion and two-time Olympic medalist. At the 1972 Munich Games, Shorter became the first American to win the marathon in 64 years, and he later received the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. He also won a silver medal in the marathon at the 1976 Montreal Games.
"We are grateful for the generosity of Don Roberts, who has enabled us to have a state-of-the-art facility that will enhance the experience for our student-athletes as well as all the other athletes who compete at this facility," said Tom Beckett, director of athletics. "This is a tremendous addition to Yale's impressive list of athletic venues."
Roberts, a New York native who has completed 29 Boston Marathons and five New York Marathons, is former vice chair of the United States Trust Company of New York and ex-chair of the New York Roadrunners Club. He ran his first marathon in 1973, motivated by Shorter's performance at Munich the year before.
"Yale does a great deal of community outreach with the [Coxe] Cage, and I hope this will enhance the effort," said Roberts of his gift for the new track. "Frank Shorter is one of Yale's great athletic heroes, and this is a great way to honor him."
At the dedication, Roberts also read a letter from his friend, the track-and-field legend Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes. Barrister congratulated the University and Roberts and mentioned his links to Yale over the last 57 years.
Shorter was introduced by his former Yale teammate, current track and field coach Mark Young, who said, "It is a privilege and honor to participate in the dedication of this facility. Thirty-six years ago in this building, Frank Shorter won the mile in the H-Y-P [Harvard-Yale-Princeton] meet with a 4:06.8. Later that year he won at the NCAAs and three years later, the gold medal. His path began here and it's only fitting that this be named in his honor.
In his speech, the Olympic champion thanked Roberts and praised his former head coach at Yale, Bob Giegengack.
"His spirit is one that pervades this facility," Shorter said. "He would teach you how to coach yourself and that's what I did. It never dawned on me that I would be coming back to Yale under these circumstances.
"They are going to pump so many people through this facility," Shorter continued, referring to Yale's outreach in the community and the interest in the facility as a site for collegiate events. "Don't worry, it won't wear out that fast," he quipped.
During his address, Beckett invited city schoolchildren to use the facility. He extended that invitation through New Haven Schools superintendent Reginald Mayo, who was in the audience.
Yale is only the second Ivy League school to install a permanent banked track. The 200-meter Mondo oval and infield includes eight lanes for both sprints and hurdles, increasing the facility's ability to host championship events.
The dedication marked the second naming of an athletics facility in the Roberts family. Don Roberts' father-in-law is the namesake for Harvard's Albert H. Gordon Indoor Track and Tennis Center. The 103-year-old Gordon recently hosted the annual Al Gordon 15K race in Central Park and may serve as a starter for a race in which expected competitors include his daughter, Mary Roberts, as well as Don Roberts and the couple's son, John Roberts, who was a varsity runner at Harvard University before graduating in 2002. Shorter is also expected to compete in that race.
-- By Steven Conn, director of sports publicity
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