Late on day three of the 1979 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships on a cold, wet day at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, a small group of men in green and white were closing in on a feat that wouldn’t be equaled for at least another 40 years.
“I remember it to this day,” says All-American sprinter George Crunkleton. “Coach Lennox walked across the field to the start line with me for the 200-meter final. He said ‘George, if you win this race, we’re going to be national champions.’ I looked at him and said ‘Coach, we’re going to be national champions, because I am not going to lose this race.”
Crunkleton kept that promise when he stormed through the line to win his third individual title to give Slippery Rock a total of 48 points in the team standings, locking up the first NCAA team championship in school history.
More than 40 years later, that trophy remains as the only NCAA National Championship trophy in the trophy cases at Morrow Field House.
“It felt anti-climactic in a lot of ways,” says former head coach and SRU athletic director Bill Lennox from his home in Hollywood, Florida. “Our guys always preferred the conference meet because the whole team was there and we all got to compete together. The national meet was just a select group of guys. On top of that, the weather was miserable all weekend, there weren’t many people in the stands and there was no fanfare when we got home because the semester had already ended and the students were gone. I would say winning the conference meet in 1978 and again in 1979 probably meant more to those guys at the time. I don’t think any of us really realized back then how significant of an accomplishment they put together that weekend in Ohio.”
A total of six men combined to score the 48 points that won Slippery Rock the team national title in 1979, but a lot of things had to fall into place over the four years before that weekend for it to all come together.
Slippery Rock began building the foundation for a run at the national title four years before Crunkleton crossed the line in that 200-meter final, ironically the same spring that SRU hosted the NCAA Division II National Championships in 1976.
It just so happened, the 1976 spring season was the freshman year for John Papa, Rick Davanzati, Mark Harvey, Tom Jacob and Keith Hunter, names that would combine with Tom Campion, Linford Jones, Jim Stitt, Don Johns and Crunkleton to make up the core of a dominant force just a couple short years later.
One name missing from that roster in 1976 was Crunkleton, who originally chose rival Edinboro.
“At the time, Edinboro was one of the top Division II teams and they were running in some major meets against Division I teams,” recalls Crunkleton from his office outside Denver, Colorado. “I had aspirations of being one of the best sprinters in the country, so I chose to go to Edinboro so I could compete in those high-level meets against top competition.”
While Crunkleton was racking up All-America honors just an hour north of Slippery Rock, Bill Lennox was piecing together an intricate puzzle.
“I recruited George in high school,” says Lennox. “Him and Keith Hunter were teammates and great friends and we got Keith, but I didn’t have any scholarship money to give George. I told him if anything ever changed, I had a spot for him and we would love to have him, but I never expected him to come to Slippery Rock after he went to Edinboro.”
Focusing on his current roster, Lennox guided Slippery Rock to a fifth place finish at the PSAC meet in 1976 and finished the year with five All-Americans at the Division II level.
“We were ok that first year,” says Papa, who finished third in the decathlon at the conference meet, despite a trip to the hospital. “We were at Bloomsburg for the PSAC meet and my pole vault pole splintered and I got some pieces stuck in my right arm. I had to go to the hospital in Bloomsburg and get it taken care of. When I got back, I hadn’t missed the start of the next event so I was able to continue on and ended up third. Tom Campion was ahead of me and ended up going to nationals that year.”
Lennox described the 1976 season as a “rebuilding year” in the school’s media guide, but even he couldn’t have known how great the team he was building would become.
The next year, Slippery Rock moved from the Division II level to the NCAA Division III level. The team climbed one spot higher to place fourth in the PSAC Championships and ended up 15th in the final team standings at the National Championships, with Campion and Papa both earning All-America honors with fifth and sixth place finishes in the decathlon and Mark Harvey earning an All-America honor in the 400-meter dash.
With a foundation built and steady improvements over the last two years, Slippery Rock entered the 1978 season with higher expectations, but still knew the team would be far from favored to win the PSAC title.
“We got to host the conference meet that year in 1978,” says Papa. “That was a big point of pride for us going into that meet. We really wanted to perform well at home, but we weren’t favored to win.”
Edinboro had won five straight league titles from 1973-77 and East Stroudsburg, Bloomsburg and Indiana (Pa.) all had strong teams entering the conference meet.
“I sat down and looked at all the numbers and I thought maybe if we had a great meet and everything fell into place we could pull it off,” said Lennox. “But, we needed to perform really well. We were realistically probably favored to finish around third.”
The squad blew away that projection and racked up 136 points, outscoring its 1977 total by 53 points and pulling away from East Stroudsburg (116 points) and Bloomsburg (109 points) to claim the team title. Harvey won both the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. Papa won the decathlon. Pete Lucas won the 1,500-meter run. Ed Schmid won the long jump. Mike Hambrick won the discus.
“That was a special meet for all of us,” recalls Papa. “Honestly, I think that day felt more special to most of us than winning the national title the next year because we did it all together, on our home turf and there was a buzz on campus and we got to celebrate with the community.”
The 1978 PSAC title would springboard the Slippery Rock men’s program into a streak of four straight league titles from 1978-81 and set the foundation for the magic of the 1979 season.
Despite the success at the conference level, Slippery Rock finished 47th at the National Championships that spring with just two All-America performances coming from Campion in the decathlon and Harvey in the 400-meter dash.
“I will say that by 1978 the team we had was pretty special,” says Lennox. “Those guys bought in and worked hard and I think that 1978 season really showed a lot of people what we were capable of.”
While Slippery Rock was celebrating the 1978 league crown, the final piece of the National Championship puzzle was already roaming the SRU campus, waiting to put on the green and white for the first time.
Crunkleton had left Edinboro in 1978 and transferred to Slippery Rock to use his final year of eligibility. With the transfer, he had to sit out the 1978 season in order to be eligible for the 1979 season.
“I thought I would stay at Edinboro for all four years,” recalls Crunkleton. “But, they made the decision in 1977 to change the way they were funding the men’s track and field program. I chose to go there because of the access to the top level meets and top competition, but that was going to be taken away. Coach Doug Watts told us that he would help us look for a new home if we wanted, and to his credit, he really helped us look for places to go.”
With Crunkleton looking for a new home to continue his Olympic aspirations, Slippery Rock wasn’t on top of the list.
“I was really interested in the University of Maryland,” he remembers. “I was offered a nice scholarship for about 75 percent of the total cost, but my family couldn’t afford the out-of-state tuition for the year I would have to sit out in order to become eligible. So, I decided that maybe it was best to look local. Coach Lennox had recruited me in high school and I knew he was a good coach and had a good program. I also discovered that the academic programs lined up for me and it was the best choice to go to Slippery Rock.”
Crunkleton, who earned two All-America honors at Edinboro at the Division II level before transferring, continued to hone his craft during the 1978 season while sitting out at SRU.
“I competed for a track club out of Pittsburgh,” says Crunkleton. “I qualified for the USA Track and Field National Championships with personal bests in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, so I knew I would be able to finish in a really high place at the national level at Slippery Rock.”
With the final piece of the puzzle in place, Slippery Rock tore through the 1979 season with a perfect record. The Rock went 7-0 during the indoor track and field season with a win over Kent State and a dominant 90-15 dual meet victory over Edinboro. SRU then rolled through the outdoor season with a 6-0 record in dual meets that included a win over Division I West Virginia University in Morgantown.
“We beat some good Division I programs,” recalls Hunter. “I remember going down to West Virginia that year for a tri-meet and WVU had a really good team. But not as good as we had. We beat them on their own track.”
Crunkleton cruised to PSAC titles in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Papa won another league title in the decathlon. Freshman Don Johns won both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdle titles. Mike Phipps claimed the high jump title and Crunkleton, Johns, Hunter and Jim Stitt rolled to the 4x100-meter title.
“That was without a doubt the most talented team I ever coached,” says Lennox. “In terms of sheer athletic talent, there wasn’t another team in my years of coaching that compared. George was in a different league back then. He was a gifted athlete. I also don’t know if people understand how good of an athlete John Papa was.”
Entering the 1979 National Championships at Baldwin Wallace, Lennox sat down and crunched the numbers like he had done before every meet.
“I put it all together and I thought, wow, if we show up and perform we are going to be in this thing,” he remembers. “And we did. Those guys really showed up. Even the guys that didn’t score came really close. We took nine guys and they all performed.”
The championship would be decided over three days and that meant plenty of action for Crunkleton, Papa and Campion.
“I was going to run the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay,” says Crunkleton. “At that time, we had trials, semifinals and finals in all the events, so I was going to have to run a lot of races. On the first day, I ran the trials of the 100m and the 4x100m. That day, I remember Morehouse College was the defending champions in the relay and they let us know. I took exception to that. I thought our times were just as good and if we got to the finals, we could win it. On Friday, I ran the semis of the relay and the finals of the 100m. I won the 100m for my first national title.”
Entering Saturday, the team race was still up in the air.
Campion and Papa were taking care of their part during the decathlon.
“There were some nervous moments that year,” remembers Papa. “In the discus, I fouled both of my first two attempts. I asked coach Lennox what to do and he told me whatever I did that I needed to get a mark to at least score some points. I got in there and went for it. Gave it everything I had and it started outside the lines, but it curved back in and barely landed inside the sector. I knew I was in the hunt then. I cleared a PR in the pole vault to move into the lead, but strained my calf pretty bad. I didn’t have a great javelin or 1,500-meter run after that and ended up second.”
Papa’s second career All-America honor and his highest national finish was backed by Campion, who followed in fifth place to earn his fourth All-America recognition in the event. The duo picked up 10 points to go with Crunkleton’s 10 from the 100-meter dash.
Going into the final day of competition, Slippery Rock had 20 points.
“Saturday morning, I had to run the semifinals of the 200m,” says Crunkleton. “Then not too long after that was the 4x100-meter relay final. We really wanted to win that and set the tone for the day.”
“I joked with those other three guys that their only job was to get the baton around to George,” laughs Lennox. “If we got it around safely and gave him a chance, I don’t think there was any way he was going to lose that day.”
Lennox put the faith in his team to make the decisions about who would run the relay and what legs they would run.
“Coach Lennox was a tremendous coach and a good person,” says Hunter from his law office in Louisville, Kentucky. “I was the third man on the relay. He politely told me that my job was to give George as much room as he needed and to get him the baton as soon as possible in the zone, so we moved the mark all the way back. I probably only ran 90 meters in that race and George probably ran 110-meters. We all had nicknames. Jim Stitt, who we called “short stroke” because he was the shortest, was great out of the blocks so he was our lead man. Donny Johns was just a 17-year old freshman so we called him “baby stroke” and he ran second. My nickname was “old stroke” because I was the old man of the group and George was “long stroke” because his strides were just so long and he ate up ground on the anchor.”
Countless hours of practicing the handoff transitions paid off that day with three smooth exchanges to set Crunkleton up in a prime position.
“Those guys were so dedicated to those handoffs,” remembers Lennox. “They would be walking up and down hallways on campus passing the baton to each other.”
“We always said if anyone was ever going to beat us it wasn’t going to be because of a handoff,” says Hunter. “I think in all of the races we ever ran together we only had one bad handoff.”
Crunkleton crushed the competition in the final leg to win by a decisive margin and pick up 10 more points in the team standings.
Johns added eight more points by picking up a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles to bring Slippery Rock’s total to 38 points closing in on the final events, but 38 points wouldn’t be enough to get it done. Crunkleton was going to have to score, and likely win, the 200-meter dash for SRU to come out on top.
“I had the utmost confidence in George,” recalls Hunter. “He and I were friends forever. He is the best athlete I ever competed with. I guess my analogy would be that we were like the teammates of Michael Jordan competing with him.”
Crunkleton wouldn’t crumble under the pressure, not even after being reminded by Lennox on the way to the start line of the magnitude those 22 seconds could carry. He blistered through the race to win his third title of the weekend and pick up 10 more points in the team standings, bringing Slippery Rock to 48 points.
Those points proved crucial, as Slippery Rock narrowly edged Glassboro State by just four points, 48-44, to win the team title.
“Winning the national championship as a team is still one of the great thrills of my life,” says Crunkleton. “Keith and I grew up together. We played Pop Warner football together. To be able to share that moment and be on that relay with him was very special to me. And looking back now and realizing after all those years that it is still the only title in school history makes it even more special. I think at the time, it maybe didn’t feel like as big of a moment. I think maybe if we got to celebrate with the campus community and our fellow students it might have been a little different.”
Crunkleton’s sentiment regarding the 1979 season is echoed similarly by both Papa and Hunter.
“I think back then we probably didn’t really appreciate the gravity of what we accomplished,” said Papa. “We put so much focus on the conference meet, and we still do today, that winning those events with a larger team and more contributors just felt like it meant more to us at the time. Looking back, I can say that it means a great deal to have been on that team and to be able to represent Slippery Rock in the way we did in 1979.”
“It’s very special to me now to look back and know we are still the only ones to do that,” says Hunter. “It means a lot to me because Slippery Rock is a great school and I enjoyed my years there. To know that we were the first to do something for SRU meant a lot to me and those other guys.”
The group still stays in touch, with many members of the team routinely communicating from all over the country. They also make it a point to come back “home” to Slippery Rock.
“Three of the four guys from that relay were just back in town last year for the alumni meet,” says Crunkleton. “We went back for the 40th anniversary of our win. It was a great time. I get back there every two years or so. It was always on my bucket list to come back for a PSAC meet at SRU so I came back to that meet a couple years ago and had a great time.”
Hunter says that his experience on the SRU track and field team helped shape the path his life has taken.
“I will never forget after that relay when coach Lennox came up to me and told me how proud he was of me,” says Hunter. “I could see how emotional he was and I really felt that. I took on a leadership role with that team and I know how much it meant to him to see me develop like that. I’ve used that discipline to shape the last 40 years of my life.”
Lennox, who will turn 83 years old in October, has been a frequent visitor at Slippery Rock track and field events over the 25 years since he retired.
“I think with age you certainly learn to appreciate things more,” he reflects. “I really am proud of the fact that we still have the only NCAA title in school history. It puts it in perspective just how special what that group of men accomplished was.”
Crunkleton still holds the SRU 200-meter record (21.05 seconds) and is the only man in SRU history to win more than one individual national title in outdoor track and field. He qualified for and competed in the 1984 U.S. Olympic trials in the 200-meter dash. The 4x100-meter relay team from the 1979 season held the record for more than 35 years before it was narrowly edged in 2017. Mike Phipps still holds the SRU high jump record (2.11 meters). Don Johns still holds the SRU 400-meter hurdle record (51.89). Tom Campion is one of only two men in SRU outdoor track and field history to earn four All-America honors in the same event. Bill Lennox coached until 1983 and served as athletic director at SRU until his retirement in 1994 after 35 years of service. The track at SRU is named in his honor. John Papa is in his 34th season as the head coach at SRU, where he has led the program to 25 PSAC titles and has coached 121 All-Americans.
