After thinking over (over lunch hour!) what Garry Hill said about Gerry
Lindgren (pasted below) and how his OVERALL career compares with the others
...
I have to admit he is right when you look at a CAREER in THREE PARTS:
1) HS: Lindgren hands-down. Higher level than anyone before or since.
4:01y all the way to 29:17 for 10k. Better marks than any at 5k and the
3-Mile.
LINDGREN: 1
2) College: Lindgren probably somewhat better than any, and only Pre was
really close. Tons of titles, impressive times, consistency at the highest
level (NCAA Championships). I think he had a 27:11 six-mile .. a .1 loss
(or same-time?) to Mills in 1965. I think they were given the same time of
27:11.0, a WR for the six-mile at the time. (NOTE: Garry was actually
THERE (in NCAA track) and is clearly more knowledgeable about NCAA history
than myself).
LINDGREN: 1
3) Open: Hard to judge with all the misfortune he had. But, it is fair to
say that many, many Americans had a better palmares' after college. This
includes some guys that came BEFORE Lindgren (like Dellinger and Bob Schul).
The physical ability between age 24-and-28 that allows most distance runners
to reach their peak came much earlier for Lindgren ( a squeaky-voiced boy
among men), making his running in his 20's not-so-great.
LINDGREN: 0
Judging them in this "electoral vote" way, makes Lindgren the clear winner
in two rounds of three, making his OVERALL career "better" than those
mentioned.
I guess it is also fair to say that he "stomps the crap out of any of them
as both a prep and a collegian" (with the exception of Pre).
Willing to see it "another's" way,
-Brian McEwen
("Splitting hairs and I know no one cares.")
<<<<<<<<<<
you're joking, right?
Neither Shorter, Pre, Virgin nor Kennedy have an OVERALL career that
remotely compares with Lindgren's. He absolutely stomps the crap out of any
of them as both a prep and a collegian, and his forays into the open ranks
on the track are right up there with any of the others.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry every year when a stiff who couldn't
carry his jock gets into the Hall of Fame and he's not even nominated.
gh
>>>>>>>>>>
