The Southern California Striders (also SoCal Striders or SC Striders) is a

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athletics club based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California. From its foundation in 1955 through the 1980s it was an elite club producing numerous national and Olympic champions. For a time in the 1970s it was called the Tobias Striders for sponsorship reasons. From the 1990s to 2006 the club was restricted to

masters athletics Masters Athletics managed by World Masters Athletics is a class of the sport of athletics (sport), athletics for athletes of 35 years of age and over organized by World Masters Athletics. The events include track and field, road running and cross ...

and still produces national champions in older age classes. After 2006 it became a nonprofit open to all ages.

History

The club was formed originally in the fall of 1955 by five elite athletes; Olympic multiple Gold Medalists

Mal Whitfield Malvin Greston Whitfield (October 11, 1924 – November 19, 2015) was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed "Marvelous Mal", he was the Olympic Games, Olympic champion in the 800 metres, 800 meters at the 1948 Summer O ...

George Rhoden George Vincent Rhoden (13 December 1926 – 24 August 2024) was a Jamaican athlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1952. Rhoden was born in Kingston on 13 December 1926. He later moved to San Francisco, California, and was one of the su ...

, silver medalist Meredith C."Flash" Gourdine,

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Champions Lang Stanley, and George Brown. In its day it laid claim to being "largest and strongest multiracial track-and-field club in the history of the sport." They were also called a collection "America’s finest Olympic Track and Field Stars." Between 1957 and 1965 the team won 8 AAU National Team Championships by attracting a who's who of elite track athletes of the day. Among the people to wear the Striders uniform were:

Rafer Johnson Rafer Lewis Johnson (August 18, 1934 – December 2, 2020) was an American decathlete and film and television actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956. He had previously won a gold at the 1955 Pan ...

Ralph Boston Ralph Harold Boston (May 9, 1939 – April 30, 2023) was an American track athlete who received three Olympic medals and became the first person to break the barrier in the long jump. Early years and education Boston was born in Laurel, Missi ...

, Bill Toomey, Mike Larrabee,

Bob Seagren Robert Seagren (born October 17, 1946) is a retired American pole vaulter, the 1968 Olympic champion. A native of Pomona, California, Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU ...

John Rambo John James Rambo is a fictional character in the Rambo (franchise), ''Rambo'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1972 novel ''First Blood (novel), First Blood'' by David Morrell, but later became more famous as the protagonist of the film serie ...

, John Smith,

Fortune Gordien Fortune Everett Gordien (September 9, 1922 – April 10, 1990) was an American discus thrower and shot putter who set four world records in the discus throw. He competed in this event at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and placed third, fourth ...

Ronnie Ray Smith Ronald Ray Smith (March 28, 1949 – March 31, 2013) was an American athlete, winner of the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He attended San Jose State College during the "Speed City" era, coached by Lloyd (Bud) Wi ...

, Larry Stewart, Marshall Clark, Otis Burrell,

Charles Dumas Charles Everett "Charlie" Dumas (February 12, 1937 – January 5, 2004) was an American high jumper, the 1956 Olympic champion, and the first person to clear 7 ft.(2.13 m) Biography Dumas started his jumping career as a student fi ...

, Ed Caruthers, Bob Avant, Leon Coleman,

Don Quarrie Donald O'Riley Quarrie CD (born 25 February 1951) is a Jamaican former track and field athlete, one of the world's top sprinters during the 1970s. At the 1976 Summer Olympics he was the gold medallist in the Olympic 200 meters and silver med ...

Adolph Plummer Adolph Plummer (January 3, 1938 – November 30, 2015)
Albuquerque Journal, November 30, 2015.

, Chuck Smith, Ulis Williams,

Rex Cawley Warren Jay Cawley (July 6, 1940 – January 21, 2022) was an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Cawley was born in Highland Park, Michigan. He attended Farmington High School. Cawley still holds the record t ...

Wayne Collett Wayne Curtis Collett (October 20, 1949 – March 17, 2010) was an African-American Olympic sprinter. Collett won a silver medal in the 400 m at the 1972 Summer Olympics. During the medal ceremony Collett and winner Vincent Matthews talked to eac ...

Ralph Mann Ralph Vernon Mann (June 16, 1949 – January 2, 2025) was an American sprinter and hurdler. He was an undergraduate at Brigham Young University, and later earned a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from Washington State University. Career In 1969, Mann w ...

, Ron Whitney,

Geoff Vanderstock Geoffrey Peter Vanderstock (born October 8, 1946) is an American track and field athlete primarily known for running hurdles. He was once the world record holder in the 400 metres hurdles. His 48.94 was set at the high altitude United States Ol ...

, Jim Cerveny, Jim Dupree, Jerome Walters, Bob Seaman, Paul Wilson, Ron Morris, Dick Railsback,

John Pennel John Thomas Pennel (July 25, 1940 – September 26, 1993) was an American pole vaulter, and four-time world record holder. Career A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Pennel started pole vaulting at his father's farm with an old television aerial. ...

, Dave Volz, Art Walker,

Parry O'Brien William Patrick "Parry" O'Brien (January 28, 1932 – April 21, 2007) was an American shot put champion. He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics where he won two gold medals (1952, 1956) and one silver medal ( 1960). In his last Olympic ...

Dallas Long Dallas Crutcher Long (June 13, 1940 – November 10, 2024) was an American track and field athlete, who mostly competed in the shot put. Between 1959 and 1964 he set six official and five unofficial world records. His first was at the 1959 Sant ...

, Peter Shmock

Rink Babka Richard Aldrich Babka (September 23, 1936 – January 15, 2022) was an American discus thrower. A former world record holder, Babka also won a silver medal in the discus event at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He starred in football, basketb ...

Ben Plucknett Walter Harrison ("Ben") Plucknett (April 13, 1954 in Beatrice, Nebraska – November 17, 2002 in Essex, Missouri) was an American track and field athlete, known primarily for the discus throw. Plucknett qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team bu ...

, Ed Burke,

Hal Connolly Harold Vincent "Hal" Connolly (August 1, 1931 – August 18, 2010) was an American athlete and hammer thrower from Somerville, Massachusetts. He won a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Connolly became the f ...

Larry Young, Mike Manley and Max Truex. All (listed) were USA National Champions, most were also Olympians across the full range of disciplines in the sport. The last of these National Champions appears to be Ben Plucknett, winning his championship in 1981. Plucknett set the still standing United States record in the Discus while wearing the Southern California Striders uniform. At the 1978 Sun Devil Relays,

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

set a 4 × 200 m world record (1m 20.26s) despite losing to the Tobias Striders: the Striders' mark (1m 20.23s) was ineligible as a record because the team was of mixed nationality: Guy Abrahams (Panama), Michael Simmons (USA),

(Jamaica), and

James Gilkes James Wren Gilkes (born 21 September 1952) is a former sprinter from Guyana who specialised in the 200 metres. He competed at two Olympic Games. Career He was the 1975 Pan American 200 metre champion, and in 1979 he took the silver medal ...

(Guyana). By 1980 Tobias Striders had absorbed Angel's Flight Striders and resumed the name SoCal Striders. With the egalitarian attitude professed at its inception, the team catered almost exclusively to male athletes. This is because in the era of their successes, prior to

Title IX Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receiv ...

, women athletes were not common and usually segregated. The President of the Striders during the 60's was Dr. Jerry Bornstein, who put together a team of fellow doctors to provide medical care, and sometimes airline tickets, for the athletes out of their own pockets. Doctors Whitmore, Silver, Mels and Barnes and trainer Paul Schechter were part of this team. Now retired, Dr. Bornstein continues to be involved in sports medicine leading the team of athletic trainers at

LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...

sporting events. Just as the team had the finest talent, it also attracted the finest coaches. Several people have laid claim to coaching the team. Charlie Coker joined in 1962. Joe Mangan also coached for the team. Later John Bork became the Coach and Athletic Director Other coaches and managers included Pete Petersons, Hank Erlich, Carl Ito, and Whitey Taylor. The club continues today, primarily in Masters track and field, though some elite athletes continue to represent the team. The club now has a sizable female membership and the club's president for the better part of a decade was female Masters World Champion Brenda Matthews. The club hosts an annual meet, the Southern California Striders Meet of Champions.

Olympic accomplishments

* Mal Whitfield 5 Olympic Medals, 3 Gold * Parry O'Brien 3 Olympic Medals, 2 Gold * George Rhoden 2 Gold Medals * Mike Larrabee 2 Gold Medals * Don Quarrie 4 Olympic Medals, 1 Gold * Ralph Boston 3 Olympic Medals, 1 Gold * Rafer Johnson 2 Olympic Medals, 1 Gold * Bob Seagren 2 Olympic Medals, 1 Gold * Dallas Long 2 Olympic Medals, 1 Gold * Rex Cawley 1 Olympic Gold Medal * Hal Connolly 1 Olympic Gold Medal * Charles Dumas 1 Olympic Gold Medal * Bill Toomey 1 Olympic Gold Medal * Ulis Williams 1 Olympic Gold Medal * Ronnie Ray Smith 1 Olympic Gold Medal * Fortune Gordien 2 Olympic Medals * Larry Young 2 Olympic Medals * Rink Babka 1 Olympic Medal * Ed Caruthers 1 Olympic Medal * Wayne Collett 1 Olympic Medal * Meredith "Flash" Gourdine 1 Olympic Medal * Ralph Mann 1 Olympic Medal * Ron Morris 1 Olympic Medal * John Rambo 1 Olympic Medal

Other Olympics activities

* Dick Van Kirk-Vice President, Technology, 1984 Summer Olympics

USA Masters Track and Field Championship

USATF Masters Outdoor Championships The USATF Masters Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition which serves as the national championship for the United States for athletes in masters athletics, masters age groups. Organized by USA Track & Field, the national go ...

USATF Masters Indoor Championships The USATF Masters Indoor Championships is an annual track and field competition which serves as the national indoor championship for the United States for athletes in masters age groups. Organized by USA Track & Field, the national governing body ...

3. Masters So Cal Track and Field Championship

Resources

1. USATF website

2. USATF Masters website

3. World Masters Athletics (WMA)

4. SCA USATF

5. Mastershistory.org website:

6. National Masters News magazine

7. World Masters Rankings

8. North and Central America and Caribbean Region of World Masters Athletics (NCCMA

9. Southern California Striders

10. Club West track club

11. List of USA Masters Track and Field Records

List of United States records in masters athletics 12.

Mastersrankings Masters Athletics managed by World Masters Athletics is a class of the sport of athletics (sport), athletics for athletes of 35 years of age and over organized by World Masters Athletics. The events include track and field, road running and cross ...

References

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External links

Official Club website

USATF Masters West Region Meet

USATF Masters So California Championship Meet

Club West Track Meet

Track and Field News magazine

National Masters News
Running clubs in the United States Track and field clubs in the United States Sports clubs and teams in Los Angeles Clubs and societies in the United States Athletics clubs in the United States Track and field in California 1955 establishments in California Sports clubs and teams established in 1955 Track and field in the United States