Colburn Leads Runners Into the Promised Land

Lanky freshman Jim Voleman looked up at the high jump bar set at 6 ft. 4 in--higher than he had ever jumped in his life. Seconds before, Keith Colburn had streaked past the jump pit on his way to a victory on the anchor leg of the two-mile relay. That win put Harvard just a point and a half behind Princeton.

Nearly everyone in Yale's Coxe Cage had gathered around the pit where Coleman and Princeton jumper John Miller were about to decide last Friday's Big Three freshman championship in the meet's final event. Yale was out of it. In fact, everyone was out of it except Miller and Coleman.

Coleman had never cleared 6 ft. 1 in. until the Exeter meet a week before. Now, he had bounded over 6 ft. 3 in. on his first try and it seemed he had victory until Miller surprisingly duplicated the feat. Both had missed on their first attempts at 6 ft. 4 in. and Coleman was ready to try again.

He started slowly, his feet pounding on the plank floor. He kicked over one leg, his body rolled and cleared the bar, and he landed with a bounce in the foam rubber.

Miller tried twice and failed. Coleman's leap had won the meet for the Crimson freshmen, 58 1/2-58, and it had preserved the squad's unblemished record for the year at 7-0, a mark which includes a victory in the Greater Boston Intercollegiate championship.

Colburn, a readheaded Californian, is the biggest single reason for the freshman success this year. He is probably the greatest sprint prospect in Harvard track history, and he can do anything.

In New Haven last Friday, Colburn was phenomenal. First, he tied Jeff Huvelle's freshman 600 record of 1:11.9. Then, less than an hour later he won his second event of the day, the 1000. This time he smashed his own freshman mark by coasting across the line in 2:13.8. Finally, with a half hour's rest, he reeled off a 1:55 half-mile to anchor the victorious two-mile relay squad.

Colburn can run shorter distances too. He anchored the mile relay team that won the BAA's last month in 3:23.3 by running a sub-50 sec. quarter. And he proved he can run longer distances this fall by shattering cross-country records on three-mile courses.

Colburn doesn't do all the running. He is helped out in the mile by Roy Shaw, who was in bed with a virus for three days before Friday's meet but who came back to win the event by acting as though he were perfectly healthy.

Shaw was hanging in tight with two Princeton runners at the beginning of the race. Then he made his move, a clever ruse that convinced the Tigers that he was in fine shape. He opened up a big lead, and the Princeton runners, thinking they had no chance to catch him, let Shaw glide home.

Shaw broke Jim Baker's mile record earlier this year by running 4:15.4 in slow Briggs Cage. He too is good at longer distances. He usually runs the two-mile, but last week at Yale he had to drop out before the finish.

Unlike last year's freshman team, which was also excellent, this year's squad relies on its runners. John Dugan, for example, is a swift 1000 man, who finished second in the Big Three in a time faster than any Crimson freshman ever, except Colburn. Jim Fabiani, a dashman who has run consistently well all year, placed third Friday.

Valuable Broad Jumper

This year's freshmen are good in events where the varsity is not so good, and they should be a big help next year. The broad jumpers will be especially valuable. Against Yale and Princeton, three of them leaped over 22 ft.--farther than any Harvard varsity man could do that day.

Noel Hare, who placed second, jumped 22 ft. 111/4 in. but lost by half an inch. Hare had been injured and out of competition for a month before the meet. Bob Galliers finished third at 22-8 1/4, and John Avault was fifth at 22-1/2.

The only area where the freshmen are weak is in the shot and the weight, and there the varsity has four excellent sophomores. Freshman weightman Bob Teske may come along next year. He won Friday with a heave of 46 ft. 5 in., but that won't stand up against tough competition.

McCurdy may enter the spectacular mile-relay squad of Dugan, Downer, Shaw and Colburn in the IC4A's. That quartet is undefeated and unchallenged and probably one of the three or four best in the country.

With men like Colburn, Coleman and Shaw coming up, the Harvard track team will have little trouble maintaining its supremacy in the Ivy League and its high position in the East.