Brent Harris - Last March Head Track and Field Coach Rob Johnson told me Wabash would host a decathlon and heptathlon as its final home meet of the 2006 season. One of the reasons to host such an event was Nelson Barre's decision to participate in the event at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship meet. The sophomore took third at the Wabash event and was fifth at the conference meet. Pretty good results for his first attempt at the ten-event competition.

As a group of track and field workers, including legendary Wabash track star and soon-to-be member of the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame George Brattain '63, relaxed in between events, I heard stories of the last time the decathlon was held at Wabash. Athletes from around the country gathered on July 13, 1956 to compete in the Olympic Trials right here in Crawfordsville. For just $4 fans could watch the greats run --- athletes such as Rafer Johnson, who would go on to win the silver medal at the Melbourne Olympics, and Milt Campbell, who won the gold in Melbourne after taking silver while competing with teammate and gold medal winner†Bob Mathias in Helsinki in the 1952 Games.

Fifty years ago these greats raced around the grounds behind the Chapel. This coming spring, maybe one of the future US Olympic decathlon stars will once again compete in Crawfordsville. Last year's event was so well-received, Coach Johnson has decided to make it a regular part of the outdoor track and field schedule. The Stan Huntsman Invitational will take place April 20-21, 2007. The meet is named for the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame of USA Track and Field Hall of Famer and six-time NCAA National Track and Field Coach of the Year, who also participated in the 1956 Trials at Wabash. What better way to bring the rich history of Wabash track and field's past, present, and future together than watching the magnificent all-around effort of decathletes and heptathletes as they compete against the point totals and each other in this annual event.

Photo - The stands are packed with fans watching two of the competitors in the 1956 Olympic Decathlon Trials at Wabash who†would go on to win gold medals. Milt Campbell would win the gold at the 1956 Olympics, while Rafer Johnson would rewrite the decathlon record books on his way to the gold in the 1960 Games.