Livers’ Three Titles Made Triple Jump History
“Rhythm is the art form in the triple. There’s no other event like it. Those three bounces are a thing of beauty. The art form of the event and raising the consciousness of the spectators come first; winning comes second.”
Fans in attendance at the 1977 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Champaign, Illinois, were at a fevered pitch as the triple jump competition got underway. That’s because it was billed to be a colossal clash between three men who had shown the ability to rewrite the record book at a moment’s notice: Willie Banks of UCLA, Charlton Ehizuelen of hometown Illinois and Ron Livers of San Jose State.
Banks had set the collegiate record to 16.84m (55-3¼) earlier in the season and beat Livers in head-to-head competition three times in the previous month, which put him in a great position.
Ehizuelen owned the adoration of the local fans and also brandished record-breaking power at two previous editions of the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He established NCAA meet records in winning the 1974 triple jump (16.66m/54-8) and 1975 long jump (8.20m/26-11) and entered this year’s competition fresh off a runner-up finish in the long jump.
Livers was no slouch, having won the 1975 NCAA triple jump crown with a wind-aided 16.80m (55-1¾) – farthest in meet history under all conditions. The Spartan standout – who once famously owned the world’s greatest height-over-head differential in the high jump (He only stood 1.73m (5-7), but had cleared 2.24m (7-4¼) for a difference of 51 cm (21¼”)) – redshirted in 1976 and wanted to take back the throne.
The fireworks began in Round 2 when Ehizuelen spanned a near-meet record of 16.71m (54-10), which Livers promptly matched. Then in Round 3, Livers took the lead with a new meet record at 16.75m (54-11½) – but on the very next jump, Banks took over with a collegiate record and meet record of 16.85m (55-3½). Banks, bothered by a leg issue, passed his next two attempts, while Ehizuelen had a pair of fouls. In Round 5, Livers bounded a new CR of 16.86m (55-3¾) to squeeze back into the lead, which neither Banks nor Ehizuelen could match. Livers finished with a 16.77m (55-0¼), making him the first collegian with multiple 55-footers in the same meet.
“I was glad to get the record,” said Livers, a native of Norristown, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia). “I’ve been chasing it a long time.”
Livers and Banks returned for another duel at the 1978 NCAA Outdoor Championships, held at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Just a month earlier, Banks had taken back the CR at 17.05m (55-11¼) – but he wouldn’t leave the Beaver State with it still in his possession.
Not one to delay, Livers opened up with a 16.94m (55-7) effort in Round 1 to improve his meet record. Banks, who only mustered a 16.84m (55-3) mark in Round 5, sat idle as Livers showed a great deal of consistency with three more 55-footers, before unleashing a massive 17.15m (56-3¼) on his final attempt to snatch the collegiate record.
Livers, who did all of what he did at Hayward Field while nursing a sore back, became the first man to win three career triple jump titles in meet history. He is still one of just three men to accomplish that feat.
“Rhythm is the art form in the triple,” Livers told Neil Amdur of the New York Times. “There’s no other event like it. Those three bounces are a thing of beauty. The art form of the event and raising the consciousness of the spectators come first; winning comes second.”
The NCAA and collegiate track & field will mark a momentous milestone in the spring of 2021 -- the 100th anniversary of the NCAA Championships and with that, the NCAA Track & Field Championships. In June 1921, the University of Chicago hosted the first track & field championships in NCAA history.
This point can’t be emphasized enough: Not only was the event the first for NCAA track & field, but the first championships for any sport under the sponsorship of the NCAA.
To celebrate, over each of the next 365 days, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will celebrate moments, student-athletes, and coaches that have made a century’s worth of championships special. From humble beginnings to important historical milestones to the modern-day, collegiate track & field has evolved with the American society.
The 2021 edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin with preliminary round action on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla., and College Station, Texas. The championships final site and culmination of the celebration is slated for June 9-12, 2021 at the newly rebuilt Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Livers’ Three Titles Made Triple Jump History
Ron Livers of San Jose State was the first three-time winner in the Men’s Triple Jump at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Huber Three-Peats In 3000 Meters
Vicki Huber of Villanova was the first woman to win three consecutive titles in the 3000 Meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
ACU’s Morrow Doubled Twice, Set WRs
Bobby Morrow completed the 100-200 double twice at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Both times, he set a world record in one of the events.
Williams Blazed Trail For Black Throwers
George Williams made history when he won the javelin title at the 1932 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Chicago, Illinois.
Falcon Flew To NCAA Distance Glory
Joe Falcon of Arkansas is the only man in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with career national titles in the 1500 & 10,000!
Kyra Jefferson Chomps Collegiate Record
Kyra Jefferson of Florida set the current collegiate record and NCAA Outdoor meet record in the Women’s 200 Meters of 22.02 at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Florida State’s Dix Ruled NCAA Outdoor Meet
Walter Dix of Florida State left an incredible legacy at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with six total titles.
Mosqueda’s 10K Record Caps Incredible Year
Sylvia Mosqueda capped an incredible academic year in 1987-88 with a collegiate- and meet-record in the 10,000 Meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Merchant, Muller Led Cal’s Field Day In 1922
Jack Merchant and Harold Muller combined for six top-5 finishes in five field events at the 1922 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
NC State’s Springs Doubles Up Distance Titles
In 1983, Betty Springs became the first woman in the history of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to sweep the 5K/10K titles.
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