After 81 years of tradition and history, the Texas Relays continue to get bigger and better.
Throughout the decades, records have been shattered and legends have been made. Yet the four-day meet, which has grown to become the second-largest meet in the country, came from quite humble beginnings.
Clyde Littlefield took over as Texas track coach in 1921. By the time he retired in 1961 after 41 seasons, his teams had won 25 Southwest Conference Championships. They broke 4-of-5 national records, and because of his success, Littlefield earned the nickname "Mr. Track."
Littlefield started the Texas Relays for men only in 1925, wanting to host a race in a warmer climate after competing in Kansas' cool weather conditions. The first event drew more than 3,500 spectators.
Needing to attract more people, Littlefield and athletic director Theo Belmont teamed up with the Austin American-Statesman to come up with promotions. In 1927, the Relays drew 10,000 when the Tarhumara Indians were invited from Mexico to run from San Antonio to Austin in one day. They completed 89 miles, including a lap around the track to finish it off, in 14 hours, 53 minutes without stopping.
The meet was canceled from 1932 to 1934 during the Great Depression. It was threatened again by World War II, but legendary athletic director and football coach Dana X. Bible kept the meet thriving while the country was at war.
After Littlefield stopped coaching the Longhorns, the meet continued to grow in popularity. Women's events were added in 1963, and by the late 1970s, the meet averaged 25,000 fans per year.
Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds competed in the Relays from 1956 through '59 as a runner in the 400-meter and 4-by-400 meter relay. Dodds also coached in the meet from 1963 to 1976 as Kansas State track coach.
"I have a lot of great memories from the Texas Relays, and I liked coming down and competing in the nice weather because our guys broke a lot of their records here," Dodds said. "Before I came to Texas, there were only two jobs in the country I would take. They were Kansas State and Texas. A big reason I wanted to come to Texas was because of all the memorable experiences I had at the Texas Relays."
Adding high school runners to the field in the 1980s brought in more fans and participants.
A big change occurred in 1999. Before then, the event was held at Memorial Stadium. But in '99, the Texas Relays were held at the Mike A. Myers Stadium for the first time.
"We made a promise to Mike Myers that in exchange for his donation, we would give him a gift," women's track coach Bev Kearney said.
The event has been at Myers Stadium since then, and the track has been moved from DKR. While the meet was at Memorial, field events were held off at Clark Field.
"Myers Stadium has added to the appeal of the event, because we are able to have more high school events now, and now everything is all together in one place, and that's exciting," Dodds said. "Also, the surface and design of the track at Myers is better for the runners. The turns are not as sharp, and it's designed specifically for track."
This year the Texas Relays, a meet so steeped in history, will be without two integral figures that have shaped it throughout the last 30 years.
Public address announcer J. Fred Duckett, who also was the announcer at the Astrodome from 1969 to 1992, lost his battle to Leukemia in June at the age of 74, and longtime race official Rooster Andrews also passed away recently.
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