A classmate of Tom Dakin saw the 14.0 piece, let Tom know about it and Tom got in touch with me after reading it. That resulted in several email exchanges and phone calls. I'm grateful for Tom's time. And particularly, his amazing and brutal honesty when discussing the events in his athletic career and … Continue reading Tom Dakin Update
Category: General
Dave McDermott: Friendly, Intensely Focused Leader
Dave McDermott, a member of the Bays phenomenal class of 1963, is the most decorated distance runner in Whitefish Bay history. He was a key member of three State Champion and eight Suburban Conference Champion teams. He won two State individual titles and had three more top-5 finishes at State. He won seven individual Suburban … Continue reading Dave McDermott: Friendly, Intensely Focused Leader
Joe Kiehm: “But All Fury Broke Loose”
The Bay had a lot of outstanding -- and criminally forgotten -- athletes in the Suburban Conference era. Joe Kiehm was in the Bays 13th graduating class in 1946 and was one of the Bays most accomplished athletes to that time. And it's not like there have been many, if any, Bay athletes better than … Continue reading Joe Kiehm: “But All Fury Broke Loose”
So Just How Good Was Tom Dakin’s 14.0 In The 120 High Hurdles In 1962?
"The Class A and State Record is 14 Flat Set by Tom Dakin of Whitefish Bay in 1962." Anybody who attended the State Track Meet from 1965 to 1979 heard PA announcer Bill Cross blast out those memorable words in that unique, booming voice. Bill had been the Bays head track coach from 1958 to … Continue reading So Just How Good Was Tom Dakin’s 14.0 In The 120 High Hurdles In 1962?
What’s Up With That 44.2 440 Relay In 1942?
Here are the Bay school records for relay events as they stood in 1967. So who are these ?? ? guys from 1942 and is it believable that they ran the 440 Relay in 44.2? After all, the great Bay sprinting teams of 1969 to 1971 ran 44.2, 44.1 and 44.1 when winning the event … Continue reading What’s Up With That 44.2 440 Relay In 1942?
1946: Mothers Day
Shorewood and West Allis Central did some monopolizing, but not enough, apparently. The Bay, led by double-event champions Bob Brown, Fritz Forrer and Jim Mitchell, won six events and somehow found a way to win the Suburban Relays by 20 points. They did this despite missing sprinters Joe Kiehm, Jim Bremer and John Smith due … Continue reading 1946: Mothers Day
The Bay 440 School Record Progression
In 1948 LeRoy Collins of Green Bay East became the first WIAA athlete to run the 440 in under 50 seconds at the State Meet, turning in a 49.5 at Camp Randall. The number of sub-50's run in the years directly after at any Wisconsin high school meet were few and far between. And no … Continue reading The Bay 440 School Record Progression
Tom Callahan: The Great Ones Do It On The Day
At the State Track Meet nobody cares what you've done during the season or during your career. The only thing that matters is what you do on the day of the State Meet. Heading into his senior season in 1975, Tom Callahan had put together a solid career in the Pole Vault. In his first … Continue reading Tom Callahan: The Great Ones Do It On The Day
1947: Howie Smith Bringin’ The Heat
I don't want to live in a world where polka dot shorts aren't in style.
1946: Bad News For The Rest Of The Suburban Conference
The Bay had Fritz Forrer and they didn't.
Brian Bergemann: A Reliable Boy
Brian Bergemann, class of 1962, is one of the great pole vaulters in state history. This is a difficult write-up. Since Brian was so over-the-top dominant, there simply isn't all that much that can be added to the record. As a sophomore in 1960, Brian was an understudy to senior Bob Pepper, one of the … Continue reading Brian Bergemann: A Reliable Boy
Howie Zien: The 10 Letter Man
Howie Zien, class of 1967, was one of the great Bay athletes, a true Mount Rushmore type. He won an astounding 10 letters -- three football, three basketball and four track and field. His senior year was as good as it gets: team captain on Suburban Conference champion football, basketball and track teams. Howie’s well-deserved … Continue reading Howie Zien: The 10 Letter Man
1947: Attempted Larceny
The 1947 Suburban Outdoor was "one of the tightest point scrambles in conference cinder history". At Hart Park in Wauwatosa, the Bay finished third in the meet's final event - the 880 Relay - and those six points (the relay counted double in that era) were enough to move the Bay past Wauwatosa to win … Continue reading 1947: Attempted Larceny
The Suburban Triple
To my knowledge, winning the Suburban Triple (winning three individual events in the Suburban Indoor or Outdoor) has been accomplished seven times during the years the Bay was in the Suburban Conference. 1936 Outdoor Al Schilder South Milwaukee: Schilder won the 100 (10.2), 220 Hurdles (25.6) and Broad Jump (21-3) at Waukesha's Haertel Field, leading … Continue reading The Suburban Triple
The Great, Historic Suburban Conference
The Suburban Conference was founded in 1924 with seven schools. Years indicate the first year of WIAA membership, which other than Waukesha and maybe Wauwatosa, should be about the year they opened. Cudahy (1921-1922) Milwaukee County School of Agriculture (1923-1924; located in Wauwatosa and known as the County Aggies) Shorewood (1923-1924) South Milwaukee (1910-1911) Waukesha … Continue reading The Great, Historic Suburban Conference
Whitefish Bay Track and Field History 