See Southern Run

TRACK & FIELD

If there hadn't been a P.B.S.P., there might never have been an S.U., and if there weren't an S.U., every other college track team in the U.S. would B.A. lot happier. Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (known to his friends as "Pinch") was the only Negro Governor Louisiana ever had. He is best remembered as a founding father in 1880 of Southern University--a 6,800-student state college in Baton Rouge, whose personal albatross is that it must admit every accredited high school graduate in the state, regardless of whether or not he can run.

Luckily, many of them can. Senior George Anderson, 23, a native of Baton Rouge, La., was the world's No. 1 ranked sprinter in 1965; he has clocked 9.3 sec. for the 100-yd. dash. New Orleans' Theron Lewis, 21, is the U.S.'s fastest quarter miler--at 45.8 sec.--runs the anchor leg on Southern's one-mile relay team, which tied the world record (3 min. 4.5 sec.) at last year's California Relays. Robert Johnson, of Princeton, La., is 21 and only a sophomore, but he has run the 440 in 46.3.

Coach Dick Hill can usually find an out-of-stater to fill a slot--like Ohio's Willie Davenport, an ex-paratrooper and 22-year-old freshman, who turned down U.C.L.A. ("No sense me going there and flunking out") to come to Southern; two weeks ago, he ran the 120-yd. high hurdles in 13.2 sec. to tie the world record set in 1959 by West Germany's Martin Lauer. With runners like Anderson, Lewis, Johnson and Davenport, S.U. has not lost a dual meet in years. Last week at the Grambling Relays, Southern swept the 100 (Anderson), the 440 (Johnson), the mile and two mile relays, as well as the high jump, broad jump, javelin and shotput.

Only 30 himself and a Southern graduate ('60), Hill coached for two years at Florida A. & M., where he trained Sprinter Bob Hayes, the current world record holder (at 9.1 sec.) in the 100-yd. dash. Two years ago, Hill returned to Southern to build up his alma mater's record book. He works his boys six days a week, and if anyone gets uppity, Hill has a ready answer: "Let's race." A former decathlon star, he can still run the 100 in under 10 sec. and high jump 6 ft. 10 in. "Other coaches may be able to show you on a blackboard," says George Anderson, "but Coach Hill goes right out there and demonstrates. And beats you while he's at it."

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