Hall of Fame
The 1978 MSHSAA Class 3A boys outdoor track and field championship came down to the final race, the mile relay.
And Joplin Memorial wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Before the meet started, Eagles coach Forrest Reed said, “As a team, we feel like we have a chance to win. We’re entering seven events, and we need to average about six points per event.
“But if we have close to 30 points entering the mile relay …”
Everyone knew what Reed was thinking.
With only the mile relay left to run at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Memorial and Herculaneum each had 38 points, and three-time defending state champion Mexico had 36 points. All three teams were entered in the final heat of the event.
The Eagles’ quartet of Mark Taylor, John Warden, Doug Steele, and Tim Harrell won the race in 3 minutes, 22.36 seconds, finishing almost two seconds ahead of runner-up Marshall. It was also three seconds ahead of the fastest time in the state before the meet.
“Me personally, I don’t think there was any additional pressure,” Taylor said. “We were always focused on winning that race anyway.”
“I was the anchor,” Harrell said. “I knew if I got the baton anywhere close to the lead, we probably were going to win.”
“Coach Reed didn’t tell us (about the team standings),” Steele said. “I had no idea. As far as I knew, we were just trying to win state in the mile relay. I didn’t realize the stakes were nearly that high.”
That gave the Eagles 48 team points and a 10-point victory margin over Herculaneum, which did not finish among the six scoring places. Mexico also did not score and finished third with 36.
“We don’t win a meet all year, and now we’re the state champions,” Steele said at the time.
“Pride, they have so much pride,” Reed said after the meet. “They’re winners, both in their hearts and on the track.”
The mile relay members also accounted for the Eagles’ other 38 points.
Harrell won the 440-yard dash in 48.47 seconds, a new state record, and Harrell and Steele placed 2-3 in the 220 for 14 points. Harrell’s time was 22.20, just ahead of Steele’s 22.34.
Warden placed second in the mile (4:23.2), Steele took fourth in the 100 (10.27), and Taylor was fifth in the 880 (1:58.40) for the other 14 points.
The Eagles also qualified Chris Warden in the mile and Joe Strom in the discus, but they did not qualify for the finals.
In addition, pole vaulter Charles Keeney and distance runner Bob Garrett had good years but didn’t qualify for state.
That core of eight athletes led the Eagles throughout the season. Memorial made strong showings earlier in the postseason—second place behind Glendale in the Ozark Conference and third place behind Neosho and McDonald County in the district meet.
“Our numbers weren’t huge,” Steele said. “We’d never really contended for a team title at any track meet because we just didn’t have the numbers. But state is a different animal.”
“We knew things would have to fall in place,” Taylor said. “We knew we had a chance because it was a bigger meet.”
