Compliments of Rotarian of the Day, Jane Purser, Eddie Jenkins, former Winnfield resident, entertained and informed Winnfield’s Rotary members about the history of Winnfield High School and Senior High School’s in track and field, regaling listeners with the accomplishments of local athletes throughout the years of track and field competition.
Eddie Jenkins was raised in Winnfield and played football and competed in track and field while at WSHS. He says he wasn’t able to return to Winnfield after college as he originally planned because he went into the mental health field, but he still says he is “from Winnfield.” He follows the accomplishments of Winnfield’s football and track and field teams, and has a website devoted to Winnfield football and a Facebook page dedicated to Winnfield track and field.
He pointed out that track and field, although the team is scored by combining the individual members’ placements in their events, is essentially an individual competition in which athletes compete against the clock and other athletes. In the team scoring for each meet, points are awarded for first through sixth places in each event, all points are totaled for each team and the team with the highest score wins the meet. Winnfield’s boys track and field team won its first district title in 1967 and has won the district meet 18 times. In 1984, Winnfield began fielding girls track and field teams which have won the district meet 17 times, including 12 straight from 1995 to 2006.
“It is very difficult for a track and field athlete to even qualify for the state meet,” says Jenkins, “because he must first be in the top four of all athletes in three districts in his event to compete in regionals, and in the top three in regionals just to get to the state track and field meet.” There are three regions in the state, and the top three in each event in the regional meet qualify for the state meet.
Over 160 boys on Winnfield teams have qualified for the state meet, and 21 have won gold medals in their events in the state meet. 115 WSHS girls have qualified for state since 1984, with four winning gold.
Jenkins named several outstanding track and field athletes from Winnfield, including Tom Huffman, who won state gold medals in the 100 and 200 yard dashes in 1910, and Maurice McQuiddy, who competed in the 50, 100 and 220 yard dashes, long jump and pole vault from 1924 to 1926 and won gold medals in the 50, 100, 220 and long jump in 1926, setting the state record in the 100 and 220 that year.
Mike Lewis set a new record of 9.9 In the 100-yard dash as a senior at WSHS in 1972. Winnfield’s Benny Mitchell broke that record in 1982, running a 9.8. Also in 1972 Jerry Keen was undefeated in the state in the 120 high hurdles. “Jerry ran whatever it took to win the race,” says Jenkins, “so whatever the second-place competitor ran, Jerry ran 1/10 or 2/10 of a second faster than that.” He broke McQuiddy’s state record of 10.4 with a 9.9.
Jeffrey Dale set the state record of 48’ 4.75” in the triple jump in 1980, breaking the 44-year-old record of 47” 6” by almost 11 inches. Garlon Powell went to state for WSHS from 1981-1984, winning three medals in triple jump, two in the 110 hurdles and three medals in the 400 and 1600 relay. John Nichols was the star discus thrower from 1985 through 1987, winning gold medals in district, regional and state competitions in the discus each year except 1985 when he won bronze. His personal best in high school was 212 feet, two feet shy of the national record. He also won gold in the shotput at state in 1987. He went on to become the NCAA champion and set the LSU record in discus.
Bridget Webster compete for WSHS from 2003 to 2006 in the 1600 and 3200, winning a total of 13 gold medals and 21 total medals in district, regional and state meets.