Whether located in Memorial Stadium or elsewhere, a new track and field facility is a priority for Kansas coach Gary Schwartz.
“In order to be a good program we need competitive facilities to keep up with the teams in our conference,” Schwartz said. “It’s like all coaches talk about. We need the facilities.”
Ideally, Schwartz would like to see a master plan in place.
“It’s important we know what is going to happen so we can say to recruits, `This is the time frame. This is what is ahead,'” he said. “I know the administration is working very hard at procuring an on-campus site.”
Meanwhile, all Schwartz can do is wait.
“The sooner we find out, the more at ease I will be,” he said. “I’m very pleased the administration is moving forward as fast as they have been. Like any coach, I’d rather have one yesterday.”
Kansas University’s track and field program, a powerhouse from the 50s through the early 80s, has been treading water the last 15 years.
KU stumbled when coach Bob Timmons declined to award scholarships to foreign athletes, and when the NCAA placed a ceiling on the number of track and field scholarships a school could offer.
“There was no limit on scholarships. Yes, yes … that’s why we were a power,” said Schwartz, who had a full KU scholarship when he was a weight thrower from 1962 through `66.
“Those schools that were huge in that era were schools that had coaches who were good promoters who could procure the scholarships. The car dealer, the real estate person, the insurance guy, the funeral director, whomever had bucks could say, `I’ll give you a scholarship,'” Schwartz pointed out.
“You’d sign a (Bill) Nieder and (Al) Oerter and (Bill) Alley and things fell into place from there. You’d get more because you got them.”
Also helping sell the program, Schwartz said, was a prestigious event like the Kansas Relays.
“The Relays and our track program have been synonymous through the years,” he said. “It allows a nice showcase of the university, our community and our program.”
However, the `98 Relays had to be canceled because of construction at Memorial Stadium, and the `99 Relays have also been scrapped.
“We’re disappointed we don’t have it right now, but sometimes things are out of your control,” Schwartz said. “The construction is very important, too.”
Since Schwartz took over his alma mater’s track program in 1989, the KU men have never finished higher than third at a league outdoor or fourth at a league indoor meet. Schwartz has guided the women’s team to a couple of second-place league finishes.
On the national scene, Schwartz is a major player. Schwartz has served on the NCAA Track and Field Committee for six years. He will be assistant coach on the 1999 U.S. Men’s Senior World Championship team that will compete in Spain. That meet is second in stature only to the Olympics.
Schwartz is also president of the NCAA Division I Coaches’ Association.
In the meantime, his goals for Kansas track and field haven’t wavered.
“The sport has changed, but we are working hard to field the best possible teams that represent this university in a positive light,” he said.