More Than 400 Track And Field Stars To State Meet In Austin

By The Associated Press

Kerrville Times, Friday, April 27, 1951

More than 400 track and field performers move into Austin next weekend for the forty-first Texas Interscholastic League meet with few records expected to be cracked except in the lower divisions.

This year the City Conference schools will be in the same class as Class AA. In the past the City Conference has been holding a separate meet.

Thus there will be three divisions in competition in Austin next Friday and Saturday -- Class AA, Class A and Class B.

Odessa, defending champion in Class AA, will be a top favorite to win the title of the combined City Conference-Class AA largely on the basis of two fine relay teams. Odessa also has Joe Childress, ace sprinkler, and other strong point-gatherers.

In Class A Brady appears to have enough to win the title, being very strong in the relays and having certain 10-pointer in Jimmy Samuelson, the weight man who already is the state division record holder in the shot put with 53 feet 1 5-8 inches and the discus with 157 feet 10 inches. Andrews and Pecos will furnish Brady the most competition.

In Class B it looks like Liberty, which has a fine 440-yard relay team and a top sprinter in Harold Griffin, or Iraan with its star hurdler, Bill Huddleston, dashman, Roby Robicheaux and a crack 440-yard relay team.

Odessa And Brady Track Teams Are Favored In State

By The Associated Press

Kerrville Times, Sunday, April 29, 1951

Odessa, Brady and Iraan will be solid favorites to win divisional track and field championships this week when the State Interscholastic League meet is held at Austin.

More than 400 athletes will participate in the big meet which holds preliminaries Friday morning, a scattering of finals in field events Friday afternoon and all other finals Saturday afternoon.

Lamar and Reagan of Houston are chief rivals of Odessa in the Class AA Division. But for a ruling that allows only one relay team from each region Lamar might beat out Odessa.

In the regional meet Lamar finished second in the 440-yard relay because of a bad handoff after having the best qualifying time in the prelims -- four-tenths of a second under what Baytown won the final in. Lamar did 4.5 in the Texas relays -- the fastest in the state this season.

But Lamar cannot compete in the sprint relay because only one team qualifies for the state meet from the region. The relays count more than individual events.

Odessa is strong in both the 440 and mile relays and because of that fact and the presence of Joe Childress, its great dash man, should win the meet by about 15 points.

Brady's strongest competition is due from Pecos and Andrews but the Bulldogs appear to have enough overall strength, including good delay teams, to win by a comfortable margin.

In Class B it looks closer, but Iraan appears to have the best hurler in the state in Bill Huddleston, a top sprint man in Roy Robicheaux and a good 440-yard relay team. Liberty is strong in the 440-yard relay and has several other potential point-getters.

Horse-Racing Clan Loses Middle Member

McCamey, Texas (AP)

Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas - Tuesday, August 1, 1944

The Lane horse-racing clan lost its middle member Monday with the death of John Lane II but before he bowed out his son rode the horse he was to have ridden -- and won his race by 40 feet.

John Lane II was trampled by the horse Sunday. He never regained consciousness and died in a hospital this morning.

John Lane III, who spurred the horse to victory over an entry by Bob Beasley of Fort Worth, is the grandson of little Johnny Lane of Brady, who was a jockey when he was past the age of 60. But little Johnny Lane, 64, rides only as a trainer now.

John Lane II was employed at Blakeney Downs, San Angelo, and had been hired to ride horses for John Christie of Rankin, in the Sunday program here. He was 40 years old. His son resides at Iraan.

Traffic Deaths

Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas - Sunday, December 28, 1947

Reports of deaths Saturday included

Jack R Gilham 23, of Iraan killed Dec 22 in a collision near Iraan in Pecos County.

Heavy-Weight Boxing Champion

Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas - Wednesday, September 7, 1949

Bud McFadin, 235-poun junior guard from Iraan, is the man of might in the Longhorn ranks. Current heavy-weight boxing champion of the University, he won the heavyweight rassling crown as a freshman.