No, I believe that is a photo from 1979 World Cup 10,000 m race where I got 2nd to Yifter in his 53 second last 400 finish. I led for most all of the race and shook off a lot of other top stars… only to get beat by the Yifter who won gold in 10,000/5000 m races at Moscow 1980.

This is a decent YouTube video of that Fri nite race up in Montreal in late Aug that ended my historic 1979 season. Most people don’t recall that I beat a great field to win the Falmouth road race just 5 days before. They don’t do it like that now, do they? We raced ALOT then!

Jesse Owens

Craig Virgin, Herb Lindsay, Stann Vernon OT 1980, 10 000m Craig Virgin, OLY

Illini 8

No athlete that competed in the US Olympic T & F Trials last month could ever imagine finishing top 3 to make the American team… and NOT being able to go to the Olympic Games!?!? Yet, that is what we faced at Eugene back in June 1980! It was very bittersweet!

Craig Virgin, OLY

Thank you for remembering, Mike. Ironic that Paris Olympics 10,000 meter track event final is today as well! Go Illini!

This is always one of the first things I put up in my classroom each year, the IHSA Track and Field Team State Medals that the EHS athletes have earned since Chad Lakatos became Head Coach! I was super excited to add the 2024 State Championship Medal!

Thank you and I wonder where Seko is today and what he is doing? I sincerely hope he is happy, healthy and wealthy!

Look forward to seeing as many of you there as can attend. Historic as it will be the very first sport championship in the new expended 18 team Big Ten Conference! And at a location near and dear to my heart. Many of my CC teammates will also be there… proud to say! Go Illini!

Good luck to Halle. She is ending a great senior season of NCAA Cross Country!

A Rivalry For The Ages: ⁦Craig Virgin, OLY⁩’s 1975 NCAA Cross Country Championships win over Nick Rose. One of most memorable events I covered in 54-year journalism career. For ⁦DyeStat⁩. ⁦Illinois Track & Field and Cross Country⁩ ⁦USTFCCCA⁩ ⁦Illinois High School Association #IHSA⁩ runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?m…

Thanks, Dan. I was down at the World Cross CountryChamps in Tallahassee and was interviewed at the pre-race press conference by several running sites. That quote was totally spontaneous by me… but I stand by it! I had several interviews that wkend and musta gotten warmed up?!?