Early track and field dominance

  Mesa Community College athletics has had a long history of success. There have been 20 national championships, countless ACCAC and Region I titles, and even one year when MCC was ranked as the No. 1 athletic program in the entire NJCAA.

  All that had to start somewhere, and much of it began with a dominant track and field program.

  Of course, you couldn't say the T-Birds were the dominant program of the day. At the beginning here were no T-Birds. In the early days of Mesa athletics the teams were known as the Hokams, in honor of the Native Americans who first developed the area centuries ago. But that's another story.

  However, no matter the nickname, MCC track and field quickly became a household name among two-year college athletics.

  Between 1968 and 1975 Mesa track and field teams won seven NJCAA national Championships.

  Now, it is only fair to point out that in the final two years of that stretch there were, in fact, two championship meets a year, indoor track and field having been added in 1973. So, during that time frame there were actually ten titles meets held. Still, as they say, seven out of ten ain't bad. And MCC even won one of the first two indoor championships.

  It bega in 1968 as the Hokams won the fisrt of three consecutive championships. Four different athletes, Neville Myton (880 yards), Mark Murrow (javelin), Elmo Dees (440 yards), and Bob Bogline (mile) all won individual championships.

  For Myton, in particular, performing on a big stage was nothing out of the ordinary. He had competed for his native Jamaica in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and would go on for a repeat performance in the Mexico City games of 1968.

  During that 1968-1975 stretch MCC athletes won a staggering 29 individual national championships.  Among those who captured multiple titles are: Mark Chew (shot put, discus, both in 1975), Cleve Whittaker (discus, 1972, 1973), Scott Cryder (pole vault, 1969, 1970), and Myton (880 and 440 hurdles in 1967, in addition to his 1968 title).

  One of the main architects of all that success was head coach Carvel Jackson, whose teams won six of the championships. He coached a total of 89 All-Americans, including a nation champion in every event. Back in those days the regular season consisted of many dual meets. His record in those was a mere 114-5.

  Mesa has gone on to many great achievements over the years, and a huge boost must be credited to the early track and field teams.