Sparked by Robin Lingle’s first-place finish in the 1,000-yard run, the Missouri Tigers won the inaugural NCAA indoor track and field championship, and the second national title in school history. The Tigers scored 14 points, edging Big Eight Conference rival Oklahoma State by two at the meet which was contested at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Two weeks earlier, Mizzou had won the Big Eight Conference title. Gene Crews, Earl Denny, Steve Herndon and Charlie Brown also scored points for the Tigers, who finished on top of an 84-team field. Crews took third place in the shot put, while Denny finished fourth in the long jump, Herndon fourth in the high jump, and Brown fourth in the 60-yard dash. Missouri started the second day of the meet tied with five teams for first place with five points. Those were scored by Crews and Denny, both Big Eight champions in their specialties. Crews’ toss was 58 feet while Denny set a new personal high with a leap of 24-feet-1-inch in the long jump. On Saturday, Brown flashed to a :06.2 finish in the 60, finishing behind Big Eight champ Charlie Greene of Nebraska, Darel Newman of Fresno State, and Trenton Jackson of Illinois, the Big Ten champ. In the 1,000-yard run, Lingle took the lead early and edged Seton Hall’s George German in a tactical race. Missouri’s final points came in the high jump, where Herndon had to settle for fourth place behind Wisconsin’s Bill Holden based on fewer misses at 6-8. Oklahoma State could have pulled out the team title by winning the meet’s final event – the mile relay – but the Cowboys could do no better than fourth.
