Nov. 13, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS - Former San Diego State men's track and field athletes Bob Larsen and Steve Williams have each been named to the 2013 USA Track & Field Hall of Fame induction class, the USATF announced today.
Larsen and Williams join John Godina, Kenny Harrison and Eleanor Montgomery in the 40th overall class and will be honored on Dec. 7 at the Jesse Owens Hall of Fame Banquet in Indianapolis. Larsen will be inducted as coach, while Williams will go in as a veteran athlete inductee.
Larsen has become one of the most successful and well-known distance coaches in the world, most recently coaching San Diego native Meb Keflezighi (silver) and Deena Kastor (bronze) to 2004 Olympic medals in the marathon. A 1961 graduate of SDSU, Larsen went onto coach at Grossmont College (19 conference titles between cross country and track & field as a head coach and an assistant), the Jamul Toads (national AAU champs), UCLA (back-to-back NCAA outdoor titles in 1987-88 and 20 NCAA individual champions) and Team USA (distance coach at 2004 Olympic Games). Over his career, Larsen was named the NCAA Track & Field Coach of the Year three times (1987-88, 1995) and the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) Coach of the Year on nine occasions.
Williams, meanwhile, set the world record in the 100 meters four times between 1973 and 1976, and one time each in the 100-yard and 200-yard dash. Williams, who sprinted for the Aztecs in 1973 and 1974 after transferring from UTEP, was ranked No. 1 in the world in both the 100m and 200m in 1973 and No. 1 in the 100m in 1975. Williams won the World Cup title in the 100m in 1977 and anchored the 4x100-meter relay team to a world record in 1977. Williams never got to run in the Olympics, however, as he was injured for the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials and Team USA boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Williams owns San Diego State school records in the 100m (10.14) and the 200m (20.44) and was an All-American and runner-up in the 100-yard dash for SDSU at the 1974 NCAA Championships.
For the entire USATF release, click here.