Smokin' Joe: Part 7
- by Doug Consiglio
So as we left our hero, I think he was lining up for the conference 5K along with about 30 other tired runners. The gun went off and the runners took off into the hot, humid, Houston night. Nothing much happened in the first two miles except that everyone got a little more tired. Then, with about3 laps to go, Smokin' Joe (who had not raced in 6 weeks remember, but was fresh for this race, this being his first event in the championships) took the lead and forced the pace. After 800m of this, only the great John Warren (who was also fresh, trying to get a victory for the hometown Rice Owls) could stay with Joe. In the last lap, Joe upped the tempo even more and left Warren in the last 100m. He won in about 14:14. Now it was a good victory for Joe, the Razorback on his arm working like a charm, but while his prolonged surge helped him win, it also sealed the fate of some other big kicking Razorbacks who were doubling back from other events that day (including Gary Taylor, whom I think would have been able to tie with Joe had the surge waited until the last lap,) but that is all water under the bridge.
Anyway, the Hogs lost the meet to Texas by about 5 points and had a long trip home.
The next weekend, Smokin' Joe and the boys went to Knoxville, some for tune up races for the NCAA's, others to get the NCAA standard.
Smokin' Joe ran the 5K, was never really in it, PR'd in 14:11, but this left him well short of qualifying for the show. (as a side note, the conceited author took part in a big 1500m open race and lad a Razorback sweep - Consiglio, Borge, Gary Taylor - with a :52 last lap (3:42.) And, to make matters worse, another big disappointment for Joe was that Gary refused to re-draw the Razorback on his arm.
So, the Hogs went to NCAA's without their hero, finished 4th (Consiglio 6th in the 1500m, Borge 3rd, Gary Taylor had appendicitus 3 days before the meet and did not run, but was looking the best of all our milers including Matt Taylor who was at home spanking it because he did not qualify) and then off to summer break.
So, when the men returned in the fall, what did Smokin' Joe have on his right arm? A brand new honkin' Razorback on his bicep (keeping in mind that this was way before people in college did this type of thing, I firmly believe that Joe and Pat Porter started the whole college runners tattoo thing.)
So, as the year began...oops sorry, my private line red phone is ringing, and that can only mean one thing...I'm off.