Congratulations! Your memory for track stats is amazing! We enjoyed reading about family Track and Field and other sports memories. We especially enjoyed your comments about the "toy department!" Best wishes, success and HAVE FUN!!
Johnny O…best wishes for success with TFI. If anyone can pull this off, it’s you. Your passion is ridiculously over the top, but that’s when magic happens. Good luck! Catherine
You fail to note that former UCLA and USC track coach Jim Bush convinced Watts to run the 400 and was the one who taught him the basics of the race as he did for John Smith and Wayne Collett and Steve Lewis and Danny Everett. Bush deserves a ton of credit for Watts' success.
I am very aware of the influence that Jim Bush had on Quincy Watts. However, the story that ran in the L.A. Times could only be so long so I had to make some hard decisions about what to include and what to leave out. If you read the original story (https://trackandfield.substack.com/p/dynamic-duo-struck-gold-in-barcelona) that I posted on my site on August 6, you will see that I went into detail about Bush encouraging Watts to run the 400. What you may or may not be aware of is Bush spent much of every summer in Lake Tahoe with his wife and he was the one who encouraged Watts to train with and and travel overseas with John Smith during the summers of 1991 and '92. You are correct that Bush was known as a 400 guru during his time as the head coach at UCLA from 1964-84, when he developed quarter-milers such as Smith and Wayne Collett. But Smith was the assistant coach at UCLA who guided Everett -- a 1985 graduate of Fairfax High in Los Angeles -- and Lewis -- a 1987 graduate of American High in Fremont, California -- when they were Bruins.
It is my understanding that Smith stole Watts from Bush, using race as a wedge. IT's too bad such ugly things creep into track and field. It's a statement of how corrupt the upper levels of uS track and field are that Bush and Tom Tellez were never head coaches of the u.s. Olympic team. They were great. Their athletes were great. They deserved the honor.
Are you sure of that or are you spreading hearsay? I'm asking because Watts, who I have known since he was a sophomore in high school, feels a huge debt of gratitude to Jim Bush because Bush was the one who got him to to run the 400. To paraphrase Quincy, Bush saw something in him that he did not see in himself at the time. And Quincy told me that Bush encouraged him to train with -- and travel overseas with -- Smith in the summer of '91 because Bush spent most of every summer in Lake Tahoe with his wife. I know Smith can rub some people the wrong way because he can be quite opinionated. I also know he was a highly successful collegiate assistant coach, and he became one very quickly, during a time when most of the head coaches at NCAA Division I programs were white males.
John is a passionate and very knowledgeable fan of track & Field. I have no doubt that his blog will be a great source of info. and inspiration.
Congratulations! Your memory for track stats is amazing! We enjoyed reading about family Track and Field and other sports memories. We especially enjoyed your comments about the "toy department!" Best wishes, success and HAVE FUN!!
Johnny O…best wishes for success with TFI. If anyone can pull this off, it’s you. Your passion is ridiculously over the top, but that’s when magic happens. Good luck! Catherine
Very cool and good luck
You fail to note that former UCLA and USC track coach Jim Bush convinced Watts to run the 400 and was the one who taught him the basics of the race as he did for John Smith and Wayne Collett and Steve Lewis and Danny Everett. Bush deserves a ton of credit for Watts' success.
I am very aware of the influence that Jim Bush had on Quincy Watts. However, the story that ran in the L.A. Times could only be so long so I had to make some hard decisions about what to include and what to leave out. If you read the original story (https://trackandfield.substack.com/p/dynamic-duo-struck-gold-in-barcelona) that I posted on my site on August 6, you will see that I went into detail about Bush encouraging Watts to run the 400. What you may or may not be aware of is Bush spent much of every summer in Lake Tahoe with his wife and he was the one who encouraged Watts to train with and and travel overseas with John Smith during the summers of 1991 and '92. You are correct that Bush was known as a 400 guru during his time as the head coach at UCLA from 1964-84, when he developed quarter-milers such as Smith and Wayne Collett. But Smith was the assistant coach at UCLA who guided Everett -- a 1985 graduate of Fairfax High in Los Angeles -- and Lewis -- a 1987 graduate of American High in Fremont, California -- when they were Bruins.
It is my understanding that Smith stole Watts from Bush, using race as a wedge. IT's too bad such ugly things creep into track and field. It's a statement of how corrupt the upper levels of uS track and field are that Bush and Tom Tellez were never head coaches of the u.s. Olympic team. They were great. Their athletes were great. They deserved the honor.
Are you sure of that or are you spreading hearsay? I'm asking because Watts, who I have known since he was a sophomore in high school, feels a huge debt of gratitude to Jim Bush because Bush was the one who got him to to run the 400. To paraphrase Quincy, Bush saw something in him that he did not see in himself at the time. And Quincy told me that Bush encouraged him to train with -- and travel overseas with -- Smith in the summer of '91 because Bush spent most of every summer in Lake Tahoe with his wife. I know Smith can rub some people the wrong way because he can be quite opinionated. I also know he was a highly successful collegiate assistant coach, and he became one very quickly, during a time when most of the head coaches at NCAA Division I programs were white males.
John, this is wonderful. It took me right back to memory lane! Can't wait for what's to come. 🍀