Mead Mania – The arrival of Pat Tyson begins a series of 9 consecutive titles – Part 2
Things started to heat up a lot with the arrival of Pat Tyson as Mead’s away coach. He provided the leadership that led Mead to the first of 9 consecutive titles in 1988.
Tyson’s Shorecrest High School team had won consecutive 3-A cross country titles in 1984 and 1985 before moving on to Mead.
Tyson may be best known nationally as a running back for the University of Oregon under coach Bill Bowerman and former roommate Steve “Pre” Prefontaine.
Pre was not only the superstar champion of Oregon, but also the best middle distance runner in American history and the greatest legend in American athletics.
At the time of his tragic death in a car accident at the young age of 24, Pre held 14 American track and field records from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters. For 5 years, no American runner could beat Pre at a distance greater than a mile.
Bowerman, one of the best middle distance coaches, was phenomenally successful and Oregon became a national powerhouse.
What Tyson learned by living and racing with Steve Prefontaine and Coach Bowerman was carried over to Mead and superbly implemented.
The mead brokers were asked to do nothing more and no less than shop to be part of Tyson’s “extended family” system. I wanted a group of guys who loved to run, who were willing to train constantly (year-round), and who liked to hang out together.
The Mead Panthers grew into a team of young men who were inseparable and nearly invincible year after year. Rival coaches from other leagues and smaller schools were envious of the more than 80 members of Mead’s cross country teams and mid-distance track teams.
While most schools were fortunate enough to have a half dozen runners who could run 5 minutes in the mile, Mead apparently had more than 30 kids who could run in each training session. Being a starting running back for Mead was a big deal, and even more important in an important match.
In cross country, only 7 runners represent the team in a competition and only their first 5 runners are listed in the score, but the 80+ team members are allowed to race in the competition.
One great thing about cross country is that it is an inclusive sport, no one needs to sit on the bench while the headlines play on a team.
Cross country, like track and field, swimming, and wrestling are also individual and team sports. Your team may not qualify for the state competition, but you may qualify as an individual based on your performance in the district or regional competitions.
Unlike most sports contests, on the cross country the low score wins. A team whose running backs finish 1-2-3-4-5 would score 15 perfect points. Your opponent could, at best, finish 6-7-8-9-10 with 40 points.
If a team finishes 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, the winning score would still be 15, but their opponent couldn’t do better than 8-9-10-11-12 with 50 points. While the sixth and seventh place riders are not listed in their team’s score, they can determine which team wins by finishing ahead of the top 5 riders of the other team.
The mead runners became champions because when the stakes were high, they performed at their best. The non-GSL riders who lined up against Mead had to feel like they were going to a heinous trial.
(Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on Mead High School career success.)
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley