Spring Break
Who were they?
Adam Murphy
Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Still Standing Tall
"Carlos is a city guy, brash, boisterous and loud, outwardly aggressive. He wore his confidence out in the open. He had supreme confidence," Noel said.
Carlos and Smith may differ in their personalities, but they share traits common to any Olympic athlete.
"(They had) tremendous amounts of pride and courage. Without that, how can you be as political as we were and perform as well as they did under those circumstances? They had self confidence and a willingness to sacrifice," Noel said.
Neither ever lacked confidence on the track grid. Head coach Bud Winter made sure of that.
Winter trained fighter pilots during World War II and used the relaxation technique learned in the Navy and applied them to his runners.
"I came to San Jose State to be coached by the best and achieve worldwide achievement. (Winter) was very instrumental in me graduating from college, since I was the very first one in my family to do so," said Bob Poynter, a former SJSU student athlete under Bud Winter.
Winter's car he drove to practice was held together by string, and he conducted practice in a camouflage suit, according to Urla Hill, an SJSU graduate and curator of the Speed City exhibit in San Jose City Hall.
"Winter was a friend, a mentor and a great coach. He contributed to who I was on the track," Carlos said.
Bud Winter was the track coach while Ernie Bullard instructed all of the field events.
"(Winter) was one of the really outstanding coaches ever. The SJSU track and field program never had a big budget in any sport. He built quite a bit on very little. (He) was the mantel on why (the athletes) were there. Speed City was one thing, but on that team there were some outstanding athletes," Bullard said.
Winter produced more than 102 All-Americans during his tenure at SJSU, Poynter said. Winter also saw the team through the political turmoil of the late 1960s.
"It was like going down rapids in a canoe. The whole idea is to get to the bottom with everyone still on the canoe," Bullard said. "None of it was easy. It was a complicated year, but we got through it."
Carlos and Smith may differ in their personalities, but they share traits common to any Olympic athlete.
"(They had) tremendous amounts of pride and courage. Without that, how can you be as political as we were and perform as well as they did under those circumstances? They had self confidence and a willingness to sacrifice," Noel said.
Neither ever lacked confidence on the track grid. Head coach Bud Winter made sure of that.
Winter trained fighter pilots during World War II and used the relaxation technique learned in the Navy and applied them to his runners.
"I came to San Jose State to be coached by the best and achieve worldwide achievement. (Winter) was very instrumental in me graduating from college, since I was the very first one in my family to do so," said Bob Poynter, a former SJSU student athlete under Bud Winter.
Winter's car he drove to practice was held together by string, and he conducted practice in a camouflage suit, according to Urla Hill, an SJSU graduate and curator of the Speed City exhibit in San Jose City Hall.
"Winter was a friend, a mentor and a great coach. He contributed to who I was on the track," Carlos said.
Bud Winter was the track coach while Ernie Bullard instructed all of the field events.
"(Winter) was one of the really outstanding coaches ever. The SJSU track and field program never had a big budget in any sport. He built quite a bit on very little. (He) was the mantel on why (the athletes) were there. Speed City was one thing, but on that team there were some outstanding athletes," Bullard said.
Winter produced more than 102 All-Americans during his tenure at SJSU, Poynter said. Winter also saw the team through the political turmoil of the late 1960s.
"It was like going down rapids in a canoe. The whole idea is to get to the bottom with everyone still on the canoe," Bullard said. "None of it was easy. It was a complicated year, but we got through it."
Be the first to comment on this story