Who is the all-time greatest boys’ track and field athlete from an Arizona high school?
This is sure to stir debate. But there is no doubting that this state produced some all-time NCAA and Olympic greats.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports is celebrating the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network, which includes The Arizona Republic, will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states.
Throughout the next year, we will be showcasing lists of the top Arizona high school athletes who went on to define their sports and the state. In July, we will unveil our top overall athletes from Arizona. They were trailblazers and trendsetters who left an impact beyond state championships and statistics.
As part of this effort, we invite our readers to vote in polls that accompany the stories, or submit a name they think should be included if they don’t see it on our list. Print readers can find the polls with the stories online at azcentral.com/sports/high-schools.
These are our picks for the top 10 high school boy track and field athletes who helped define Arizona.
The Republic’s all-time Arizona boys high school track athletes
1. Dallas Long, Phoenix North, throws, 1958
Truly an athlete ahead of his time, Long set the United States high school national record in the shot put in 1958 at 69 feet, 3 inches and finished his senior year ranked No. 2 in the world at 17 years old. Long went on to win three consecutive NCAA titles in the shot put at the University of Southern California, set a staggering seven world records from 1959 to 1964 and win the bronze medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Long ended his career at 66-8 with the 16-pound ball.
2. Dwayne Evans, Phoenix South Mountain, sprints, 1976
The only Arizona athlete to win an Olympic medal in track and field as a prep, his summer from 1976 still resonates with the community when he ran 20.22 seconds at the Olympic Trials to set a national record before going on to earn a bronze at Montreal. Evans competed at Arizona State University, helping his team to the 1977 NCAA title and winning the individual 200 crown in 1981. His high school national 200-meter record has since fallen, but it remains a state record – the oldest in the Arizona Interscholastic Association archives.
3. Nick Hysong, Tolleson, jumps, 1990
He took the pole vault to new heights while at Tolleson, setting the state record at 17-4 in 1990 (which stood until 2017) to become the first from Arizona to go over 17 feet. At ASU, Hysong became both a Pac-10 champion and NCAA champion, winning the national title in 1994. He won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He cleared a career best of 19-4.25.
4. Joe Batiste, Tucson, hurdles, 1939
He was Arizona’s first track star, immediately stepping onto the scene as a freshman in 1938 and tying the national interscholastic high hurdle record with a time of 14.5 seconds for 120 yards. A year later, he ran 39-inch hurdles in 14 seconds flat, another national record. Tucson fans raised money to send Batiste to the AAU Championships, where Batiste beat Fred Wolcott, the Rice University world record holder, in 1939, at 18 years old. Batiste was one of the athletes selected to tour Europe as part of the United States All-Star track team. After Tucson, Batiste went to Sacramento Junior College, where he won All-American Honors in 1941 and 1942. In both 1940 and 1944, he was named to the U.S. Olympic teams for the decathlon and high hurdles but never competed since World War II prevented the Olympics from being held.
5. Will Claye, Phoenix Mountain Pointe, jumps, 2008
He was one of the nation’s best jumpers while in high school, going 52-4.75 in the triple jump (a state record at the time) and 24-3 in the long jump. Claye then enrolled early and excelled at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Florida, collecting two NCAA national titles. Claye won a silver medal in the triple jump and a bronze in the long jump at the 2012 London Olympics and silver in the triple jump at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Claye was a four-time national champion, three-time national indoor champion, two-time World Indoor champion and two-time World Championships silver medallist.
6. Michael Bates, Tucson Amphitheater, sprints, 1989
An incredible two-way football star, Bates set the track on fire with his performances in the 100 (10.34) and 200 meters (20.62) in high school – both still tied for No. 2 in state history. Playing both sports at the University of Arizona, Bates was voted the Pac-10 Most Outstanding Male Performer at the conference championships in 1989 and 1990, winning the 100 and 200. He won the bronze in the 200 at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Bates ended his career with a personal best of 20.01 in the 200, the fastest time ever from an Arizona athlete.
7. Devon Allen, Phoenix Brophy Prep, hurdles, 2013
Allen put together a successful career with Brophy Prep as he set a state record in the 110-meter hurdles (13.50) at the time before starring at the University of Oregon. As a freshman, Allen won the NCAA title in the 110-hurdles and was the U.S. national champion in 2014 as well. He ended up winning three NCAA titles. Allen has made two Olympic teams, in 2016 and 2020, and made the finals both times. He is a three-time national champion and is No. 3 all-time in history for the 110-hurdles at 12.84.
8. Turner Washington, Oro Valley Canyon Del Oro, throws, 2017
Washington’s personal best of 227-10 in the discus is No. 4 all-time in prep history. After transferring from Arizona, Washington, the son of a gold medalist thrower, put together an illustrious career at ASU with five NCAA titles across the discus and shot put.
9. LaNorris “Cricket” Marshall, El Mirage Dysart, sprints, 1978
Nobody to this day in Arizona has run faster in the 100 than Marshall did nearly 50 years ago with his 10.33. Marshall became an All-American at the University of Washington and set a school record in the 200 that lasted 20 years. He was poised to compete at the 1980 Moscow Olympics until the United States’ boycott.
10. Jim Brewer, Phoenix North, jumps, 1957
Brewer was the first high school vaulter ever to go over 14 feet and then 15 feet. He was such a sensation that Sports Illustrated traveled out to Phoenix to do a profile on Brewer. At the NCAA level with USC, Brewer became a national champion in 1961.
Vote: Who’s No. 1?
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vote. The Republic’s all-time Arizona boys high school track athletes
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