Track and Field and Johnny Mathis first draft

Head coach Terry Burke calls his 2007 a young group, and a transitional team. Burke said the team is a bit thin in terms of numbers. Burke said the Track and Field faculty got a late start for recruitment for the 2007 season.

Burke said that in two or three years, the Gators have a legitimate shot of winning the conference championship.

“The attitude is phenomenal,” Burke said of his team, “and that was the thing that needed the most immediate attention.”

Elaborating on the recruitment process, Burke said that it’s (at least) a year long process to draft prospective athletes. Burke said he sent out over 200 letters , talk directly to over 100 students, and actively engage more than 50 athletes in trying to bring them to SF State. Burke said the recruitment process is constantly ongoing.

Burke said the hierarchy of recruits is as follows: First, the full scholarship athletes, which are “the top of the pyramid” according to Burke. “This is a big commitment,” Burke said. “We give them grants and aid, which isn’t a lot of money at [SF State]. These athletes have a guaranteed spot on the roster.”

“Then have the recruited walk-ons,” Burke said. “And everyone else tries out for the team.”

Burke said one of the selling points of the SF State track and field team . . . is the campus. “I think a lot of parents are expecting the campus to be gray and urban and closed. [Parents] fall in love with the campus. It’s more green and open than they think.”

Terry Burke graduated with a teaching credential from SF State in the 80’s. He has coached track in the bay area for over 12 years.

The Johnny Mathis Invitational

If any SF State students know Johnny Mathis, it’s probably with some disdain through their parents. “That lounge singer,” is the most common description that occurs. Most students are surprised when they hear that Johnny Mathis was an athlete.

“In 1954, Johnny enrolled at San Francisco State College with the intention of being an English and Physical Education teacher,” according to JohnnyMathis.com. “While there, Johnny set a high jump record of 6’-5 1/2”. This is still on the College’s Top 15 list and was only two inches short of the Olympic record of the time. Just as when he was in high school, Johnny’s name was frequently mentioned in the sports sections of the Northern California newspapers. He was often referred to as ‘the best all-around athlete to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area.’”

In fact, Mathis had a chance to go to the Olympic trials in Australia in the summer 1956 – but Mathis was offered a chance to go to New York for Columbia records during the same time. The rest, of course, is history, as Johnny Mathis is a famous singer and not a famous Olympian.

“[Mathis] has been very supportive of the track program,” said Terry Burke.

The Johnny Mathis invitational will be held April 5 and 6 at SF State.