Story by: Will Vehrs
"You saved me from going to jail", he said to me 25 years after I met him in 1969. Donnie Craig, a pole vaulter on Stonewall Jackson High School's indoor track team in Manassas, Virginia, introduced me to a new recruit in late November of 1969.
As the new recruit stood there eyes looking down at his feet I asked him his name. Barely audible he said "James Vogt". What grade are you in James? "10th". In what event would you like to participate? Still looking down at his feet there was a shrug of his shoulders. Donnie spoke up to say he sometimes runs home 4 miles away. Would you like to run distance races I asked? He nodded his head up and down for a yes.
When James agreed to be part of the distance program he unknowingly had stepped into the strongest program on our team. My first year at Stonewall 1967/68, I was extremely fortunate to coach Jim Kidd, a senior, who was a rare talent. He was state champion in both the half mile indoors and outdoors. Will Vehrs was just a freshman, who had much to learn about distance running, but was inspired by Jim Kidd. Running with Will after his freshman year, I taught him how to run 10 milers in under an hour. Will, from the beginning of his sophomore year became the backbone and heart of the team and the best assistant coach any coach could have.
James showed up each day for practice, and worked out to the best of his ability. A couple of weeks into the season, we had a time trial, and I asked if he thought he could run the 2 mile. As he looked down he nodded a yes. By the mile mark in 6 minutes I could tell he was short of breath and suffering from fatigue. I walked onto the track and stopped him. Three weeks later we had a mile time trial and with a strong kick he won in 5 minutes. I was impressed.
Indoors we only went to big meets that were held in indoor arenas where runners from all over the state and nearby states ran together. The rule was that if a runner was lapped he had to step off the track. Not once did he finish a race, but at the 2A state indoor meet he got far enough in the race that I could project his 2 mile time fairly accurately to 10:40. After a few days off we started outdoor track.
That was the time of the year we built our background with only distance runs, James began to shorten the distance gap between himself and the top runners. I complimented him on his runs only to be met with a heads down thanks. At our first meet outdoors James placed 2nd in 10:13, behind one of our good 2 milers, but he placed ahead of the boy who was the best 2 miler in the district other than on our team. Before the 2nd meet I asked him what kind of time he thought he could run. Shyly he answered 10:05. He ran 10.06. A week later, James and I were the first to get to the track the day before our first big invitational. I asked what he thought he could run. "9:55". I asked again and once again he said 9:55. I asked if he knew who he would be running against. "No". I told him the defending state 2A champion and the 3rd place finisher and asked how he planned to run the race.
I began to see a human transformation in front of me. His posture straighten making him at least 2" taller, his chest puffed out and for the first time his head began to come up to look me in the eye. At last I saw what color his eyes were. It was like seeing the Incredible Hulk appear. He looked me in the eyes and for his first complete sentence to me said, "I hope they don't see me when I blow by them with 300 yards left in the race". I know my jaw dropped and my eyes got bigger. I was stunned. Did he really think he could pull that off?
The next day when the runners came by the first lap James was dead last and still dead last at the half mile and the three quarter mile mark. I chuckled to myself that he was having a wakeup call. I just hoped he would be able to finish well enough to prevent embarrassment. As James began the 4th lap he began passing runner after runner until the bell lap when he was on the shoulder of the defending state champion and the 3rd place finisher. As they came off the curve onto the back stretch with 300 yards left James made a ferocious move blowing by both boys and moved away from them by at least 15 yards. In the last 100 yards both inched by him, but he ran a 9:56. I was dumbfounded by his overwhelming confidence and with the ability to deliver. The question of my coaching ability confronted me.
Having run under East Carolina University's excellent distance coach, Baxter Berryhill, for less than 2 years in college, and having coached only 2 years, did I have the knowledge and experience to coach somebody I thought had such remarkable ability? My coaching abilities were going to be stretched and both of us were going to be growing in our roles. The key to our success would be an excellent mileage background program, coupled with ever increasingly faster interval workouts as we approached the biggest meets in both indoor and outdoor track.
The next meet was a relay meet where James ran a strong 1:59.1 half mile leg on the 2 mile relay. In 1970 the rule was that a 2 miler would be limited to only that race. In order to gain more meet points, I asked James if he would be interested in running the mile and half in the next meet. He leaped at the possibility of running two races. At the district meet James placed 2nd in both the mile and half mile behind our strongest runner Will Vehrs. He had thus qualified for the state meet along with Will.
Will Vehrs led the mile from the beginning at the state meet while James was at the back of the pack for the first 2 laps then he began to move up. Will Vehrs won the race, but James with a blazing kick in the last 300 yards finished 2nd in 4:31. Forty minutes later, Will and James were on the track for the half mile. Will struggled to break away from his chief competitor over the first 500 yards, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, James was at the back of the pack behind 12 runners until he got 300 yards from the finish line where he began his kick. When he came out of the last turn he was in third place moving on Will. Will placed 2nd and James 3rd in a 1:59.1. How could this shy, skinny inexperienced boy run this well? With Will, James and several other good runners, I could see our cross country team perhaps winning the state meet in the fall.
During the trip home from the state meet we talked about the summer running program, but James remained quiet. Finally, I asked James why he was so quiet. "I can't run during the summer", James said. I was dumbfounded. He explained that he had to work to earn enough to buy a car. I arranged a meeting with James and his mother. His mother thought if James wanted a car he had to work to buy one. I agreed with that concept, but understandably she lacked the foresight to see his full potential in distance running and devoting his time to running would pay off in the long run.
James ran very little that summer, but was at practice mid August. I tried to tamp down his mileage to prevent an injury. James had covered perhaps only 75 easy miles in the month before we headed to Handley High School in Winchester Va., the defending state champions and where my college coach and mentor, Baxter Berryhill, was now coaching. Will and James, coming very close to the course record, tied for first place. Will said it was his best cross country race. My first thought was how could James be better than where he left off from the state outdoor track meet with almost no training during the summer? Monday morning in school he hobbled up to me and said he was injured. My heart sank. He had pushed himself too hard in the race as his mind was stronger than his body. Our state championship was lost and James didn't return to practice until the first of December.
When James came back to practice in December he left off just where he was before. By the third week in January at the Naval Academy Indoor Track Meet James ran a qualifying time for the best and fastest half mile heat in the state indoor meet. Our high school had moved from 2A to the 3A division and we would be running against the best in Virginia. The state meet was held at VMI's 200 yard indoor track facility with only three lanes on the sharp curves.
At the crack of the starting gun of the half mile there was a mad dash to gain good position and James failed to do that. He fought during the entire race to gain position and after coming off the last turn with 50 yards left in the race he was still in 5th position. Yet he won. How I'll never know. Yet my bubble bust when it was announced later that Reggie Clark came out of the slow heat with the best time and was state champion.
During the outdoor season we traveled to the top quality Tom Black Track Classic at the University of Tennessee. James ran the half and was 2nd in a time of 1:53.4 . His time of 1:53.4 placed him as the second best junior in the nation in 1971. After winning the District mile and half mile we headed to the Regional Track Meet where he won the mile in 4:20.1 and the half in 1:56. We had one more race for James to win to be the state champion in the half mile or mile. We decided that there was no way James could beat a 1:51.1 half-miler from another region for the state championship. But his 4.20.1 did qualified him for the fast heat at the state meet, however he was the last entry on time in the fast heat that would produce the state champion.
Although he would be running against Steve Nobles, the defending state champion and Max Collins, who had the fastest time in the state with a time of 4:15, we could perhaps devise a strategy that if successful might give James the state championship in the mile. We had several factors working for us. James had no difficulty running the 4:20 at the regional meet so he could go faster. Our region was noted for the lack of good distance runners so he would be an unknown for Nobles and Collins, and more than likely Nobles and Collins would be keying on each other rather than James. In addition, Collins would probable let Nobles set up the pace. And Steve Nobles had a habit of running the mile the same way each race. He would run quarter mile splits of 60, 70, 70 and 60 seconds for a 4:20. If necessary, he would use his speed to go faster on the last quarter mile in order to win. Since James was an unknown we decided that he should run quarter mile splits of 65, 65, then a 63 second 3rd quarter to break contact with Nobles and Collins. If Nobles and Collins let him go at the half mile, James had a chance of winning. But even then to be state champion James would have to withstand their kick on the final quarter mile lap.
When the gun sounded to start the mile Nobles and Collins quickly ran to the front with Collins on Nobles shoulder and James was dead last. Nobles came through his first quarter in 60. As the mile progressed James began to move up after going though his first quarter in 65. Nobles and Collins came through the half mile in 2:09.5 and James having moved by everyone was now right behind Nobles and Collins in 2:10. He blew by them and began his 63 second 3rd quarter. They let him go and he moved quickly to a 20 yard lead. People in the stands were saying look at that fool he doesn't realize this isn't the last lap and some were openly laughing. When James got to the bell lap in 3:13.5 and kept running, Nobles and Collins at 3:19.5 woke up and began their move to win. Coming out of the last turn Nobles and Collins were within striking distance of James and were reducing the distance with every step. Everyone in the stands was on their feet yelling and screaming in excitement. Could they catch James who was struggling visibly to get to the finish line? It looked like a three way tie. But James won the state championship in 4:19.1. Nobles and Collins both ran 4:19.2. Many said it was the best mile race in 20 years. Next year's state championship mile, however, would be a battle of the titans as both James and Collins were juniors.
As we headed home I talked about running during the summer. Once again James said he had to work to earn enough money to buy another car. And once again I failed to convince his mother of the importance of him running that summer. In August, he reappeared for cross country and James, with only light workouts for 3 weeks under his belt, our team headed to Handley High School to run the state champions. The strongest Handley runner had put in 100 miles each week during the summer in preparation to beat James. On the bus going to HandIey High School, I told James he was the underdog and it would be best for him to follow 15 yards behind. Then in the last 150 yards he could perhaps out kick the Handley runner. Although James didn't say anything, there was hostility written across his face.
Within a half mile of the 2 mile race it was already a two man race with James 15 yards behind the leader. When James came by me at the half way mark there was nothing but pain written across on his face. I had the feeling James would not be able to stay with him much longer. They circled around the back of the school and when they came from the back of the school James was in the lead by 15 yards and moving away. He won easily and came just a couple seconds from breaking the record. I congratulated him and said I didn't understand the pain that was on his face during the race. "It wasn't pain. I was mad." "Mad?" I asked. "Yes, I knew I could beat him easily and your strategy prevented me from shattering the course record." Well the Incredible Hulk again.
A week later I sent the boys on a medium paced 10 miler and told James that he didn't have to stay with the other boys but just to cover the distance They came back and there was no James. I drove around looking for him only to find him coming from the wrong direction. He had lost sight of them and missed the turn off back to school. I quickly figured he had run 17 miles. Fear rose in my throat. Monday morning he limped up to me in school to say he had the same injury as the previous year. He didn't come back to practice until December. Would James be able to recover and have that special senior year I knew he was capable of?
After training 7 weeks we headed to the US Naval Academy meet. The Naval Academy meet was one of the best high school meets in the US in the early 70's. I took 4 boys to the meet. James started off in the 1,000 yard race. He won easily in 2:14.1 which Track and Field News Magazine reported was the second fastest time in the nation that 3rd weekend of January. In route to the 1,000 he ran a 1:57 half mile which Track and Field reported was tied for the 2nd fastest time in the nation. Another team member, Floyd Brown, placed 3rd in the 600. An hour later James and Floyd doubled in the 2 mile relay with John Delay and Hugh Toland. John Delay led off with a 2:07. Hugh Toland ran a split of 1:56.1 while Floyd Brown ran a 1:57 and James anchored with a 1:59. That 3rd weekend in January 1972 Track and Field reported that the fastest time in the nation in the thousand was 2:14.0 and the fastest time in the nation in the half was 1:56.5 and second place was 1:57.0.
In the Virginia State Indoor Track meet James easily won the half mile and anchored our winning mile relay team along with Floyd Brown, Hugh Toland and Albert Winninger in 3:23.1. There were two teams placing second at 3.23.2. To say the least, it was an exciting indoor season, but outdoor track was still before us.
During the outdoor season, one of the meets we pointed to for a great performance for was the Dogwood Relays at UVA. James ran the mile leg of the distance medley in 4:14.3 while that same day Max Collins ran a 4:12 at the Penn Relays. As the milers were called to the starting line at the state meet, there was a buzz of excitement in the stand knowing James and Max, who had finished one tenth of a second behind James at the state meet the year before, would be running against each other. I heard people in the stands betting hundreds of dollars on the mile race.
Within 500 yards it was a two man race and at the bell lap Collins blew by James as if he were standing still. By the time they came onto the backstretch James had pulled back to be on Collins' shoulder and with 300 yards left James blew by Collins pulling out to a 10 or 15 yard lead. Collins was a tough runner and pulled up to James' shoulder coming out of the last curve with 100 yards left in the race. James looked over his right shoulder and seeing Collins the after burners came on again leaving Collins who could not match James' last kick. James not only was the state champion again, but broke the state record by 6 seconds with a 4:10.0. On the strength of that race James was invited to the US High School Regional Meet at LSU, the Golden West in Sacramento, California and the AAU Junior Championship in Denver and was talking to the University of Tennessee for a scholarship.
The LSU Regional meet was a fantastic mile race. Three runners went through the 3/4 mile in 3:08 with James in third place. As they came out of the curve with 300 yards left James blew by them, but in the last 150 yards both came by James. First place was 4:05 point, second place 4:06 point and James with a 4:07.0. James' time ranked him the 18th fastest US high school miler on the all time American list. He took a couple of deep breaths then jogged over to me and begged me to get him entered in the half mile. He was high as a kite. At the Golden West James finished 4th and at the AAU Junior Championship he qualified for the final the following day. James expressed how difficult the qualifying race was at that altitude in Denver. I told him that we had accomplished all we had wanted to this year and more. It would be his decision whether to run or not. He chose not to run, but the next day after the conclusion of the mile, he said "I could have come in 2nd and could have run against the Russians later in the summer." He still had college in front of him and was to be the first in his family to ever go to college. He was looking forward to reaching other goals in running and life.
Years later he explained that he had seen his mother shoot and kill his abusive father and that almost all of the males in his extended family had spent time in jail. Coming into high school James was sure that he would end up in jail also. Track, however, had provided a direction for him and new richer way to live life. In 1997, when I retired from teaching I sent him a video tape of his story that I had taped. His children were fascinated by the video as he had never even told them about his participation in track much less the heights he had reached. He is one of the most humble persons I've ever met.
Years later, I asked James if he thought he could have run under 4 minutes if he had run during the summer after his sophomore and junior years. The answer came out in a split second with a very confident "Yes." James had trained 22 months from the time he came out in December of 1969 to his 4:07.0 mile run. How is that possible that a high school athlete with so little training can run the 18th fastest time ever in the mile?
Even before James finished his sophomore year I knew he would be a track phenomenon. In addition to coaching him, my responsibility would be to guide him to the right college. It would be there that he could make his mark nationally and perhaps internationally. Although winning the state championship mile in a 4:19.1 his junior year should have highlighted him to colleges, it didn't. Nor did his 2nd place ranking nationally in the 1,000 yard indoors garner any interest. That's when I should have become proactive in calling colleges as it wouldn't be until late in the track season that his best times would be realized. Then, however, it could be too late as the best track school would have given out their scholarships. I should not have risked the chance to be picked up at the end of his senior year.
At the Virginia Outdoor State Meet in 1972 where James won the mile in 4.10.0 the assistant coach at the University of Tennessee introduced himself to me and the negotiations began. The problem was that of the 8 full scholarships UT had to offer 7 had been were already promised and accepted. The 8th had been offered to a shot putter, but he had not decided. We were told that if the shot putter chose another school James would receive the 8th scholarship.
When James and I were at the Golden West Meet in Sacramento it was announced that the shot putter, who won the meet and was also the athlete that UT had offered the 8th scholarship, had decided to attend San Diego State. Immediately I called the assistant coach at UT and to my horror they had already offered the 8th scholarship to someone else. Other schools I contacted had no more scholarships to offer.
So the negotiations with UT began again. James was offered a full scholarship for his last three years and they promised they would get him an easy job (like empting trash cans in the library) for 3 hours a night making $3.50 per hour. I asked if that could supply a tutor if James needed one and I asked if James could be roomed with an upper classman to help guide James. To both questions they agreed. James and I discussed their terms and it was decided he would attend UT. The problem was that this put James in a position that he had to work that summer which would prevent him from running. In early August he headed to UT with the understanding that James would call at least once a week to keep me informed on his progress.
Lacking any summer background the coaches separated James from the rest of the team and put him on reduced workouts. At a time trial in early September, James finished 11th on the team. While we talked about the time trial he said a team picture had been taken and he was shocked at the picture. He explained that he considered himself the tallest man on the team and when he looked at the picture he was actually the shortest man. Each week after meets James would call to give me an update. Each week he improved his place on team in meets. When he was 5th on the team I asked him if he could move up to 4th at the next meet. He said yes and did. The next meet the team was going to the Galloway Gardens. I asked if he could move up another position on the team at Galloway Gardens. "Yes"
Our conversations were not just about his running progress. He was doing OK academically so he didn't need a tutor, but he explained that the job was washing cars for 4 hours at night and he was being paid $2.50 per hour. I asked him about his roommate and to my horror they had roomed James with the boy they had given his scholarship. James told me he had beaten the boy up 3 times and had intended great harm to him, but Bubba had pulled James off him. Bubba was the shot putter.
His running was coming along well and James told me on October, 16th they had gone on a hard 10 miler at a local golf course. Doug Brown, their best runner who had placed 7th in the World University Games steep chase and was later to become head coach at UT, ran a 49:40 and James finished 7th in 52:20. On approximately two month's training he had run 4 minutes faster than in high school. The raw talent he had was amazing.
He called after the Galloway Gardens meet to tell me he finished 3rd on the team. He told me he thought he was in big trouble when he ran through the first 2 miles in 9:26 which was his fastest 2 mile he had ever run. I asked him if he could be 2nd on the team next week. "Yes". Then I asked if he could beat Doug Brown that year. James responded by saying I don't think you know how tough he is. Yes I do, but the question is do you think you can beat him this year? He said "No, not this year". So I asked, "how about next year?" James said, "I don't think you know how tough he is." Yes I do. The question is do you think you can beat him next year. He said, "Once in a while, but not on consistent basis."
Two days later the phone rang and I was surprised to hear James' voice. He sounded depressed. He had reinjured his foot and knew he wouldn't be able to compete any more of the cross country season. I was crushed just as he was. UT went on to win the National Cross Country Championship that year, but without James.
At the end of the semester he called to say he was quitting UT and going to Allegany Community College in Pennsylvania where some Stonewall runners had gone. It was at this time that I began to lose contact with James except bits and pieces now and again. During the spring semester at Allegany he got very little training due to frequent and nagging injuries. He took the summer off to work and when he returned to school he became injured prior to the end of cross country season. Allegany won the community college division of the national championship that year, but without James being on the team. After finishing school there he took two years off then got the urge to run again and enrolled at UNC Pembroke which had a good distance program.
He didn't go to school with any running background for two years then couldn't control his urged to run with the top runners on the team and became injured. But the second semester he ran well with a 4:09 and a 1:51.6 on two relays that spring. During the summer he did a good bit of running and went back to Pembroke in reasonably good condition. The team qualified for the national championship and James finished 4th on the team and 34th out of 384 runners. They won the National Championship with James playing an important part.