46 years and still in front
Back in the day, Glenn Wolf could pick ‘em up and put ‘em down.
When he was at Washington State, running for Jack Mooberry, he finished fifth in the Big 6 meet (the precursor of the Pacific-8) 100-yard dash with a time of 9.8 seconds on a day when the winning time was 9.6 and the world record was 9.3.
Pretty impressive for a 5-foot-7 kid from Deer Park, who a few years before that gave the Stags a fifth-place trophy in the all-classes state meet by placing in the 100, 220 and long jump.
But what impresses Wolf the most is that his 1959 DP records for 100 and 200 yards – run on cinder tracks – still stand. He went 9.9 for 100 yards, which converts to a 10.8 for 100 meters and his converted 220 record is 22.0.
“That’s pretty amazing,” he said of his records. “You’d think there would be somebody from Deer Park who would be faster.”
He’s trying to do something about it.
Wolf, who farms a couple of thousand acres just north of Deer Park, is a volunteer assistant for interim coach Dan Birdsell. He goes into town a couple of times a week to work with the sprinters.
His star is senior Marty Hodneland, who leads the Great Northern League in the 100 (11.1), 200 (22.7) and 400 (53.5).
“(Wolf) really helps, especially with the (starting) blocks and my form,” Hodneland said, adding he noticed immediate improvements. “A month after I met him I said, ‘I’m going to beat your records, at least I’m going to try.’ He said, ‘I hope I’m around when someone does it.’ That’s awesome (but) he’s always joking that if he’s timing he’s going to stop the watch late.”
If Wolf had to guess, he would expect the 100 record to fall first. Hodneland believes he has a better shot in the 200, in which he has improved the most.
Both coach and athlete naturally come by their speed.
“I remember when I was a freshman or sophomore I said to my pops, ‘I’ll race you to the barn,’ ” Wolf recalled. “He beat me.”
Hodneland’s father, Al, still holds the Rogers record for the 400 (48.1), which ranks 40th on the state all-time list.
“I knew I was fast when I beat my brother in a race when I was a freshman,” said Hodneland, who hopes to run for Community Colleges of Spokane next year. “He was one of the fastest players but he was into soccer. … I like to win. I did soccer my freshman year, but my brother always beat me at that. I knew I was faster than him so I tried track.”
Wolf, who was also the school-record holder in the long jump and 400 when he graduated, has been a close observer of Deer Park track for years, returning to the family farm four years after graduating from WSU.
He is amazed his records have held up.
“Marty comes the closest,” said Wolf, who also coached in the ‘80s when his kids were in school. “He’s a hard worker. He loves to run. He’s tried the mile and the 300 hurdles. Hopefully, he does it. I’d like to be there. … It would be nice to coach a record-breaker.”
That Wolf is more than an interested observer impresses Birdsell, who is retired but filling in for one year.
“I called Glenn and told him if I’m going to do this he had to help out,” said Birdsell. “There have been times when Glenn paid somebody to do his field work so he can coach track for nothing.”
However, it’s obvious Wolf isn’t doing this for nothing.