USCAA - Nationals History

USCAA History
of the USCAA National Corporate Cup Relays

1978-Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles, California

Southern Bell Company employees established 10,000 meter relay times and then sent a challenge to the publishers of Runner's World magazine on the West Coast. The magazine gladly agreed to pick up the gauntlet thrown by Southern Bell. It is to this corporate challenge that the Corporate Nationals traces its history, although "company-challenging-company" is a theme long woven into the fabric of the American free enterprise system. (see Runner's World, August 1978)

1979-Berkeley, California

Perfect weather and scintillating performances characterized the staging of the Corporate Nationals at Edwards Stadium on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. Some 38 companies with nearly 1,000 employee-athletes participated. When it was all over, Pacific Gas & Electric Company of San Francisco was pronounced "the healthiest company in America." But for most who attended, the actual corporate winner was not the highlight of the competition. "It was a great day for a lot of people," Runner's World quoted world-class runner Bill Clark, "It was good-natured competition, like road racing. You talk to the other guy, then go out on the track and try to beat him, and then you talk with him later." It looked very much like the Corporate Nationals were becoming a permanent fixture in the landscape of corporate competition. (see Runner's World, November 1979)

1980-Palo Alto, California

Texas Instruments began its streak of outstanding performances by winning this year's event, staged at Stanford University. Second went to another perennial Corporate Nationals powerhouse, General Electric, while the winners of the first formal event the year before, Pacific Gas & Electric, were relegated to third place. The competition was clearly heating up. In addition, "Class A" and "Class B" divisions were established, with the U.S. Postal Service and Numisco taking home top honors.

1981-Palo Alto, California

This was the battle of the computer giants, as Texas Instruments made it two in a row. Their toughest competition came from Hewlett-Packard, although 46 other companies pressured them in every event. Eileen Chaugus of California State Employees set a national record in the women's 5K with a time of 16:53, while the men's 10K was a stirring battle between Mitch Kinery of Harvey's Casino and Doug Kurtis of Ford Motor Company. Kinery ultimately broke Kurtis at the six-mile mark, winning with a time of 30:48, just 10 seconds ahead of the FoMoCo competitor. In the Class A Division, the might of the U.S. Army prevailed, while Kransco won Class B honors their first time out. (see Runner's World, October 1981)

1982-Palo Alto, California

Over 60 teams showed up to do battle in the most exciting Nationals to date. The first former Olympian to participate in the Nationals, Ron Whitney, made his presence known with a 2:00 half-mile for Coors. Whitney represented the U.S. in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, setting a record in the 400 meter hurdles. Bell System finally knocked Texas Instruments out of the top spot in the large corporation battle, while the State of California and Numisco were triumphant in the other classes. (see Runner's World, October 1982)

1983-Palo Alto, California

The bell tolled for the AT&T team, running together for the last time due to the court-ordered breakup of the communication giant. But the AT&T team spirit never wavered, as they fought a tight battle with General Electric to take home a bittersweet victory by a two-point margin. Meanwhile, the City of Palo Alto held off Fort Ord to capture the Class A Championship. Individual highlights were plentiful: former 1,500-meter All American Rick Musgrave, of Storage Technology, set a course record in the men's 10K with a 29:49 clocking. Laurie Sax, of Boulder's NBI, set a national record in the women's 5K with a time of 16:40.8. IBM's Lloyd Johnson, of USC track and field fame, blazed his way to a 1:48.5 half-mile time in the pyramid relay. (see Runner's World, October 1983)

1984-San Jose, California

This Olympic year featured near-Olympic performances by corporate athletes. The men's mile team race became the premier event, with several milers flirting with the four-minute barrier. When the smoke cleared, Exxon had blazed to the front of the pack in this event, but General Electric took overall honors. IBM's second place was best among the highly-competitive computer giants, which also included sixth place Texas Instruments and eighth place Hewlett-Packard. AT&T finished third.

1985-Los Angeles, Califomia

The inaugural Corporate Nationals, under the banner of the newly-formed United States Corporate Athletics Association, was a real nail-biter. The battle between General Electric and AT&T was so fierce that by the end of the two-day competition, the two were deadlocked at 714 points. Using the tie-breaker rule for the first time in Nationals history, AT&T was crowned champion on the basis of having qualified for all 18 events, while General Electric qualified for 17. Former Olympians Ruth Wysocki and Craig Virgin were on hand to present first-place awards to General Electric in Division I and SRI International in Division II.

1986-Los Angeles, California

Nearly 30 corporations competed in the Division I category, and when it was all over none was able to wrest the championship trophy away from General Electric. SRI International kept its winning record intact by beating Aerospace for the Division II Championship. Comedian Bill Cosby was among the spectators who watched former Olympian Alice Jackson rip off a 52-second quarter mile for Coca-Cola in the women's relay. Evelyn Hall Adams, who battled legendary Babe Didrickson at the 1932 Olympic Games, was on hand to present the awards in the Spirit Relay.

1987-Boston, Massachusetts

Tom Donahue once ran the final leg for Manhattan College's NCM Championship Distance Relay team. Seventeen years later, the 37-year-old AT&T executive pulled out a page from the past, helping his team win the sub-masters distance relay with an inspired anchor leg. When Tom was handed the baton, Texas Instruments held a seemingly insurmountable 80-yard advantage. Aided by Donahue's performance, AT&T edged out not only Texas Instruments, but General Electric and IBM as well. SRI International withstood a stiff challenge by UNUM to win Division II honors.

1988-Palo Alto, California

Former U.S. Olympic track and field Coach Brooks Johnson helped to successfully stage the Corporate Nationals at Stanford University. AT&T was once again a dominating competitor, capturing seven of nineteen events, along with the Division I title. SRI International continued its Division II dynasty as well.

1989-Des Moines, lowa

The USCAA witnessed tremendous growth in the number of entrants in the Division II category, with a record number of companies participating. Benny Brown, a sprinter on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, turned on the afterburners for his Hughes Aircraft teammates, who won the sub-masters sprint relay, the sprint relay and the three-lap sprint. AT&T and SRI International continued to dominate their respective divisions, but other top competitors were already predicting an end to their reign in the thin air of Colorado the following summer.

1990-Boulder, Colorado

General Electric and UNUM finally didn't have to say "Wait `til next year...." The perennial bridesmaids finally walked down the aisle to wrest the bouquet from AT&T and SRI International in the Division I and Division II title battles. AT&T failed to qualify for the distance relay finals, opening the door for General Electric. Andrew Shepherd provided some high voltage for the eventual Division I winners, overcoming a 400-meter lead by Exxon in the distance relay event. Exxon's Tom Boone vindicated himself for losing that lead by winning the men's 10K outright.

1991- Santa Barbara, California

1992- Irvine, California

1993- Seattle, Washington

1994- Waterville, Maine

1994 saw the return of the Corporate Nationals to the East Coast for only the second time (Boston 1987). The Nationals were sponsored by the Maine Corporate Athletic Association (MECTA) and four time defending champions, UNUM Life Insurance. Colby College not only provided a superb setting, but entered a team in Division II. Olympic Gold Medalist (1984) Joan Benoit Samuelson served as the honorary chair and mingled with the participants throughout the weekend as well as running the 10K road race. The '94 Nationals also saw the introduction of the Special Olympians 4x200 relay. In Division I, GE stopped AT&T's three year reign with a 7 point victory. Division IA saw Martin Marietta sneak by UNUM 141-136 with Principal Financial Group only 3 points back for a strong third. After 4 years as Div-II champions, UNUM's voluntary move up to Div IA opened the way for Southern California Gas to a narrow 2 point victory over Coca-Cola in Division II.

1995- Des Moines, Iowa

In the return engagement at the Jim Duncan Track, home of the Drake Relays, the USCAA Nationals spawned another great track meet, albeit this time with more typical Iowa July weather, hot and humid. That didn't stop the corporate athletes from turning in exceptional performances, hosted by two Olympians raised in Des Moines, Kevin Little (a U.S. West employee and member of their track team) and Natasha Kaiser-Brown. Spirited competition as always resulted in Division I finishes dependent on the final event, the sprint relay. General Electric nosing out Exxon by two points and Texas Instruments nipping Principal by six. In Division II, the races were also close with the IIA championship going to Pacific Enterprises by nine ahead of Enron and IIAA to Aerospace by eight over the local combination of Meredith Corporation and Farm Bureau. National records, no stranger to the Drake track, were set in the Executive Relay (Div I) , Seniors Relay (Div I), 4x200 (Div I), Team Jump (Div II), and Team Throw (Div I). Four records remain from the 1989 event at Drake . Come again sometime!

1996- La Jolla, California

1997- La Jolla, California

A sunny July weekend at the University of California - San Diego enticed over 1,000 athletes from twenty-two companies from across the country to gather and compete in the 20th Annual National Corporate Track & Field Championship (Nationals), organized by the United States Corporate Athletics Association (USCAA), a non-profit organization that promotes health and fitness in the workplace. The meet also raised funds through its Charity Cup Challenge. Booz¥Allen & Hamilton won the cup the last two years by raising $24,000 for Special Olympics International.

By the end of Saturday's finals, General Electric(52 points) and its strong distance runners led Lockheed Martin(45), 1996 Division I winner. In 1996 Lockheed Martin was the first team in 15 years to beat GE or AT&T for the overall Division I title, and General Electric wanted its title back.

Lucent(36) rested comfortably in third place with Exxon(32) and AT&T(31) close behind. When Lucent spun off from AT&T in 1996, AT&T's powerhouse track team was split in two. And now they were both dualing their way back up.

Division II (companies with fewer than 10,000 employees) was more volatile. Pacific Enterprises was out to capture its third victory in 1997. Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Enron, Ruan, and Aerospace were out to dethrone them. The Aerospace Corporation flew right in with strong victories in the Submasters Distance Relay (for the 30-something crowd) and Men's Team Mile to catapult itself into second place with 45 points. Booz-Allen(50) maintained its lead with consistent second place finishes, while Pacific Enterprises(41) dropped to third overall. Was there an upset in the making? The teams would have to endure a restless night before finding out in Sunday's finals.

Sunday hosted a full day of finals, award presentations, and the Korporate Kids Run that reminded us how it all started.

The 4 x 100 meter relay consists of two men and two women, one of each at least forty years old. Division I's Principal Financial Group(51) won by a fraction of a second over AT&T(56) and UNUM(40). Lockheed Martin(78) was now the front-runner, but by only one point.

When women get together, wonderful things happen. The Women's 800m team race runs two runners per team, everyone at once; their summed times determine their team's place. Lockheed Martin(92) missed the meet record by just half a second, clocking 4:26.4, with Exxon only a second behind. The win extended Lockheed Martin's(92) lead over General Electric(77).

The two leaders exchanged wins over the next three events with Exxon, Lucent and AT&T close behind. One of these events was the Executive relay whose runners must be mid-level managers.

The Men's Team Mile is one of the meet's prestigious events and is scored like the Women's 800m. While the 4-minute mile has yet to be broken at the USCAA Nationals, several runners have come close. IBM set the meet record of 8:20.7 back in 1985. CIGNA(60) and The Principal Financial Group(93) finished strong but couldn't keep pace with General Electric's(126) winning time of 8:48. The win shot GE into a first-place tie with Lockheed Martin(126). The race for first in Division I was now at full speed.

In Division II, TRW(41) wasted no time brewing up a strong cup of java to wake up the competition by winning the 4x100m relay in a record time of 51.1 seconds. Booz-Allen(58) continued its lead over Aerospace(54) while last year's winners, Pacific Enterprises(53), waited patiently in third.

Hot-footed Shayne McKenzie, anchor leg for Booz-Allen, took off so fast in the 3-Lap Sprint relay he blasted out of his spikes, crossing the finishline with one shoe and one hot foot.

After a few events, Pacific Enterprises(79) was wide awake and assumed the overall lead over Booz-Allen(78) with a 1:42.7 win in the 4x200m relay, breaking the old record by a slim seven-hundredths of a second. Likewise, Ruan(71) was gaining momentum and found itself in a three-way tie for third with Aerospace and Enron. Things were beginning to heat up in Division II.

AGE BEFORE BEAUTY

Don't ever let age slow you down. The Senior's relay highlights four runners, including a woman, whose ages add up to 210 years or more. They run 400m, 200m, 600m, and 400m. AT&T(115) proved once again that it is more than just a fast long distance company by lowering the meet record it set in 1996 by one tenth second. Appropriately enough, AT&T's former teammates Lucent(120), finished second in a previous-record time of 4:07.4. Meanwhile General Electric(137) inched ahead of Lockheed Martin(136) for the second time but couldn't rest yet. So much for age slowing you down.

One of the oldest USCAA records is the Division II Women's relay set by Esprit at 4:26.5 in 1985. Three women whose combined ages are 90 or more, race 800m, 400m, and 400m. While Ruan(97) fell short of the record, its win brought it within six points of leader Pacific Enterprises(103) and Booz-Allen(101).

It took Lockheed Martin's(150) women only 4 minutes and 22 seconds to cook up a victory over General Electric(148) in the Division I Women's relay. Exxon(124) meanwhile, increased the octane for a one-second-back second place finish to power them from fifth straight into a third place tie with Lucent(124). This corporate track championship was still anyone's takeover bid.

Twenty Olympic participants and qualifiers have competed for companies at these USCAA Nationals. One included Benny Brown, who competed in the 1972 Montreal Olympics and later ran for Hughes Aircraft. After his fatal car accident in 1995, the Benny Brown SubMaster Sprint Relay was renamed in his honor.

TRICKLE DOWN TRAINING

Does upper-level management really buy into the benefits of corporate fitness, or is this just another office boondoggle, with Powerbars replacing jelly donuts? Dave Hurd, Chairman & CEO of The Principal Financial Group, says "We use the Corporate Nationals as the centerpiece of our wellness program." Jim Orr, CEO at UNUM agrees and adds, "In addition to that it really brings our people together - the team spirit, the camaraderie. Doing something like this out of the worksite makes it much more effective at the worksite." Dick McCormick, Chairman and CEO of US West elaborates: "For every employee we have, they go back and touch 30 or 40 or 50 other lives. They're encouraging physical fitness and the whole team spirit in the workplace. It's a great opportunity."

Kevin Holtzclaw, General Electric VP and USCAA Hall-of-Fame member adds, "It gives us something we can build positive morale around and is recognized even at the highest levels at General Electric. We find a great deal of corporate goodwill is disseminated to the public by our participation."

And this is why they know. The President's relay requires three runners who are within the top three levels of their corporate hierarchy and at least 40 years old. They run 800m, 400, and 800m. General Electric's upper management moved GE(163) into first place once again, while Division II saw a competitive takeover bid by Enron(101), replacing Ruan(97) for third place.

The final three track relays summarize the age, gender and distance diversity of the meet: the Pyramid relay, the Masters relay, and the Sprint relay. General Electric(201) won two of the last three relays to extend its lead over Lockheed Martin(193) and Lucent(177). In Division II both the event winners and the overall leader flip-flopped between Pacific Enterprises(148) and Booz-Allen(140).

TOSSING AND TURNING

What track meet would be complete without field events - a team throw and team jump? The team throw consists of the discus and shot put, while the team jump combines the high jump and long jump.

Exxon(174) exploded with a victory in the team throw, while Lucent(200) leaped to victory in the team jump to hold onto third place overall. General Electric(223) likewise held off Lockheed Martin's(211) charge to regain its Division I title. In Division II, Texaco sent a two-man team to compete in only the team throw and came away with second place in that event. Pacific Enterprises(176) won both events to pull away from Booz-Allen(157) and third-place Enron(151).

THE FINISH LINE

After the smoke cleared, new champions G.E., Principal Financial, and Ruan were crowned while Division IIA winner Pacific Enterprises wore its three-peat crown proudly.

Somewhere...somehow...people seemed to store away enough energy for the post-meet party where victors and victims teamed together into one huge dancing frenzy.