In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

N O T E S 1. The Purest of Rivalries—Joseph M. Turrini 1. Although Yang Chuan-Kwang was his correct name in his native Taiwan, he was known in the West as C. K. Yang. For the sake of consistency this chapter will refer to him as C. K. Yang throughout. Trevor Slack, Hsu Yuan-min, Tsai Chiung-tzu, and Fan Hong, “The Road to Modernization: Sport in Taiwan,” International Journal of the History of the Sport 19, no. 2 (2002): 348. 2. Hal Bateman, “Johnson Outlasts Yang,” Track and Field News, September 1960, 16. 3. The chapter epigraph is from an interview with Elvin “Ducky” Drake, “The Decathlon Videorecording: Rafer Johnson and C. K. Yang, 1960, Rome,” Olympiad Series (from Bud Greenspan documentary), 7:56, LA84 Foundation Library, Los Angeles, California, videocassette. 4. Frank Zarnowski, The Decathlon: A Colorful History of Track and Field’s Most Challenging Event (Champaign: Leisure Press, 1989), 95. 5. Rafer Johnson (with Philip Goldberg), The Best That I Can Be: An Autobiography (New York: Doubleday, 1998), 1–21. 6. “To Do a Little Better,” Time, August 29, 1960, 54. 7. Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 22–33. 8. Ibid., 27. 9. Ibid., 33–35. 10. Ibid., 35–42. 11. The prep decathlons included all ten events and were scored like a regular decathlon, but they also included significant differences that make it impossible to compare scores with collegiate, Olympic, or other international competitions. The first decathlon in San Francisco, for example, included an 800-meter race instead of the 1,500. All of the competitions used lighter high school implements in the weight events, such as a 12-pound shot put and a 3.9-pound discus. Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 42–43. 12. “New Decathlon Star,” Track and Field News, June 1954, 3. 13. Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 43. 14. This was the first decathlon that Rafer Johnson competed in that did not use the lighter high school implements or the shorter 800-meter race. Thus, many consider it his first true decathlon. Michael Strauss, “Richards Regains Decathlon Crown,” New York Times, July 3, 1954; Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 42–43. 15. Craig Dixon, interview by Dr. Margaret Costa, March 25, 1991, transcript, An Olympian’s Oral History Project, LA84 Foundation Library, 10. 16. Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 58–59. 17. “Rafer Johnson Elected President; Ellis, Gamer, Kerns, Vargas Won,” UCLA Daily Bruin, April 24, 1958, 1; Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 111–112. 18. “Athletic Department to Get Non-Discrimination Plaque,” UCLA Daily Bruin, February 25, 1955, 1. 1WIGGINS_pages:Layout 1 2/11/10 3:26 PM Page 383 19. Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 62. 20. “Jones of U.S. Lowers World Mark in 400-Meter Run at Pan-American Games,” New York Times, March 19, 1955; “Miranda Defeats Santee in Upset for 1,500 Crown,” New York Times, March 20, 1955; “Johnson Wins Decathlon,” UCLA Daily Bruin, March 21, 1955, 4; “Bruin Sets World Record: Rafer Johnson Breaks Decathlon Standard in Kingsburg Meet,” UCLA Daily Bruin, June 17, 1955, 7; “Johnson in Record 7985,” Track and Field News, June 1955, 1, 5. 21. For a few examples, see Ralph Seligman, “30 Point Performance Recorded by Johnson,” UCLA Daily Bruin, March 28, 1955, 7; Ralph Seligman, “Brubabes Lose: Rafer Still Hot,” UCLA Daily Bruin, March 30, 1955, 6; Ralph Seligman, “Johnson, Batonmen Sparkle as Frosh Spikers Down Taft,” UCLA Daily Bruin, April 18, 1955, 7. 22. “Brubabes Tops SC 73–58, Johnson, Cook Star in Win,” UCLA Daily Bruin, May 11, 1955, 7. 23. “Bruin Track Squad Takes PCC Crown,” UCLA Daily Bruin, May 23, 1956, 10; “UCLA Edges So. California,” Track and Field News, May 1956, 5. 24. “College Track Summaries,” New York Times, June 17, 1956. 25. “Rafer Gets Top Awards,” UCLA Daily Bruin, February 28, 1957, 3. 26. “Olympic Predictions,” Track and Field News, November 1956, 8; Judd Swarzman, “Johnson, Drummond Give UCLA Hope for World Track Honors,” UCLA Daily Bruin, September 11, 1956, 27. 27. Rafer Johnson, quoted in Zarnowski, The Decathlon, 89. 28. Johnson, The Best That I Can Be, 101. 29. Milt Campbell holds a significant amount of resentment at the lack of appreciation and limited financial opportunities he received despite having won a silver and a gold medal in the decathlon in 1952 and 1956. Campbell thinks that his opportunities were limited because he was...

Share