Flint Hanner
Encyclopedia
John Flint Hanner was an American
track and field
athlete and coach. He won the first NCAA javelin
championship in 1921 and later worked as the track coach at Fresno State University for 35 years. He was also one of the founders and the long-time director of the West Coast Relays.
. He attended Stanford University
where he competed for the university's track team. He competed in the discus, shot put and javelin throw
, but the event in which he excelled was the javelin throw. Hanner won three national intercollegiate javelin championships in the event.
In June 1921, Stanford sent Hanner to the first NCAA track and field championships
in Chicago
. He was the only athlete that Stanford sent to the NCAA meet, leading the press to call him a "one-man team." Hanner won the first NCAA javelin championship with a throw of 191 feet, 2¼ inches.
In 1922, Hanner was captain of Stanford's track team and set a new event record at the AAU meet with a throw of 193 feet, 2¼ inches. He also threw the javelin 206 feet in a practice session in April 1922. That same spring, Hanner set a new American and intercollegiate record with a throw of 197 feet, 1 inch. After Hanner set the record, syndicated sports columnist Billy Evans
wrote a column comparing Hanner to other sports champions from California:
In 1925, Hanner was hired as a track coach at Fresno State University, a position he held for 35 years until 1960. He remained active as Fresno State's assistant athletic director until his retirement in 1964. Hanner's Fresno State track teams won 27 championships in the Far Western Conference and California Collegiate Athletic Association. The most notable athlete coached by Hanner was Cornelius Warmerdam
-- the first person to clear 15 feet in the pole vault
and the world record holder in the event from 1940 to 1957. He served as the president of the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association from 1948 to 1949.
In 1927, Hanner helped found the West Coast Relays and won the javelin event with a throw of 198 feet, 2½ inches. He served as the director of the West Coast Relays for 17 years from 1947 to 1964.
During his 39 years at Fresno State, Hanner also coached the school's football team, served as an assistant athletic director and coached the basketball team from 1929 to 1932 and 1944 to 1945.
Hanner has been inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Helms Athletic Hall of Fame in 1952 and the Northern California Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1964.
Hanner suffered a stroke
in 1973 and died at Fresno Community Hospital at age 75.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete and coach. He won the first NCAA javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
championship in 1921 and later worked as the track coach at Fresno State University for 35 years. He was also one of the founders and the long-time director of the West Coast Relays.
Biography
Hanner was a native of Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
. He attended Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
where he competed for the university's track team. He competed in the discus, shot put and javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, but the event in which he excelled was the javelin throw. Hanner won three national intercollegiate javelin championships in the event.
In June 1921, Stanford sent Hanner to the first NCAA track and field championships
1921 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships
The 1921 NCAA Track and Field Championships was the first NCAA track and field championship. The event was held at Stagg Field in Chicago, Illinois in June 1921. The University of Illinois won the team title.-Overview:...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He was the only athlete that Stanford sent to the NCAA meet, leading the press to call him a "one-man team." Hanner won the first NCAA javelin championship with a throw of 191 feet, 2¼ inches.
In 1922, Hanner was captain of Stanford's track team and set a new event record at the AAU meet with a throw of 193 feet, 2¼ inches. He also threw the javelin 206 feet in a practice session in April 1922. That same spring, Hanner set a new American and intercollegiate record with a throw of 197 feet, 1 inch. After Hanner set the record, syndicated sports columnist Billy Evans
Billy Evans
William George Evans , nicknamed "The Boy Umpire," was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927...
wrote a column comparing Hanner to other sports champions from California:
"Experts look for Hanner to perform some record-breaking stunts with the weights. Hanner, a member of the Olympic team, already holds the western and intercollegiate record for javelin throwing ..."
In 1925, Hanner was hired as a track coach at Fresno State University, a position he held for 35 years until 1960. He remained active as Fresno State's assistant athletic director until his retirement in 1964. Hanner's Fresno State track teams won 27 championships in the Far Western Conference and California Collegiate Athletic Association. The most notable athlete coached by Hanner was Cornelius Warmerdam
Cornelius Warmerdam
Cornelius Warmerdam was a long time pole vault world record holder and is considered to be among the all time greatest vaulters....
-- the first person to clear 15 feet in the pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
and the world record holder in the event from 1940 to 1957. He served as the president of the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association from 1948 to 1949.
In 1927, Hanner helped found the West Coast Relays and won the javelin event with a throw of 198 feet, 2½ inches. He served as the director of the West Coast Relays for 17 years from 1947 to 1964.
During his 39 years at Fresno State, Hanner also coached the school's football team, served as an assistant athletic director and coached the basketball team from 1929 to 1932 and 1944 to 1945.
Hanner has been inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Helms Athletic Hall of Fame in 1952 and the Northern California Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1964.
Hanner suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1973 and died at Fresno Community Hospital at age 75.