Hall of Fame
Charlie Byers
Ben Moring
Denton Palmer
Eugene Peterson
Wes Thompson
Whether it was in practice or in a meet, they did things together. Eugene Peterson. Ben Moring. Denton Palmer. Wes Thompson. And Chuck Byers.
In the early to mid -1950s, that group ran to success on the track cinders, both on a local and on a national scale. From the Willamette Relays in Salem, Ore., to the top-caliber Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, some speedy combination of those five standouts were found among the leaders.
The Falcons raced to a fourth-place finish in the two-mile relay at Drake in 1953. That started a run of three straight successful trips to the Iowa event. Seattle Pacific moved up to second place in 1954, and then was fourth again in 1955.
But their fleet feet made a mark in places other than Drake. The Falcons set records at the Washington State Intercollegiate Invitational indoor meet, the Willamette University Relays, and the Vancouver Relays.
Peterson, Palmer, Moring, and Byers won the 1954 state NAIA finals, and Moring was a two-time national champion in the 880. Byers also qualified for nationals in 440 in 1955.
But for these five guys, it was all about team.
“In daily practices, the relay team did most of their workouts together. Whenever we did intervals and time trials, it was always a competition,” Byers recalls.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS (1953-55)
• Relay team was among the top four finishers at the Drake Relays for three straight years.
• Ben Moring won 1953 and ’54 NAIA national title in 880-yard run.
• Mile relay group of Moring, Peterson, Palmer and Thompson third in 1952 NAIA nationals.
• Two-mile relay won NAIA state title in 1954.
