This week I talk about the influence of Don Canham. He was an NCAA champion high jumper for the University of Michigan, then the Wolverine head track coach for two decades, and then the athletic director for another two decades.

He was the president of the USTFCCCA. He co-founded the USTFF which fought the AAU for control of track and field in the USA. He served as a coach for national teams – including the very first Kenyan Olympic team. He created the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and made them profitable.

After moving on to the AD job, he pioneered most of the ways in which the largest universities earn massive revenues, which has the knock-on effect of increasing budgets for other sports such as track and field and cross country.

This is the Track and Field History Podcast with Jesse Squire. Subscribe and catch all the latest episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Anchor. Got anything you’d like to hear on the show? Shoot us an email trackhistorypod@gmail.com or tweet at @tracksuperfan.