1977 NYACK HIGH SCHOOL 880-YARD RELAY
All champions in their own right, the four members of the 1977 Nyack High School 880-yard relay teamed to work some magic at the Section 9 State Qualifier meet on Nanuet’s all-weather tartan oval. Jerry Blow, Shulton Whitley, Willie Taylor and Otto Pearson meshed seamlessly to bolt around the track twice in 1 minute, 28.9 seconds. Not only did they win by a country mile, they also set a Rockland County record that would not be surpassed for three decades. If a true measure of a record is its longevity, the Nyackers’ sprint relay mark stands as one of the most transcendent performances in County history.
The following week, the Nyack quartet ventured north to Hobart College to compete in the New York State championships. There they encountered a tough Centereach (L.I.) team, which sped to the gold medal in 1:30.0, a fleeting couple of yards ahead of runner-up Nyack in 1:31.1.
Coach Joe McDowell had drafted a different lineup for the RCPSAL championships a few weeks earlier. Blow, Taylor, Monroe Perkins and Wescott Whitley got the stick around the track with room to spare, prevailing in 1:32.1. Perkins was slotted to run third leg at the State Qualifier but illness forced him out, creating an auspicious opening for sophomore Taylor.
Nyack’s tour de force at the State Qualifier shredded the previous County record of 1:31.2, set six years earlier by another Nyack foursome, and also scissored the existing Section 9 record by two seconds. Nyack’s record from ‘77 was not bettered until 2007, when a Clarkstown South unit clocked 1:28.35. Nyack ‘77 currently stands No. 4 on the all-time Rockland list, 45 years after the milestone achievement.
Whitley and Pearson, who were seniors on the ‘77 team, and Blow, a junior, cobbled together Hall of Fame careers individually. Whitley set the still-standing County record in the high hurdles (13.6), became the first triple individual gold medalist at the County meet, and later starred for Rutgers. Pearson won numerous County and Section 9 gold medals in the 100, 220 and relays, and went on to a record-setting career at Division II New Haven. Blow earned a State title in the 60-yard dash, collected nine Rockland County championships, including four straight years in the 100, and enjoyed a stellar career at Army. Taylor kept improving the next two years and culminated his Nyack tenure with a second-place finish in the 200 at the State meet.
Coach McDowell, also a RCT&FHOF individual inductee posthumously, mentored many top-shelf sprinters during his 30-plus years at Nyack, but the 1977 880-yard relay members stand out for their depth of quality both individually and as a unit.
The following week, the Nyack quartet ventured north to Hobart College to compete in the New York State championships. There they encountered a tough Centereach (L.I.) team, which sped to the gold medal in 1:30.0, a fleeting couple of yards ahead of runner-up Nyack in 1:31.1.
Coach Joe McDowell had drafted a different lineup for the RCPSAL championships a few weeks earlier. Blow, Taylor, Monroe Perkins and Wescott Whitley got the stick around the track with room to spare, prevailing in 1:32.1. Perkins was slotted to run third leg at the State Qualifier but illness forced him out, creating an auspicious opening for sophomore Taylor.
Nyack’s tour de force at the State Qualifier shredded the previous County record of 1:31.2, set six years earlier by another Nyack foursome, and also scissored the existing Section 9 record by two seconds. Nyack’s record from ‘77 was not bettered until 2007, when a Clarkstown South unit clocked 1:28.35. Nyack ‘77 currently stands No. 4 on the all-time Rockland list, 45 years after the milestone achievement.
Whitley and Pearson, who were seniors on the ‘77 team, and Blow, a junior, cobbled together Hall of Fame careers individually. Whitley set the still-standing County record in the high hurdles (13.6), became the first triple individual gold medalist at the County meet, and later starred for Rutgers. Pearson won numerous County and Section 9 gold medals in the 100, 220 and relays, and went on to a record-setting career at Division II New Haven. Blow earned a State title in the 60-yard dash, collected nine Rockland County championships, including four straight years in the 100, and enjoyed a stellar career at Army. Taylor kept improving the next two years and culminated his Nyack tenure with a second-place finish in the 200 at the State meet.
Coach McDowell, also a RCT&FHOF individual inductee posthumously, mentored many top-shelf sprinters during his 30-plus years at Nyack, but the 1977 880-yard relay members stand out for their depth of quality both individually and as a unit.
