Hired: Sarah Hollis
USATF hired Sarah Hollis as its Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer. Hollis, who had previously worked at Fox Sports, will oversee USATF’s integrated marketing, sales, and partnership marketing.
Signed: Toyota
USATF has announced the signing of Toyota as a major sponsor for events and will be the title sponsor at the ’19 and ’20 USATF Indoors as well as the ’19 Outdoors.
Died: Bernie Allard, 84
On December 28, in San José, California. Twice an NCAA high jump runner-up for Notre Dame, he placed 4th in the ’56 Olympic Trials. He World Ranked No. 8 in ’55.
Died: Bill Baillie, 84
On December 25, in Cooks Beach, New Zealand. The 6th-placer in the ’64 Olympic 5000, he Ranked No. 5 in the world that year after a No. 7 in the 10,000 in ’63. He also set World Records in the 20,000m and the 1-hour run.
Died: Res Brügger, 91
On December 27, in Zürich; after a long illness. The longtime organizer of the famed Weltklasse meet, Brügger turned the Swiss affair into the world’s top invitational, one that saw 19 World Records in the 27 years that he managed it. The driving force behind the formation of the Golden 4, the precursor to the Golden League and Diamond League, he was a great friend to the sport.
Died: Ken Foreman, 96
On December 23, in Seattle. The longtime Seattle Pacific mentor was head women’s coach for the ’80 Olympics. The Hall Of Famer was also the U.S. head for the ’83 Worlds.
Died: Walter Krüger, 88
On October 28 in Prohn, Germany. He was the ’60 Olympic silver medalist for East Germany and World Ranked No. 7 that year in his only appearance.
Died: Dionne Rose-Henley, 49
On December 24, from cancer. After enjoying NCAA long jump success for Middle Tennessee, the Jamaican star went on to earn 6 World Rankings in the 100H, topped by a No. 4 in ’96, the year she placed 5th in the Olympics. Most recently she was an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina.
Died: Vladimir Sitkin, 84
In January, in Kyyiv, Ukraine. The former Soviet high jumper World Ranked twice with a high of No. 4 in ’57 after placing 6th in the Olympics the year before. He owed much of his success to built-up shoes, a development that was banned by the IAAF in ’58.
Died: Karl-Heinze Stadtmüller, 65
On September 13, in Berlin. The East German walker World Ranked 6 times at 20K, holding the No. 2 position twice. In ’72 he also Ranked No. 9 at 50K. He placed 4th in the 20K in the ’76 Games.
Died: Fred Thompson, 85
On January 22, in New York City; from complications of Alzheimer’s. The founder of Brooklyn’s famed Atoms Track Club, Thompson, a lawyer, also founded the Colgate Women’s Games, which he directed for 40 years. He was an assistant coach for the U.S. team at the ’88 Olympics. □
