Editor's Note:  This is the most recent piece in a series of stories shared by Gorillas to Gorillas as we all embark upon this new "season" in our lives. These certainly are unprecedented times, for young and old alike. Our hope is for Gorilla student-athletes, past and present, coaches and members of Gorilla Nation to read these pieces, awaken their Gorilla memories and then compose their own story to share with us. There is strength in numbers.
 
The silver alert came to my phone Sunday morning: Missing elderly person. Overland Park Police are looking for a missing elderly man last seen in the area of 99th and Antioch at approximately 3 this morning. Robert Wooten is an 83 year old black male, 5'6'', 100-120 lbs. He was last seen wearing a blue striped or plaid shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. Robert suffers from dementia and is diabetic. He is partially non-verbal. If seen, please call Overland Park Police Department. A few minutes later, my cell phone rang with the same recorded message.

My heart sank. I knew him, and certainly knew of him. Bobby Wooten is a member of Pittsburg State's Athletics Hall of Fame. A six-time conference champion in the 100 and 220 from 1955-58, he set individual and team relay records. A multi-sport high school athlete from Baxter Springs, KS. Lightning fast. "The fastest player I ever saw on a football field" said a former athletic director who had played against him in high school. Bobby was one of the first black athletes to compete, and win, at the Texas Relays.

I met Bobby Wooten at several track and field reunions, and spoke to him on the phone a few other times. Not quite five years ago, I spoke with him about one of his relay teammates, David Suenram, as I was preparing to deliver my coach's eulogy. He told me stories about his teammates in the same way I would tell stories about my old teammates. His generation became the elder statesmen at our reunions, replacing those who competed in the '20s and '30s. I have no doubt my teammates and I will be seen that way soon (if not already).

When the update came that Mr. Wooten had been located and reunited with his family later that day, I felt relieved. I also felt an obligation to personalize the Bobby Wooten I knew, and to share some perspective during this pandemic. Coach Russ Jewett wrote eloquently about the initial gut punch and disappointment of a season cut short and of the blessings he has received from his journey with Pitt State Athletics. Of course, this is not the first season of athletics to be canceled as World War II canceled out the 1942-46 seasons.  

Bobby Wooten and his teammates were denied the opportunity to compete in the Texas Relays until 1958 because of the color of his skin. Beginning in 1921 with George Sweatt, black athletes at Pittsburg often could not join their teammates in competition in neighboring states. At many universities, they couldn't even be on the team. They were not allowed to eat with their teammates or stay in the same hotels in most parts of the country. Kermit King was denied the opportunity to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the broad jump with Jesse Owens, in part, because he was black. He was, however, one of the first black men to compete (and win) in the state of Texas at the 1937 Pan American Games, represent the USA in Japan that summer, earn his doctorate at UCLA, and have a long, distinguished career in education. Yes, the pandemic is a setback; Gorilla athletes have faced many setbacks with injuries, tragedies, and injustice and prevailed.

Reading "Through the Eyes of a Gorilla" has reminded me of how a single phone call in 1972 set in motion my affiliation with Gorilla Nation. Of course it wasn't called Gorilla Nation back then; #OAGAAG wasn't a thing either. But the brand new indoor track at Weede Gymnasium opened my eyes — compared to K-State's indoor dirt track, and the one inside KU's Allen Fieldhouse, it was the best in the state of Kansas. Because my Shawnee Mission North high school coach, Merlin Gish, recommended that Suenram talk to my teammate, Jim Scott and I, we both abandoned our previous commitments and met our new teammates to run three workouts a day at Lake Stockton. Heat, humidity, camping, and swimming in the lake. Welcome to college.

In retrospect, four years of college goes by fast. My own adjustment to college life included my family's move to Austin, Texas; knee surgery that cost me three of my eight seasons of running; navigating academics; and developing lifelong bonds with teammates, the university, and the community of Pittsburg. I ran alongside the 1972 NAIA national cross country champion, Mike Nixon, and his roommate Doug Shreves who held the mile record until my roommate, Jim Scott, set the record that still stands today.  In a world before SIDs like Dan Wilkes, I learned that the best way to get more coverage of my sport was to become the sports editor of The Collegio, which proved to be a gateway to meeting alumni like HOFers Dave Shrader and Joe Winchester. When I left Pittsburg, I had a degree, a wife, a son, and a dog, more than a few stories, and a satchel full of memories and experiences that set me on my journey.

When I read Harlan Hess' contribution to this series, I connected with virtually everyone he mentioned, including Harlan who was my high school vice principal.  Although "Doc" Weede passed a year before I arrived, I became familiar with him from Coach Suenram, Prentice Gudgen, Bill Dickey, Tom Bryant, and Al Ortolani. Carnie Smith, Joe Murphy, and "old" Al Kendall were still on campus, and with its then-new facility, Pittsburg hosted the NAIA Swimming Championships my freshman year. It would be years later before I realized what a significant transition that Pitt State's athletics were undergoing — in 1972, the sports of swimming and baseball had been eliminated, Title IX became law and the Gussies would emerge, later taking their rightful place as equals in Gorilla Nation.

On prominent display at Weede was the school record board, and if records are meant to be broken, then my teammates did their job, breaking at least 11 of them. Decades later, a few still stand and others have moved down the top 10 list a bit. I also appreciated that with every broken record, there is a story and person in that story. For example, Kermit King set the long jump record in 1937 — and it still stands 83 years later. Who was he and how did he come here from Harlem, New York City? Later in life, I learned Dr. King's story and visited his brother in Yonkers, NY. I helped secure a treasure trove of medals and memorabilia that reside on campus, and accepted the Alumni Meritorious Achievement Award on his family's behalf.

Garland, KS, native Wendall Davis set a record in 1933 that lasted 60 years; it took an Olympian, Dinsdale Morgan, to push Davis into second all-time. I was able to pass along Windy's stories and talk about his races and teammates to the daughter of Wayne Terwilliger (now 5th all-time) at Wayne's posthumous HOF induction. Neither knew their mile relay team ran the second and third fastest times in the world in 1933. At Lee BeDillon's HOF induction, he told me about his 1935 880 record run against John Woodruff, the Olympic gold medalist a year later. BeDillon still ranks fourth all-time, besting Elton Brown's 1934 time that remains in the top 10.  

The folklore reminds me how fortunate I have been to remain tethered to Pittsburg through athletics; the people I know have enriched my life. I take pride in having known "the new coach" Russ Jewett (he was six years behind me). Watching his teams win conference while seated next to Coach Suenram, seeing his excitement when the national championship was secured at the Plaster Center, sharing the thrill of watching Garrett Appier take sixth at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene, and attending reunions where male and female athletes of the past 30 years display their appreciation for Coach Jewett are priceless memories. The baton that has been passed from Garfield "Doc" Weede to Prentice Gudgen to David Suenram that now rests with Russ Jewett connects more than 100 years of athletic history. Through my Gorilla Eyes, I see the pride, tradition, and success of a tree of coaches and individuals that extends throughout the towns and cities of Kansas, to states across the country, and across the globe.

Some day, hopefully sooner than later, this pandemic will be a footnote in the annals of Pitt State Athletics. In the future, when today's team members share their stories at reunions and recall long ago competitions, I hope they remember that Robert Wooten once laced up his spikes as they did, represented Pitt State proudly on the track and throughout life, and represents the shoulders on which they stand today.

As Russ Jewett said, "every day is a great day to be a Gorilla!"  If you're lucky, it lasts a lifetime.

Marcus Canipe

Marcus Canipe ran cross country and track from 1972-76 at Pitt State and ranks third all-time in the steeplechase (behind HOF teammates Mark Rabuse and Mike Nixon). He served as a member of the Hall of Fame Committee and helped establish the Legacy Category that recognizes historical achievements. He lives in Overland Park, Kan., with his wife, Carol, who he met on campus. He proudly maintains a tradition of joining his college teammates for track meets in Pittsburg and around the country several times each year.

Please share your own personal stories/thoughts via email to dwilkes@pittstate.edu. We want to share them! (PSU Athletics reserves the right to edit content for space and appropriateness. We cannot promise to publish every submission, but we will do our best.) Thanks Gorilla Nation!
 

Through the Eyes of a Gorilla Archives
Vol. I - Dan Wilkes, Associate AD/Communications (Apr. 3)
Vol. II - Levi Wyrick, Football/Track & Field Athlete (Apr. 7)
Vol. III - Amanda Davied, Women's Basketball Coach (Apr. 10)
Vol. IV - Chris Hanna, PSU Alum/Football Athlete (Apr. 13)
Vol. V - Jeff Moreland, PSU Alum/Football Athlete (Apr. 15)
Vol. VI - Emily Hanenberg, Volleyball Athlete (Apr. 17)
Vol. VII - Ashley Balazs, Softball Coach (Apr. 20)
Vol. VIII - Peter Euler, PSU Alum/CC T&F Athlete (Apr. 22)
Vol. IX - Caitlin Demarest, PSU Alum/WBB Athlete (Apr. 24)
Vol. X - Tyson Cushman, Baseball Athlete (Apr. 27)
Vol. XI - Oscar Gonzalez, PSU Alum/Men's Basketball Athlete (Apr. 29)
Vol. XII - Russ Jewett, Cross Country/Track & Field Coach (May 1)
Vol. XIII - Ronald Moore, PSU Alum/Football Athlete (May 4)
Vol. XIV - Emily Regier, Volleyball Athlete (May 6)
Vol. XV - Wendi (Rickson) Horak, PSU Alum/Softball Athlete (May 8)
Vol. XVI - Josh Lattimer, PSU Alum/Football Coach (May 11)
Vol. XVII - Brad Buckley, PSU Alum/Baseball Coach (May 13)
Vol. XVIII - Piper Misse, Cross Country/Track & Field Athlete (May 15)
Vol. XVIV - Alexa (Bordewick) Dreiling, PSU Alum/WBB Athlete (May 18)
Vol. XX - Jen Gomez, Volleyball Coach (May 20)
Vol. XXI - Harlan Hess, PSU Alum/Football Athlete (May 22)
Vol. XXII - Kaity Kukowski, Softball Athlete (May 25)
Vol. XXIII - Eddie Lomshek, PSU Alum/Play-By-Play Broadcaster (May 27)
Vol. XXIV - Jenni (Miller) Croy, PSU Alum/Women's Basketball Athlete (May 29)
Vol. XXV - Jesse Wall, PSU Alum/Football Athlete (June 1)