NCAA track & field: Elliott Quow remains Rutgers' last champion, 40 years later

The way it’s been told to Elliott Quow, he rounded the turn of the 200-meter final at the 1983 NCAA Track & Field Championships in last place.

“I always had a bad start,” Quow said Tuesday from his home in Willingboro.

But his finish was glorious. The Rutgers University junior picked off the entire field in the homestretch, reeling in Alabama dynamo Calvin Smith 10 meters before the finish, to break the tape in a time of 20.31 seconds. Some context: A month later Smith would break the world record in the 100 with a blistering 9.93.

Forty years later, Quow remains the last Rutgers track & field athlete, male or female, to win an NCAA title.

“Am I surprised? Yes, I’m very surprised,” the 61-year old said. “We should have more kids winning.”

From 1971-1983, Rutgers produced six national champions in track & field. Most of those took place during the tenure of coach Frank Gagliano, who later became a national legend at Georgetown. “Gags” recruited Quow out of Carnarsie High in Brooklyn even though he had just one full year of running under his belt.

“At the time Rutgers didn’t have but one full scholarship, so they gave me as much money as they could and I got the rest on grants,” Quow said.

He blossomed under Gags, beating a Georgia phenom named Herschel Walker in the 200 at the 1981 junior nationals, setting an American record in the indoor 300 and finishing second at the 200 the 1983 World Championships (behind Calvin Smith). At a time when only a handful of humans ever had broken 20 seconds in the 200, his personal best was 20.16.

“I learned early that times don’t mean much because you had to do it on that day on the track,” he said. “I never ran for records. I was a racer.”

His NCAA title seems more remarkable by the year; no one from a northeastern college has won the event since. The sprints are dominated by southern and West Coast programs that benefit from optimal training weather year-round.

Quow narrowly missed making the 1984 U.S. Olympic squad, finishing fourth in the 200 at the trials, and later moved on to a job in finance. He’s still working and is the dad of a 12-year-old who he hopes will take up track. In September, he’ll be honored at halftime of a Rutgers football game along with Rutgers’ other national track champions.

“Forty years,” Quow said. “That’s a long time.”

How NJ's top NCAA track hopefuls are fared

Here is how the top local athletes fared at the 2023 NCAA Track & Field Championships:

Chloe Timberg, women’s pole vault: The Rutgers sophomore came in owning the NCAA’s second-best height this spring with a 14-9 clearance, and her personal best is 14-10.25. But she no-heighted, missing three times after coming in at 13-7.

Sondre Guttormsen, men’s pole vault: The Princeton senior and two-time NCAA champion finished sixth with a height of 18-4.5, earning first-team All-America status.

Jordan West, men’s shot put: The Rahway High School grad and Arkansas postgrad earned first-team All-America honors, placing seventh with a distance of 65-8.25. Previously he'd placed fourth at the 2022 outdoor NCAAs as a senior at Tennessee.

Jenna Rogers, women’s high jump: The Rutherford High School grad and Nebraska sophomore, a three-time first-team All-American who finished fourth at the indoor NCAAs in March, placed 13th with a height of 5-11.

Liam Murphy, men’s 1500: The Allentown High School grad and Villanova junior advanced to Friday's 12-man final with a swift time of 3:39.82, and in the final he finished 11th in 3:45.92, earning second-team All-America.

Sincere Robinson, men’s long jump: The Rutgers sophomore and Newark Tech grad is earned second-team All-American honors, placing ninth with a leap of 25-8.25. He also was an indoor second-team All-American in the event.

Evan Nierdowski, men’s javelin: The Monmouth sophomore earned second-team All-America honors for the second straight spring, placing 12th with a throw of 235-8.

Bradley Jelmert, men’s pole vault: The Watchung Hills High School grad and Arkansas State junior, making his NCAA debut, finished 21st with a height of 17-4.5.

Sean Dolan, men’s 800: The Hopewell Valley High School grad and Villanova senior finished 19th in the trials with a time of 1:50.45.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.