San Jose State’s dropping of track and...

San Jose State’s dropping of track and field evokes decades-old memories of powerful Bud Winter-coached teams with world-class athletes.

One of the first was sprinter Ray Norton, who carried the “world’s fastest human” title into the 1960 Olympic Games at Rome, where he was beaten soundly. Next came Dennis Johnson, a Jamaican sprinter who ran four 9.3-second 100-yard dashes and a windy 9.2 in 1961.

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, John Carlos and Ronnie Ray Smith won more medals, five, than 75% of the countries participating. In 1979, someone figured out that San Jose State athletes were involved in 43 world records.

San Jose Mercury News sports columnist Dan Hruby interviewed former San Jose runner Michael O’Kane, who told him: “Bud Winter would turn over in his grave. He probably already is. I’m crushed . . . that would be terrible. It’s not just a program, it’s a heritage; it’s part of the spirit of San Jose State.”

Indy race car driver Tom Sneva was asked by reporters for a comment on a Turn 4 oil slick that Mario Andretti said affected his car in time trials over the weekend.

“I didn’t see any problems,” Sneva said. “The only distraction was in Turn 3. A blonde got my attention.”

Quotebook

Detroit Red Wing coach Jacques Demers, after several of his players had been out drinking well past curfew, the night before the team’s ouster from the NHL playoffs: “It’s absolutely inexcusable. I honestly believe we could have won that game and come back for Game 6 in Detroit. If only it weren’t for six idiots.”