1974 Men's Cross Country - Outstanding Team

Forty years ago in 1974, the Glendale College Men’s Cross Country team forged a trail of success for the school by winning the first state championship in the sport in school history. Since that time, the men’s and women’s program have won 11statetitles, six for the women and five for the men, at the small and large school levels and established itself as one of the most prominent programs in the state.

Led by coaches John Tansley, a 2006 GCC HOF inductee, and Mark Covert, the1974 Vaqueros were paced by 2008 GCC Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Thomas toa mile stone season on a team made up of mostly local runners who might have surprised even themselves with their success that season.

The names of the seven runners that made up the championship cross country team were Bobby Thomas, brothers Greg and Brad Croad, Jay Rubino, David Vanderveen, John Fisanotti and Andy Gupton. Other members of the team were Roger Schoonover, Don Dunagan and Gary Henry.

“The 1974 GCC State Championship Cross Country Team was a dedicated, hard-working and tough racing team,’’ said Bobby Thomas “We trained together daily, sometimes twice a day in terrain that varied from the flat beaches of Santa Monica to the hills of Griffith Park. The Sunday morning workout was a grueling 20-mile run.”

Thomas, who was undefeated that season and the individual state champion in cross country, credits Tansley’s hiring of 1970 NCAA Division II Champion Mark Covert as an assistant coach as a key to the team’s success that year.

“While Tansley tended to the team’s administrative duties, Covert personally trained with the team during the hot summer months to get them in strong running condition,’’ Thomas said. “Covert’s coaching talents kept the team focused. He coached them thru the daily workouts that brought the team to peak running performance for the state championship race.’’

The Vaqueros entered the state championship meet at Mt. San Antonio College with just one blemish on their record, a loss to Moorpark College in the WSC Championships at Crescenta Valley Park. That loss by nine points, 36-45, seemed to motivate Glendale as the team dominated the competition for the small schools title at Mt. SAC, 40 to 86 points for second place Citrus College.

That championship in cross country in 1974 for the Vaqueros was just a precursor to greater things to come during the 1974-75 season as the 1975 Glendale Men’s Track and Field team won a share of the 1975 title in a 32-32 tie with San Jose City College.

Thomas, a longtime realtor in La Crescenta, summed up his feelings about that great cross country season 40 years ago.

“Cross country is a team sport, where every man counts,’’ said Thomas. “For that state championship season and title race, that tough cross country team proved its talent on one of the nation’s most challenging and hilliest four-mile courses located at Mt. San Antonio College. Winning that championship race was a well-earned, satisfying team effort and a dream come true.”