When it comes to who was the best long jumper for the Redwood Empire, there is no gray area.
It’s all Mel Gray.
Now the Empire has had other greats, going all the way back to 1900 when Ukiah’s Arthur Henley spanned a state best at 22-3½.
That stood as the Empire record until 1939 when Sonoma Valley’s Frank Freeman went 23-10 and earned 2nd at the state meet to tie our best LJ place ever at state first done by Vallejo’s Elmer Boyden in 1921.
Then came the Viking.
Gray went 24-0½ as a sophomore in 1965,
24-3¼ as a junior, including 4th at state and then in 1967, as a senior, he had at least six jumps over 24 feet including a 2nd place at state and an invitational mark of 25-7¼ with an over the limit wind.
The long jump, unlike any other event I know of, has an amazing 24 different jumpers on the top 50 list.
But Gray has 22 of those marks, with no other jumper having more than three, while most have only a single jump on the list.
Sonoma Valley’s Dan Littlefield is the one with three leaps over 23 feet and he also picked up a 4th at state.
But all ten of the 24 footers were all by Gray.
Since Littlefield, only four jumpers have made the list this millennium.
23-0½ Demario Glemann, Sonoma Valley 2005
23-0 Maurice White, Rancho Cotate 2002
22-11½ Brycen Poarch, Casa Grande 2013
22-10¼ Zuhuri Manley, Clear Lake 2013
All-Time top 50 jumps
25-7¼ Mel Gray, Montgomery 6/17/67 wind aided
24-11 Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/20/67
24-7 Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/6/67
24-4¼ Mel Gray, Montgomery 6/4/66
24-3¼ Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/14/66
24-2¼ Mel Gray, Montgomery 1967 El Cerrito Relays
24-1¼ Mel Gray, Montgomery 6/3/67
24-1 Mel Gray, Montgomery 1966 MOC
24-0½ Mel Gray, Montgomery 1965 NBL
24-0+ Mel Gray, Montgomery 1967 El Cerrito Relays
(10)
23-10 Frank Freeman, Sonoma Valley 1939
23-9¾ Frank Freeman, (2) Sonoma Valley 1939 MOC
23-9½ Mel Gray, Montgomery 1965 MOC
23-9¼ Dan Littlefield, Sonoma Valley 1998 +2.8 ?state
23-8 Mel Gray, Montgomery 4/13/67 vs Pittsburg/Richmond
23-7¾w Dan Littlefield, Sonoma Valley 1999
23-7 Mel Gray, Montgomery 1966 El Cerrito Relays
23-6½ Sherman Miller, (1) Napa 1950
23-5 Mel Gray, Montgomery 1967 Metro Invit
23-3 Mel Gray, Montgomery 1967
(20)
23-2 7/8 Russell, (1) San Rafael 1936
23-2½ Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/21/66
23-2 Mel Gray, Montgomery 1966
23-2 Mel Gray, Montgomery 1967 vs Hogan
23-1¾ Dorman Porter, (1) Vallejo 1963
23-1¾ Jerry Robinson, (1) Cardinal Newman 1975
23-1½ Steve Beardsley, (1) Santa Rosa 1961
23-1½ Mel Gray, Montgomery 1965 NBL I
23-1 Larry Richardson, (1) El Molino 5/31/75
23-1 Dan Littlefield, (3) Sonoma Valley 1998 MOC
(30)
23-0½ R. McClanahan, (1) Vallejo 1972
23-0½ Earle Marchbanks, (1) Santa Rosa 4/10/76
23-0½ Demario Glemann, (1) Sonoma Valley 2005
23-0 Joe DeDora, (1) Santa Rosa 1971
23-0 Marvin Colter, (1) Piner 1978
23-0 Maurice White, Rancho Cotate 5/24/02 +2.2
22-11½ Mel Gray, Montgomery 1967 vs SR
22-11½ Mel Gray, Montgomery 1967 MOC
22-11½ Herman Shoate, (1) Vallejo 5/17/75
22-11½ Jim Flores, (1) Piner 1978
22-11½ Brycen Poarch, Casa Grande 5/26/13
(41)
22-11 Ron Austin, (1) Vallejo 5/15/76
22-11 Maurice White, (2) Rancho Cotate 5/31/02 +3.8
22-10½ Rob McCorkel, (1) Petaluma 5/15/81
22-10¼ Zuhuri Manley, (1) Clear Lake 5/25/13
22-10 Reggie Huey, (1) Vallejo 1972
22-9¾ Ray Marchbanks, (1) Santa Rosa 4/15/78
22-9½ Mel Gray (22), Montgomery 1965 vs Hogan
22-9½ Gary Gomes, (1) Montgomery 5/25/74
22-9½ Brycen Poarch, (2) Casa Grande 5/26/12
(50)