University Southern California Trojans
Trojan Footballers To Run Sprint Relay On Saturday
March 02, 2000 | Track & Field
March 2, 2000
Three years ago, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High sprinters Kareem Kelly and Darrell Rideaux almost came to blows with Pasadena (Calif.) Muir High sprinter Sultan McCullough at the Simplot Indoor Games in Simplot, Id.
Seems the taunting from both sides had boiled over. Words were exchanged and chests were bumped. Cooler heads prevailed in the end, though, and things settled down.
But the rivalry between these three did anything but settle down. Instead,it expanded.
Flash forward to 2000. On March 4, these three, plus Miguel Fletcher, will run the 400-meter relay for the USC Trojans. What was once unthinkable - the merging of these incredible talents onto one squad - has become reality.
After watching each other compete as either rivals or friends for several years, suddenly they are Trojans.
"We didn't get along back in high school," said Rideaux, who will be making his Cromwell Field debut on Saturday. "We were bitter rivals. But we get along great now and are glad to be teammates."
McCullough and Fletcher have known each other since they ran on opposing track clubs in the 8th grade. McCullough ran for the Pasadena Running Roses and Fletcher (who later prepped at Alemany High in Mission Hills, Calif.) ran for the Fast Action Track Club. The two would often face each other in meets, with McCullough getting the upper hand most of the time. Rideaux and Kelly, who are a year behind the first two, didn't run track until high school. But once they did, they quickly became forces on the local scene. The Muir versus Poly battles became part of the lore of Southern California prep track.
Over the course of five years, these four dominated the sprints in the California prep ranks as few had done before. Kelly won the state 100-meter title in 1999 (he also won the 200-meter title in '98 and '99), while Rideaux won the 100 meters in 1998 and Fletcher placed second in the 100 meters at the state meet in both 1997 and 1998. McCullough was hampered by injuries his final two years but was a key element in Muir's two national track titles in his career.
These accomplishments alone would be outstanding. However, all four were high school All-Americans in football as well. Kelly and Rideaux, playing receiver and cornerback, respectively, helped Poly win the 1997 state football title, while McCullough and Fletcher were considered two of the top tailbacks in the state that year.
It wasn't until the summer of 1998, though, that the idea of these four coming together began to take root. Kelly, Rideaux and the USC-bound McCullough ran together on the Alameda Contra Costa Track Club. After this experience, the former rivals began to warm to the idea of being teammates. At the same time, a mutual respect replaced what was once a fierce dislike.
"Sultan and I were lining up for a race one time," recalled Rideaux."Suddenly he turned to me and said 'You're cool, Rideaux. You're a good runner.' It was an odd thing to say, considering the circumstances, but ever since then, we've gotten along."
When it came time for Kelly and Rideaux to choose their college, they thought about the potential that existed if they teamed up with McCullough and Fletcher.
"That was the deciding factor in our coming to USC," said Rideaux. "We knew we would be faster than anyone on the track if we all joined forces."
Faster on the track and on the football field, too. The sudden influx of elite speed to USC football has paid immediate benefits for Paul Hackett's Trojans. Last season, Kelly set USC and Pac-10 freshman receiving records and was also the recipient of the first Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Award. McCullough was the main backup to Chad Morton at tailback as a redshirt freshman and showed flashes of brilliance, including a USC season-long 48-yard explosion against UCLA. Rideaux was an oft-used reserve cornerback as a freshman and he even started a couple games. Fletcher showed his versatility by playing both cornerback and tailback during the season.
But if Trojan fans like what they saw on the gridiron from these guys this fall, they'll be ecstatic over what they see coming out of the blocks on March 4.
The baton will pass from cornerback, to tailback, to tailback, to receiver.
Rideaux, whose best 100-meter time is 10.36, is the most technically refined of the foursome and will lead off. McCullough, who is already one of the top sprinters in USC history and the 1999 Pac-10 100-meter champion(as well as the fastest under-20 sprinter in the world in 1999), will take the second leg. Fletcher, who garnered All-American honors by running a leg of USC's 400 meter relay that finished second at the NCAAs last season, will run third. Kelly, whose best 100-meter time is 10.37, will be the anchor.
Four football players. One race.
It brings a whole new meaning to the term 'spring football.'
