Washington State University Athletics

The Washington State College Mile Relay squad of Jack Orr, Lee Orr, Harry Nettleton and Lorin Benke ran the Collegiate Record, American Record, and World Record time of 3 minutes 12 point 3 seconds in winning the 1937 Pacific Coast Conference title in Los Angeles. The Karl Schlademan-coached Cougars edged the Stanford relay squad and delivered USC the PCC team title by a narrow margin score of 55-53 over Stanford. The 1937 relay squad originally was comprised of the Orr brothers, Benke and Curt Ledford. Benke reported that Ledford, a highly-accomplished sprinter, asked Schlademan to relinquish his spot on the relay team to Nettleton for the final. The Washington State mile relay school record lasted 31 years. Two members of the relay team, Lee Orr (1978) and Benke (1984) were previously inducted as individuals into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame. Tonight, the entire team takes its place among Cougar greats with its induction into the Washington State Athletic Hall of Fame.