On this day in 1969, McKinley sprinter Richard Vasconcellos made a statement for public schools when the rivalry was at its most intense.
Vasconcellos won the 100- and 220-yard races at the public school meet at Cooke Field, firing a shot across the bow of the private school speedsters at Punahou. Vasconcellos, who scored two touchdowns in his varsity football debut the previous fall, also took second in the long jump and anchored the winning 880-yard relay.
For all of his effort, Roosevelt still won the team title by 20 points over the Tigers.
The public schools’ hopes were dashed in the ILH meet, though, with Vasconcellos finishing third in the 100 being private school runners Tony Allmond of Punahou and Iolani’s John Wright.
He dropped to fourth in the 100 in the HHSAA meet two weeks later, with Radford’s John Brown taking second behind Allmond and Wright finishing third.
Vasconcellos also finished fourth in the 220.
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