Needing Help - Lakewood St. Edward - State HJ Champion - 1992 - Rudy Currie

[JAVMAN83]

OK, here's the quagmire:

1992 Div. I State HJ champion, Rudy Currie (Lakewood St. Edward) is listed as a junior in the state program. However, he is the Midwest Meet of Champions winner ALSO in 1992 with a 7' leap. I thought that meet was reserved for only seniors?

Also, in 1991, Rudy Currie is listed as Rudy Story and a sophomore in the 1991 state program.

So, for those of you that have any info on this individual, I'd be happy to resolve his graduation year and his last name. Please chime in! Thanks in advance.

FYI - I'm working on the all-time lists and have over 50 high jumpers over 6' 11".

 

[Mr. Slippery]

I can't help you with his graduation year yet, but the Plain Dealer reported on him as Rudy Story in '91 and as Rudy Currie in '92.

From the Plain Dealer on June 2, 1991:
"Parma's Ron Quercioli, state runner-up last season, won his third straight regional high jump. He cleared 6-8 on his first attempt and runner-up Rudy Story of St. Edward cleared 6-8 on his second attempt. Both went out at 6-10."

From the Plain Dealer on June 4, 1992:
"A number of other athletes are looking for individual honors, including East Tech's Willie Hibler in both hurdles; East High's DaJuan Banks in the 100, 200 and 400; Euclid's Pepe Pearson in the 100; and St. Edward's Rudy Currie in the high jump, in which he's gone 6-10 outdoors and 7-0 indoors. Carmen Banks of John Adams is a threat in the hurdles and sprints, and Donneika Kibble of John F. Kennedy is hoping to hit the tape in the dashes and 4x100 relay."

 

[JAVMAN83]

I can't help you with his graduation year yet, but the Plain Dealer reported on him as Rudy Story in '91 and as Rudy Currie in '92.

From the Plain Dealer on June 2, 1991:
"Parma's Ron Quercioli, state runner-up last season, won his third straight regional high jump. He cleared 6-8 on his first attempt and runner-up Rudy Story of St. Edward cleared 6-8 on his second attempt. Both went out at 6-10."

From the Plain Dealer on June 4, 1992:
"A number of other athletes are looking for individual honors, including East Tech's Willie Hibler in both hurdles; East High's DaJuan Banks in the 100, 200 and 400; Euclid's Pepe Pearson in the 100; and St. Edward's Rudy Currie in the high jump, in which he's gone 6-10 outdoors and 7-0 indoors. Carmen Banks of John Adams is a threat in the hurdles and sprints, and Donneika Kibble of John F. Kennedy is hoping to hit the tape in the dashes and 4x100 relay."

Thank you. Craig Whitmore actually lists him as Rudy Storey Currie in his HS compilation. I'm wondering if he's one of those with a hyphenated last name?

 

[TCSoup]

This is a Rudy Curious-Story ( just adding some humor)

 

[Seek Up]

From an October 3. 2021 Facebook post: Rudy Currie is one of the most amazing athletes born of the Dust Bowl.
He was starting safety on the 1997 Clemson University football team #20. Prior to that Rudy attended St Edward High where he excelled in football but reached the high school mountaintop in track and field.
As a Junior Rudy finished 2nd in the State Finals high jump.
But, he came back as a Senior and won the whole thing clearing a height of 7'-1" and being crowned a State Champion as his sister Barbara and Ohio State grad Louis Love looked on from the packed stands of the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.
Rudy joins an elite list of Creekbank High School state champions including but not limited to Cecil Sallee (wrestling), and track stars Roshan Russell, Thomas Jefferson and the incomparable '91 and '92 JMH track team led by Jonathan Burrell and Dorian Green.
Rudy followed in the footsteps of his Dad Rudy who once held the indoor high jump record at John Marshall High at 6'-4" in the late 1960's. Good fruit.

Rudy currently resides in Texas after a stint in the military.

 

[JAVMAN83]

From an October 3. 2021 Facebook post: Rudy Currie is one of the most amazing athletes born of the Dust Bowl.
He was starting safety on the 1997 Clemson University football team #20. Prior to that Rudy attended St Edward High where he excelled in football but reached the high school mountaintop in track and field.
As a Junior Rudy finished 2nd in the State Finals high jump.
But, he came back as a Senior and won the whole thing clearing a height of 7'-1" and being crowned a State Champion as his sister Barbara and Ohio State grad Louis Love looked on from the packed stands of the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.
Rudy joins an elite list of Creekbank High School state champions including but not limited to Cecil Sallee (wrestling), and track stars Roshan Russell, Thomas Jefferson and the incomparable '91 and '92 JMH track team led by Jonathan Burrell and Dorian Green.
Rudy followed in the footsteps of his Dad Rudy who once held the indoor high jump record at John Marshall High at 6'-4" in the late 1960's. Good fruit.

Rudy currently resides in Texas after a stint in the military.

Thanks for the info. As a historical correction, Currie didn't win in 1992 with 7' 1". He won with 7' 0", and was listed as a junior that year. In 1991, he was 3rd, not 2nd, and was listed as a soph under the name Rudy Story. In 1992, he is listed has having a seasonal best of 7' 0 3/4" by both the late Craig Whitmore and by HS Track 1993 (T&F News HS annual for 1992).

On another note, I, for very good reason, do not trust any info put out by collegiate SIDs (sports information directors). They are notoriously POOR when it comes to accurately reporting track & field information.

 

[JAVMAN83]

This is a Rudy Curious-Story ( just adding some humor)

I like that!

 

[Altor]

On another note, I, for very good reason, do not trust any info put out by collegiate SIDs (sports information directors). They are notoriously POOR when it comes to accurately reporting track & field information.

Are you telling me that 100 meter dash record of 10.1 from 1966 may not be accurate?

 

[JAVMAN83]

Are you telling me that 100 meter dash record of 10.1 from 1966 may not be accurate?

I must've missed something? What are you referring to?

 

[Altor]

I must've missed something? What are you referring to?

Sorry. I saw a college record sheet one time that had a 10.1 as their school record for the 100 meters from 1966. I immediately recognized it as being a 100 yard record and the SID didn't know any better.

 

[Mr. Slippery]

The plot thickens. Currie was academically a junior in 1992. However, the first attached article reported he would not be eligible to compete in Ohio the following school year due to his age. Thus, he transferred to Valley Forge Military Academy in PA where he eventually signed a letter of intent to play football at Clemson. 1992 was long before my time of following the OHSAA's bylaws, so I have no idea what the age limits were at that time in order to be eligible for OHSAA competition. I assume he was granted entry into the 1992 MMOC due to his eligibility situation for 1993.

Rudy Currie, St. Edwards, Center

Rudy Currie is a Center from Cleveland, OH that played for St. Edwards.

www.tigernet.com

With regards to the captioning of the above link, Currie was clearly not a C but rather a CB at the time he was recruited.

I also got lucky with the 2nd attached article. In the spring of 1992, Story legally changed to his father's last name Currie.

At the end of the day, everybody has a story (pun intended).

 

[JAVMAN83]

Mr. Slippery - Wow, thank you for digging that "story" out of the archives. The part about him being a 19 year old junior threw me the most. I was 17 when I graduated, and most everyone I ever coached, if not all, hadn't hit their 19th birthday before graduating. The Clemson link didn't work for whatever reason for me, but I had found that he competed for them. Mike Lowe's 6' 10" was missing from my database (now 100 deep) as the HS Track 1992 list started at 6' 11". This is where I had the entire Ohio T&F newsletter archives.

Thank you again.

fyi - I'm still looking for the meet/site/date of Story's 7' 0 3/4" HS personal best from 1992.