Monday, July 18, 2011

Long Jumper John Buckley Inducted into Delco Hall of Fame


John Buckley, third on the all-time Villanova long jump list at 25' 6.5", has been inducted into the Delaware Country chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. Buckley won the IC4A long jump championship three consecutive years: in 1958 (25' 6.5"), 1959 (25' 0.75"), and 1960 (23' 9.75). Buckley (pictured above, second row, far right) finished 4th at the NCAA championships in 1959, jumping 24' 5".

Buckley, a St. James High athlete, competed on track teams coached by the legendary Jumbo Elliott at Villanova University.

“He was tough, but he was a great leader,” Buckley said. “My event (long jump) was the first one in the meet, so he let me know he expected me to get us a win in that first event whenever we competed.”

“The nicest thing about being honored like this is that so many family members I haven’t seen in many years came home,” he said. “I’ve really been enjoying our family reunion.”

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