Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA, March 20, 1926
The track and field season got properly underway in America in the latter half of March, as traditional rivals, the University of Southern California (USC) from Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley, faced off. The 1925 IC4A champion Leighton Dye earned points for USC by skimming the 120-yard hurdles for an immediate world-leading time of 14.6. However, George Guthrie, disqualified in the Paris Olympic final, managed to fly over the obstacles faster twice in May-June.
Two-time Olympic champion and Dye's teammate Clarence “Bud” Houser also showed top form. The slightly over seven-kilo brass ball (16lb shot put) flew to the season's fourth-best mark of 15.28 (50-1½). The two-kilo discus traveled 45.50 (149-3).
Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA, March 27, 1926
Charley Paddock returned to the tracks in decent condition in the athletics meet between Stanford University and the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The world record holder and Antwerp Olympic champion had spent 1925 traveling the world and playing golf. In Palo Alto, he slipped through 100 yards in the season's fifth-fastest time of 9.6 (equivalent to about 10.5 for 100 meters). He got a poor start, but according to newspaper reports, he finished the latter part like a greyhound. Rumors circulating in the spring of 1926 about Paddock's mysteriously returned enthusiasm for training could be confirmed as true.
The 440 yards saw one of the season's toughest quarter-mile races. Theodore Miller beat Bill Storie with the season's fourth-fastest time of 48.8 (equivalent to 48.5 for 400 meters). Miller became a flash in the pan, as nothing more was heard of him after the season. Storie, on the other hand, worked his way to silver at the US Championships in 1929.
Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA, April 3, 1926
The official world record in the discus throw was improved in early April. The double Olympic champion from Paris (shot put, discus) Bud Houser threw the cake 48.20 meters in Palo Alto, California, during yet another mutual meet between Stanford University and the University of Southern California. However, Houser's result was still 70 centimeters short of the 48.90 (160-5) achieved by Finland's Armas Taipale in an unofficial competition in 1914.
Houser, who had honed his throwing form under Swedish coaching, maintained steady condition, as in May, the shot put flew to world leading 15.42 (50-7¼) on the same Palo Alto field.
Houser's world record was acknowledged in most American newspapers with just a small news item a few lines long.