More than 100 guests, including former Olympic track and field stars, coaches, and sports celebrities, attended Thursday’s special ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the unveiling of the Heritage Plaque awarded posthumously by World Athletics, the sport’s world governing body, to legendary Los Angeles promoter Al Franken for special contributions to the development of the sport.
Former U.S. triple jump world-record holder Willie Banks represented World Athletics at the event and presented the Heritage Plaque to Franken’s son, Don.
“Al Franken is one of the most important, innovative, and prolific promoters in the history of American and world track and field,” Banks said.
The Heritage Plaque will remain on permanent display at the south end of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, beside the plaque listing the stadium’s track and field records.
Among the stars attending the event were Olympic medalists, world-record holders, and U.S. champions, including Maurice Greene, Olympic 100-meter champion and former world-record holder; Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland, nicknamed “The Chairman of the Boards,” who set two indoor mile world records at Franken’s Jack in the Box Invitational in San Diego; Martha Watson, a four-time U.S. Olympian in the long jump; Herman Frazier, 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the 4×400-meter relay; Steve Williams, considered one of the world’s best sprinters during the 1970s; Reynaldo Brown, who competed in the 1968 Olympic high jump final while still in high school; and Danny Harris, silver medalist in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Olympics.
Legendary coaches Ron Allice, former USC athletic director, and Bob Larsen, former UCLA head coach, also paid homage to Franken. “Al Franken was more important to track and field than all of us present here combined,” Larsen said.
Also in attendance were Michael Cooper, the former Los Angeles Lakers star, and actor John Savage, best known for his role in the classic movie The Deer Hunter.
Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Al Franken organized over 100 world-class meets at which 95 world records and hundreds of U.S. records were set, and more than 120 Olympic gold medalists competed. A visionary who championed the professionalization of athletics, Franken organized more world class meets than any promoter in the world, and created meets that became true classics of the sport, including: the Los Angeles / Sunkist Invitational indoor at the Sports Arena; the Jack in the Box / Michelob Invitational indoor meet at the San Diego Sports Arena; the Pepsi Invitational at UCLA; the San Francisco indoor at Cow Palace; the Kinney / Footlocker outdoor meet at Cal Berkeley.
