Drummond Puts Best Foot Forward

Jon Drummond wants to put a face with the name USA Track and Field.

Preferably, that face would be his. But if that can’t be, he will be happy to see someone else, someone with personality, elevate the sport to a higher level of consciousness in the public mind.

Drummond, the top-ranked 100-meter sprinter in the world in 1997, was at UCLA’s Drake Stadium on Monday for a news conference and an exhibition workout to heighten awareness of USA Track and Field’s four-part series of indoor track meets.

The second meet in the series will be the L.A. Invitational at the Sports Arena on Feb. 13.

“We are people who are happy or sad and not like some of the people who came before us, who were stone-faced and said no to autographs.

“Now we have people who feel they know us, so they want to pull for us.”

Drummond said that track has slipped out of the public consciousness partly because athletes failed to promote the sport--and he doesn’t take that lightly.

“If it wasn’t for [aloof or arrogant athletes] we wouldn’t have to fix or change things,” Drummond said. “Of course, without them we probably wouldn’t be able to make the money we do--so it’s all part of the evolution.

“Each generation brings something new.”

He hopes that he, sprinter Maurice Green--the “world’s fastest human” since winning the 100 meters at the 1997 World Championships at Athens, Greece--decathlete Dan O’Brien and shotputter John Godina will give the L.A. Invitational renewed fan and sponsor interest.

There was no L.A. Invitational in 1997 and there was no title sponsor for last year’s meet, but promoter Al Franken says the event is just as strong now as when it had a title sponsor.

The reason, he says, is that USA Track and Field is spending nearly $2 million in appearance fees and prize money to ensure that 20 of the country’s top athletes appear and that there is monetary incentive to finish among the top three.

Previously, the meet relied on a few widely-known athletes to boost attendance and marquee value. But 20 athletes will add depth to the field that it arguably has not had for nearly two decades.

For example, Drummond; Greene; Tim Harden, last season’s national 100-meter champion; fourth-ranked Brian Lewis; and former Olympian Dennis Mitchell will run the 50 meters.

USA Track and Field has targeted 10 events at each of the four meets to share these 20 performers--the men’s and women’s hurdles, men’s and women’s 50 meters, men’s mile, men’s pole vault, men’s shotput, men’s 500, women’s 800 and women’s high jump.

The series will start Friday with the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York, followed by the L.A. Invitational and a meet at Washington, D.C., on Feb. 20. It will end with the USA Indoor Championships Feb. 26-27 at Atlanta.