The Kansas Relays took place last weekend, and one of my best friends was inducted into the Relays Hall of Fame. Michael Cox came all the way from Florida, and Sean Krider, our good friend and teammate, traveled from California for one fun-filled weekend in Kansas.
The weekend culminated, as you might guess, with a test of fitness- to see who among us could break 60 seconds in a quarter. First up was Mike, who mustered at 63 at his advanced age in 
borrowed shoes and boxer shorts. Sean stepped up next, the least-likely to be fit among us. Krider crossed the line in 60 seconds flat. I prolonged my embarrassment to the end, crawling to a 67. From the group picture, you can tell which among us ran slowest, fast and fastest based on our tortured expressions of joy and agony.
Earlier that night, I had the honor of being emcee at the Hall of Fame banquet, and I also had the pleasure of introducing Mike, the final inductee. Rather than describe the unique situation it presented, I'll simply include my remarks below:
It’s sounds funny to say, but finishing last is Michael Cox. Competing as a Jayhawk in the early 90’s, Cox won multiple Kansas Relays titles in the Sprint Medley, the Ed Elbel Distance Medley and the Bill Easton Four Mile Relay from 1991 through 1995. Individually, he won the Glenn Cunningham Mile two years in a row, narrowly missing the magical 4 minute barrier in a stiff wind in 95, then redeeming himself with a thrilling sub-four minute victory in 1996. Cox’s clocking of 3:59.2 put him among just a handful of former Jayhawks ever to go under the four-minute mark. During his incredible career, Cox was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer in 1992, 1995 and 1996, making him one of only 3 athletes in Kansas Relays history to earn the award 3 or more times. Here to introduce Michael… is me.
Okay, let’s stop and think about this. How many times in life does an opportunity like this come along? My best friend, who beats me my entire career, making a fool out of me in practice and in competition, and now,…well, let’s just say I’ve got a microphone and lots of ammunition.
Actually, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s not so much a matter of quantity- oh I’ve got lots of stories I could tell about Mike- it’s a matter of quality. After all, there may be children in the audience. So, I have to choose carefully… Okay, no problem. I think I’ve got this. I’ll start with 2 words- the best 2 words I can think of to describe Mike. Mike is a “unique talent.”
I learned this the day I met him- we shared a recruiting trip to KU together. I was already aware of his “talent” – both of us were undefeated in high school- but while I was narrowly squeaking out wins in Kansas, Mike was in Hannibal Missouri winning races all alone by incredibly large margins. His times, including a 9:06 2-mile, ranked among the top in the nation. Whatever respect and admiration I had for Mike as a competitor was immediately called into question when in walked this guy with a long, black leather trench coat and a mullet- I almost expected to find a guitar flung around his back like Jon Bon Jovi. Once I got to know Mike more, I learned just how “unique” this talent really was.
Mike is what we like to call a free spirit. Since I’ve known him, he’s lived in 4 time zones, he’s been a professionally sponsored athlete (in track, sure, but would you believe racquetball), he surfs, snowboards, climbs mountains, can fix a harley- and, apparently, my dishwasher. But Mike’s a team player too. I recall in a demonstration of team unity, in 95 Mike in the Sprint Medley relay wearing a pink and blue “unitard.” Mike was also a team leader- several times being named Jayhawk of the Year and he was a co-captain with me, he was always quick to reach out to freshmen and take the underclassmen under his wing. Let me tell you, it made quite an impression on those young ladies.
We all reminisce about our favorite “Mike Moments” both on and off the track. Many recall the year at Big 8’s at Iowa State when we won the 1500 in a four-minute mile equivalent, and then just an hour later ran to a second place finish in the 5,000 in 14:11. I remember running indoor with Mike at Iowa State, watching him come dangerously close to breaking 4 for the first time, winning in 4:02. I got so caught up in the excitement, I forgot I was running in the same race! Luckily, I remembered that lesson at Nebraska, when Mike’s 4:01 effort pulled me through to my best time ever in 4:07.
But in my opinion, Mike’s greatest performance came during the weekend that he broke four minutes for the first time, right here at the Kansas Relays in 1996. Few people know that he woke up the next morning and won the nationally competitive Trolley Run in Kansas City. Even FEWER people are aware of the event that took place between those two runs, at the post-relays party Saturday night. Needless to say, Mike won that “clothing-optional” race as well.
This would be a good time to tell you that Mike and I- for as close as we are- we’re very different. And I’m not just talking about the 10 seconds separating our mile pr’s. A newspaper article during our last cross country season when we were co-captains noted the differences between us, talking about how I wore a suit and tie to my summer internship on capitol hill, while Mike worked at a camp in the Rockies teaching kids to survive living off the land.
With our differences, we went on that season- the most influential time of my life, to become cross country All-Americans- a feat no 2 KU teammates had accomplished 30 years. And that’s where my story ends. The greatest thing I can say about Mike, is that he’s a friend. He’s challenged me in many ways- In my life, I’ve traveled with Mike to Canada and Mexico. I have gone surfing with him in the pacific, and I’ve climbed Long’s peak in Colorado. And we’re just as close today, as we were back then.
He’s a friend, a teammate, a co-captain, an All-American, and Mike- today, it is my honor to welcome you to the Kansas Relays Hall of Fame.
I had lunch today with Jan-Eric Anderson, a good friend of mine at Barkley- the KC agency that has emerged as a leader in the cause marketing movement thanks largely to Mike Swenson, Barkley's EVP, CMO (and KU grad). My visit reminded me of something special that happened last week in the fight against cancer that I thought was worth sharing, and I'm sure the folks at Barkley would agree.
Laura Ziskin, a movie producer and cancer survivor, aggressively launched Stand Up 2 Cancer to help make cancer a national priority, lining up celebrities like Katie Couric and Lance Armstrong as well as partners, including the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Lee Jeans (a Barkley client) among many others. Perhaps most impressive is that Stand Up 2 Cancer has lined up ABC, CBS and NBC to donate airtime to a special one-hour show on September 5th designed to "educate, inspire and entertain."
