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Looking back: Danny Mauzy broke Paul Warfield’s long jump mark
Former Rayen standout Danny Mauzy
broke Paul Warfield’s long jump mark
YOUNGSTOWN
As a former track standout, Danny Mauzy takes disappointment in stride.
The 1969 Rayen High graduate finished second in the 120 low hurdles at the state meet his senior season, fell after the last hurdle in the 110 high semifinals, then also failed to make the long jump finals.
“I didn’t have my timing down and didn’t make the finals,” Mauzy said of his shortcoming in the long jump 45 years ago.
The state champion at that meet won with a jump of 23-3 — six inches shorter than Mauzy’s best, which was recorded at the Bellaire Relays earlier that season.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my steps down right, so it didn’t work out,” Mauzy said. “I always thought the long jump was my best event, but it didn’t work out in the state meet.”
The recollection comes as Mauzy, now 63, is ready for induction into the Ebony Lifeline Hall of Fame on Friday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Social Hall.
Mauzy’s ascent started when he was the city track meet’s MVP in ninth grade and again in 10th grade. He then had right knee surgery for torn ligaments and didn’t finish his junior season.
Then came a record-breaking senior year.
Mauzy’s 23-9 jump at Bellaire was a personal best and the longest in the state. It broke a record held by Warren Harding’s Paul Warfield and Mauzy’s high hurdles time at Bellaire broke a record once held by Howland’s Willie Davenport.
At Bellaire that day, Mauzy set three Rayen records.
The best track athlete in the city in 1969 had no choice but to seek employment after graduation.
“I didn’t see any future in track because it was still amateur at that time, so I went to work at RMI in Niles, then to General Motors in 1970,” said Mauzy, who stayed 33 years before retiring in 2004.
He turned to flag football to feed his competitive spirit, playing for Mary’s Tavern into his 30s with a few former Rayen athletes, such as Robert Echols, Randolph Dotson and Robert Harmon and South High’s Julius Livas.
“We had quite a bit of talent on that flag team,” Mauzy said of Mary’s Tavern, which participated in national tournaments in St. Louis.
“It was the Super Bowl of flag football,” he said of St. Louis.
Since retirement, Mauzy’s activities consist of golf, travel and motorcycling.
If they still exist, the whereabouts of his medals and trophies from the state meet remain a mystery.
“I think I left them at my mom’s house and don’t know what happened to them,” said Mauzy. “My sister may have some newspaper clippings; she kept track pretty much of what was going on.”
Although Mauzy, the youngest of 12 children of Margaret and William H. Mauzy Sr., both deceased, played football as a sophomore and junior, his torn ligament injury happened during the only track meet attended by his mother.
“It was the only track meet my mom came to and happened when my knee locked while high jumping,” said Mauzy. “That was it. The doctor said that I kind of wore it out. I was offered a change of positions by the football coaches, but I decided to concentrate on track instead.”
Dan, his four brothers and seven sisters lived in the Riverbend area called Monkey’s Nest.
“I started by running around the block, in the grass, over fences — anything we could run or jump over. We stayed in our little neighborhood and marked off areas for track meets. For the broad jump, we’d jump off of cardboard into the grass. When they brought the freeway in, we had to move to Superior St. on the North Side. I was bused from the Monkey’s Nest to Tod School in Brier Hill the last three years of grade school, then I went to Hayes Junior High when we moved to Superior St.”
Mauzy revealed that Danny is his nickname.
“People I graduated with don’t know that my real name is David. They think my name is Daniel or Danny, but they’re just a nickname. My twin sisters had friends who wanted my mother to name me David or Danny. My mom said she’d name me one and call me the other. I only write David on my checks.”
Mauzy tries to downplay his glory days, but others don’t.
“People still talk about it, but I say, ‘That was 44 years ago.’ But people like to recall those days. It was fun and I enjoyed it. I loved to run.”
Honorees
Other inductees are: Darren Brown, football; The Rev. Rafael Cruz, community service; Levon Hays, football coach; Pedro Luciano, boxing; John McElroy, basketball; Ronald McElroy, basketball; Bernard McRae, basketball and baseball; Sylvia Rozenblad, softball; Ronald Smith, basketball and softball; Randy Stephens, boxing; Sherry Stevens, bowling; and Charles Williams, softball.
Tickets for the banquet cost $30. A table of eight can be purchased for $220. For reservations, contact Bob Thomas at 330-261-1825 or Pat Traylor at 330-792-0234.