Wes Santee, a University of Kansas sophomore who had been
breaking American records left and right, had an even bigger chip on his shoulder.
Santee wanted to prove what a big mistake it had
been to prevent him from running in the 1,500 meter, and more important, he wanted to show how good he really was.
At the time, the AAU only allowed the organizers of their races to give $15 per race to the
athletes, despite crowds that sometimes swelled into the tens of thousands paying to watch Santee run.