Track & Field and Cross Country Reunion

Alumni Spotlight: Olympic Competitors and Greyound Hall of Honors Inductees Rex Maddaford and Mike Boit

Mike Boit (BS 76) led the Greyhounds to severalNAIA cross-country titles in 1973-74, and he was the individual champion in 1974 and 1975. He represented Kenya in the 1972Olympics in Munich, where he won a bronze medal in the 800-meter run and placed fourth in the 1,500. He was recruited to ENMU by Coach Bill Silverberg who told him that eastern NewMexico was the closest thing to Kenya in the U.S., and that he wouldn’t get swallowed up at a small university like ENMU.

“I felt so much at home and quickly felt part of the friendly Portales community,” Boit said about choosing ENMU over other universities including Villanova and Colorado.

“Training at ENMU enabled me to be the number one ranked 800-meter athlete in the world in 1975,” Boit explained. “Although I couldn’t pursue my dream for an Olympic gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics because of the boycott by the African nations, I did set an African record for the 800-meter run that same year as a senior at Eastern.”

Boit currently works at Kenyatta University in Nairobi City, where he has taught since returning to Kenya in 1987. He has served as commissioner for the Kenyan Department of Sports, and founded the Kenya Scholar-Athlete Project to help promising students gain financial aid admission to top North American universities.

New Zealander Rex Maddaford (BBE 73) (pictured right) competed in two 1968 Olympic events in Mexico City, where he placed 10th in the 5,000 meters (14:39.8) and 12th in the 10,000 meters (30:17.2). Later, while he was competing in a meet in Los Angeles, Rex was recruited by former ENMU cross-country coach Bill Silverberg.

“I’d turned down 16-18 scholarship offers when I got out of high school,” Maddaford admits. “I just enjoyed being young and silly and traveling around the world to run, but when Coach Silverberg came out to talk to a friend of mine, Olympic discus thrower Robin Tait, I was also very impressed.”

Maddaford was one of ENMU’s top performers in track & field and cross-country before graduating with a degree in communication and physical education. He was a multi-time All- American in both sports, and from 1969-71 he won five national championships. He also won the 1971 national title for the twomile run and was subsequently named the NAIA’s top athlete.

After graduating, Rex taught at Tucumcari Municipal Schools for 31 years. He and his wife still reside in Tucumcari, where Rex manages the Tucumcari Municipal Golf Course.