Tom DiStanislao

Richard Dunn

One day, Tom DiStanislao was “just screwing around with the guys”

while attempting to clear a bar high above a soft landing pit and

stationed at the end of a long runway.

Soon enough, DiStanislao started having more fun than what should

be legal and the then-Newport Harbor High sophomore went over 12

feet, 6 inches in the pole vault.

“I hated long-distance running,” said DiStanislao, who jumped 14-6

the following year as a junior in 1972, then cleared 15-1 his senior

year, along with competing in both hurdle races and anchoring the

Sailors’ celebrated 440-yard relay team for Coach Bob Hailey.

At USC, DiStanislao watched his track and field career escalate as

he became a world-class pole vaulter, finishing third his junior year

at the 1976 NCAA Championships and qualifying for the U.S. Olympic

Trials that year in Eugene, Ore., where a world record was required

to win the event.

From an impromptu test run to the top of the heap, DiStanislao

enjoyed an athletic career that extended beyond college, even though

he broke his arm after missing the pit coming down in competition at

the Fresno Relays his senior year for the Trojans, who at the time

featured some of the finest track and field athletes in the world.

DiStanislao, whose USC track teammates included running sensations

Clancy Edwards and Don Quarrie, missed the Pac 8 and NCAA

Championships his senior year in 1977, as well as other major events,

but later spent six months in Italy competing for a club team.

“The club took care of airfare, lodging, meals and transportation,

then, of course, we also had all the sponsorships, which included

Adidas at the time and they gave us all of our gear,” he said. “There

were no cash payouts, but everything else was covered.”

The time in Italy included an interpreter, while DiStanislao

toured all around the region. “It was a very unique experience -- it

was one of those adventure trips you couldn’t replicate,” he said.

DiStanislao, whose personal record is 17 feet, 5 3/4 with a PR of

17-11 in a non-sanctioned NCAA track meet, grew from a 6-2, 175

pounds at Newport Harbor his senior year to 6-4, 210 pounds at USC,

which won the NCAA title in ’76.

DiStanislao, whose brother, Joe, became a decathlete at UC Irvine,

was influenced heavily by Wolfe, a former pole vaulter who coached

the 1968 U.S. Olympic team with gold medalist Bob Seagren.

“Vern was an all-around fantastic mentor, coach and motivator --

he was like John Wooden,” said DiStanislao, whose cross training

included lifting weights with USC shot putters, discus throwers and

javelin flingers.

“I did a lot of heavy weightlifting my freshman and sophomore

years, because I wanted to get stronger. I added a lot of size and

got a lot stronger during that time. I was benching free bar 330

pounds,” added DiStanislao, whose well-chiseled frame and athleticism

carried him to a spot in the ’76 U.S. Olympic Trials, in which Dave

Roberts broke a world record and runner-up Earl Bell tied a previous

mark.

“The top 13 jumpers in the country were invited,” said

DiStanislao, who finished sixth. “It was a great experience and a

very exciting event. You’re competing against the world’s best

jumpers ... I couldn’t have jumped any better that day ... not making

the Olympic team was OK. It was just great to be there. And it came

right after we won the NCAA championship at USC.”

DiStanislao, the latest honoree in the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of

Fame, lives in San Juan Capistrano with his wife of 20 years, Terri,

and three children: Daughter Court, 16, daughter Paige, 15 next

month, and son Cole, 12. DiStanislao operates an information company.