Augustana has produced a tremendous legacy when it comes to distance runners and Tony Hurd’s name has to be considered when any discussion of “who is the greatest” comes up. He might not be the fastest, although he once held school records in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He might not have won the most races, although he did win the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin individual title in the 5,000 at the 1981 conference meet. He might not be the most decorated, although he was a two time NCAA Division III All-American.
However, when it comes to leadership, he may be without peers. He was the consummate leader. During his senior season, which spanned the 1980-81 academic year, Hurd took leadership to a new level. He was the only captain on both the cross country and track & field teams. All he did as the captain of those sports was lead the Vikings to a pair of NCAA Division III runner-up finishes in cross country and track & field. And he didn’t do it by cheering from the sidelines.
Hurd was the ultimate warrior. He was fearless during races and he had no qualms about battling the best runners in the nation. Not blessed with tremendous leg speed, he developed a long finishing kick that just wore out the competition. He was never out of a race because he would not let himself be out of it.
From 1976 through 1979 he was a solid performer when healthy but he did miss the 1977 track season and the 1978 cross country campaign due to injuries. He was granted an extra year of eligibility in both sports and he would ultimately use those to his advantage. He did manage to run in two NCAA national meets in cross country but his places of 185th in 1976 and 292nd in 1977 gave no hint of what was to come.
In the fall of 1979 he helped lead a young and fairly in-experienced team to a stunning fourth place finish in the NCAA Division III national meet. The Vikings were soundly beaten by North Central in the CCIW meet and were fourth in the Midwest Regional before putting it all together at the national meet, which was held at Credit Island in Davenport, Iowa. Hurd earned All-American honors by finishing 16th with a time of 24:30 over five miles.
From that point on, he was a man with whom to be reckoned with. In the spring of 1980 he put on a show at the CCIW track championships where he was third in the 10,000, fifth in the 1500 and fourth in the 5000. That is 10 miles of racing in a span of less than 24 hours. He helped lead the Vikings to the team championship. Earlier in the season he set a school record in the 10,000 with a time of 30:29.9 and he was a national meet qualifier in both the 5,000 and 10,000.
His senior year of 1980-81, which was actually his fifth year at Augustana, was a thing of beauty. In the fall he held his team together single-handedly as three top runners were waiting for an eligibility clearance from the NCAA. That ruling would not take place until AFTER the Midwest Regional, which meant the Vikings would have to qualify for the national meet without three of their top performers. Hurd put the team on his back and at the NCAA Midwest Regional he led the way as the Blue & Gold not only qualified for the national meet but set a top-five team time school record that still stands to this day. In the national meet, which was just one week later, he helped lead Augustana to a second place team finish.
He fought through a case of mononucleosis in the spring of 1981 to set a school record in the 5,000 (14:27.5). He was instrumental in helping the Vikings win the CCIW title for the second year in a row. He won the 5,000 a day after he placed third in the 10,000. Hurd’s career culminated at the 1981 NCAA Division III national meet where he placed third in the 10,000, earning All-American honors for the second time in his career. He helped lead the Vikings to a second place finish in the national meet.
Tony and his wife Deborah have two children, Paul and Amy. The family resides in Wilton, Iowa where he is the vice-president of information technology/service manager at WTC Communications/Integrated Technology Partners. An accounting, economics and business major at Augustana, Hurd also worked for the University of Iowa, Judy Carr & Associates, Deloitte, Haskins & Sells and Coopers & Lybrand.
As he reflects back on his years as a collegiate athlete, Hurd is thankful for the time spent in Rock Island. “My Augustana experience has been central to my life,” he said. “My experiences here led to relationships that are deep, meaningful, supportive and lasting. Aside from my immediate family, the strongest relationships I have are those developed at Augie.”
