Gray Horn Takes Aim At History At SEC Championships
Thursday, May 12, 2011 | Men's Track and Field, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jon Horn pulled out of the driveway Wednesday afternoon with a familiar travel companion for the 10-hour drive in front of him.
Seated next to Jon was his father, Joe, the patriarch of a track-and-field dynasty that has dominated the record books at Waynesfield-Goshen High in Ohio for several years now.
Jon and Joe haven't missed a major meet of the family's latest track star – Florida junior decathlete Gray Horn – since Gray arrived at UF in the summer of 2008. However, this weekend's SEC Outdoor Championships at the University of Georgia has the potential to be their most memorable trip yet.
Gray is attempting to join former LSU standout Claston Bernard as the only two men in league history to win three consecutive SEC decathlon titles. Bernard, who competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, accomplished his three-peat 10 years ago.
Once upon a time Jon worried that his only son might have trouble finding success at a place like Florida. Gray dominated meets in rural Ohio where he grew up – his senior class had only about 40 students – splitting most days training, going to school and working on his grandfather's farm.
“You didn't see anything spectacular at all when you went to our high school meets,'' Gray said. “It was really easy for me to win. It can't even be explained how different it is here.''
“It is really an amazing story,'' Jon Horn said. “When he was being recruited, it was kind of like a dream. We weren't too sure if could stand out at a place like Florida.''
Gray not only competed in the myriad of events that comprise the decathlon while in high school, he also excelled at football and basketball, earning a football scholarship offer from Bowling Green. A natural athlete, Gray fits in perfectly with the Horn clan.
Joe was a long-time coach who remains actively involved in Waynesfield-Goshen High's program. Jon was a talented all-around athlete at Air Force, once owning the school record in the high jump. Gray's sisters, 17-year-old twins Morgan and Ivy, are currently nationally ranked high school juniors, and his mom, Kitt, was a multi-talented track performer who has remained close to the sport as a coach.
Family outings nearly always included a track.
While Gray's genes were deeply rooted in the sport, there were still doubts how the small-town boy would fare at Florida and in the talented SEC. Any doubts about his ability were erased when as a freshman Gray became the first UF athlete in school history to win the SEC Outdoor decathlete title.
Jon took a deep breath and realized that his son had arrived.
For Gray, it was the start of a college career filled with school records and accolades.
“I'm a completely different athlete,'' Gray said. “I didn't even really believe that I could win an SEC championship my freshman year. I thought I was the new guy who would just come in here and hopefully score a few points for the team.
“That really sparked my confidence level.''
*****
Horn enters this week's SEC Outdoor Championships coming off the best performance of his career from a scoring standpoint. Horn joined current Olympic decathlon champion Bryan Clay and former U.S. decathlete Dan Johnson in winning the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays on April 14 in Azusa, Calif.
Horn's personal-best score of 7,791 points fell just 12 points shy of matching the UF school record set by Mike Morrison en route to winning the 2008 Mt. Sac Relays decathlon title. A talented receiver in high school who also kicked and played linebacker, Horn opted against playing football in college because he didn't want to add excessive weight to his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame coming out of high school.
He wanted the process to take a natural course – he has grown an inch and added 20 pounds in his three years at UF – so he opted on a track career with the Gators after entertaining offers from programs such as Auburn, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State.
With his lean athletic build and head full of bright blonde hair, Horn is easy to pick out in a crowd on the track. Gators multi-events coach Mellanee Welty first spotted Horn when she was at Louisville and recruited Ohio, and when Gators coach Mike Holloway hired her, she mentioned Horn as someone Holloway should get to know to help the Gators replace Morrison in the decathlon.
An Ohio native, Holloway called on his contacts in the Buckeye State. Once Horn visited campus, he was sold on Florida being the place for him to chase his Olympic dreams. Horn is perfect for the 10-event decathlon in Holloway's eyes.
“The big thing with Gray is his demeanor,'' Holloway said. “He's just really easy-going, laid-back – he takes the events one at a time. As long as he keeps that mentality, he is going to be OK. You can't be a really, really high-strung guy and be emotional about it.''
Decathletes have a reputation as being ultra-competitive and a bit quirky, and Horn is no different.
Jon saw what was to come when Gray was 10 and competed in a national junior event in Buffalo, N.Y., his first time on a big stage. Gray finished ninth – missing an opportunity to be honored on the medal stand with the eight top finishers – and liked the experience about as much as going to the dentist.
“That will never happen again,'' Gray told his dad.
He was right.
*****
Horn considered the pole vault his best event when he arrived at UF, perfecting his technique for hours in Joe's backyard growing up. Over the past three years, he has worked hard to improve his jumps and hurdles, picking up crucial points.
He has also developed an appreciation of the event's history, a student of the effort and commitment it takes to claim the title of “World's Greatest Athlete'' that comes with winning the decathlon title at the Olympics.
He has read about famous U.S. decathletes such as Bruce Jenner, Dan O' Brien and Johnson. He is good friends with his biggest rival at this week's meet, Georgia's Michael Ayers, sharing a kindred spirit despite their intense competition the past three years.
“I feel like I'm very similar to all those guys in the way we're just kind of crazy in the head a little because you have to be a little to want to do this,'' Horn said. “We all just want to chase the title for world's greatest athlete.''
First, Horn hopes to become only the second three-time SEC decathlon champion. He knows it won't be easy.
“People think, 'Oh, you've won two in a row, you've got to be comfortable thinking you're going to win easy.' That's not the case at all,'' Horn said. “I completely respect him and I know exactly how dangerous [Ayers] is.
“What I'm going for this time is our school record. If I get our school record, I know I will win the meet.''
Holloway calls Horn the Gators' Mr. Steady.
“Anytime you can win any event in the SEC more than once is impressive,'' Holloway said. “Heck, winning it once is impressive. To even think about winning it four times is actually something phenomenal, but for me, let's win it three first.''
Jon and Joe will have a lot to talk about on that drive back to Ohio if Gray pulls off the three-peat.
