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On Your Marks . . . Get Set . . . Crawl: 1967
The tradition might not have included mint juleps or Camptown ladies, but NU’s annual turtle racing was still quite the to-do. You could even call it the sport of King Husky: An appearance by the Northeastern mascot was often a highlight of the springtime event.
The Husky Key Society, the official school spirit group, organized the turtle trots throughout the 1960s and early 1970s to rev up the campus mood. Only “recognized groups” willing to conform to the Key’s rules were eligible to enter their reptile racers.
Rules obviously didn’t extend to turtle diets. After training on such thoroughbred fare as beer and hamburger, about a dozen starters were ready to burn up the track. This year’s top turtles included Attila and Phantom, but Angel, shown here with trainer Brian Berry, BA’71 (center, inset photo), won the race. No time for resting on his laurels: On to intercollegiates, where qualifiers were pitted against contenders from throughout New England, then off victorious to the nationals.
Alas, no Triple Crown was in store for Angel, who placed fifth in the nationals, which were held in Washington, D.C. The winner? Tremendous Turtle, rumored to be descended from prize stock: Great-granddad reportedly bested a hare in a race long ago.
Next time, bet your money on a bob-tail nag.
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