University of Toledo Athletics

Chuck Friedman was the first star sprinter at the University of Toledo, winning four Mid-American Conference titles in his career. In 1963, he won the 220-yard dash and took third in the 100 at the MAC Championship Meet. He also qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 220, the first UT athlete to make it to the NCAAs. In 1964, Friedman won the 100- and 220-meter dashes, and anchored the 440-yard relay MAC title team that set the league record, becoming the first UT runner to win more than one event at the MAC Championships. That 440 relay team also finished second at the prestigious Central Collegiate Championships, barely losing to eventual NCAA champion Illinois. Friedman himself was runner-up in the 220 to 1964 U.S. Olympian Trenton Jackson of Illinois. Friedman also qualified for the 1964 NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 meters, clocking an impressive 21.6 time in the latter event. Friedman graduated with a degree in engineering from UT in 1964 and received his MBA from Northwestern in 1966. He later helped start the Toledo Striders Track Club. Friedman worked at Libbey-Owens-Ford in Toledo for many years before relocating to North Carolina, where he lives today in retirement. He still officiates at track and field meets, mainly in the East and Midwest.