Penn Relays' Herman Mancini dies

Herman Mancini, 94, who was the glue of the Penn Relays in his role of chief clerk for 32 years, making sure the runners hit the track on time, died Sunday in Coral Springs, Fla., after a long illness.

Mr. Mancini, a graduate of West Catholic High School, attended more than 65 Penn Relays, including 19 years as assistant clerk, and served as chief clerk from 1966 through 1998. He retired after the 1998 carnival and was named chief clerk emeritus.

As chief clerk, Mr. Mancini supervised the smooth flow of thousands of athletes passing through the paddock on their way to the Franklin Field track. He stood barely 5 feet tall, but Mr. Mancini, his thick shock of white hair peeking out from under his official's cap, spoke into the microphone with authority and purpose, keeping the athletes moving and the events on schedule, even ahead of schedule.

And with all the athletes who came through the paddock, from the most inexperienced high school runner to Olympic gold-medal winners, Mr. Mancini showed no favoritism.

"I heard a story where Herman insisted that Dave Wottle, when he came here with the Bowling Green 4 x mile relay team in 1973, could not take the track wearing his cap," Dave Johnson, executive director of the relays, said yesterday. "That's the same cap he wore when he won the [Olympic] gold medal.

"There were another time when he got into it with someone from USA Track and Field, when he insisted that a runner was going to go by the clerk or else he wasn't going to get on the track."

Mr. Mancini owned his own barbell company and later became a sporting goods salesman. He also announced boxing matches at the old Arena for nearly 40 years, and served in that same capacity for the 1968 heavyweight title fight between Joe Frazier and Oscar Bonavena at the Spectrum.

He moved from Ardmore to Plantation, Fla., in 1972 but made the trek back to Philadelphia - at his own expense - every April for the annual carnival.

"He always looked forward to going back," said his son, John Mancini of Estero, Fla. "That was his life. He ran the show. He had a lot of responsibility, and he always did it to the best of his ability. He was a man of integrity, a regular guy, a good person."

Mr. Mancini underwent quadruple bypass surgery and a heart valve replacement in August 1992, procedures that prevented him from going to the Barcelona Olympics as a track official, but was back at his station at Franklin Field eight months later.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said in a 1995 article. "As long as I can walk."

Before the 1998 carnival, however, Mr. Mancini felt it was time for him to retire. At age 85, he could not handle the grueling responsibility for three consecutive days, and he approached Johnson on the morning of the first day and told him it would be his last carnival as a working official.

That night, Johnson honored Mancini for his years of service and announced the creation of the Herman Mancini Award, which is given every year to an official who has served the carnival for a long time.

Mr. Mancini continued to travel to the Penn Relays every year, and attended his last carnival in 2005. He had planned to return last year to receive an award, but doctors advised his family that it would not be safe for him to travel, his son said.

Mr. Mancini was born in Italy, the oldest of six children. He emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 2, and they settled in West Philadelphia. He attended West Catholic, where he was manager of the track team.

One of the runners on that team was Jumbo Elliott, who would become a legendary coach at Villanova.

When Mr. Mancini joined the Penn Relays as an official in 1946, he was assistant to chief clerk Jack Glascott, who was the coach at West Catholic when he attended high school there.

Glascott "brought him into his office and asked him how tall he was," John Mancini said. "My father answered, 'I'm 4-foot-12.' "

Coincidentally, when Mr. Mancini retired in 1998, he was succeeded by Bob Glascott, son of Jack.

Mr. Mancini's wife, Ida, passed away in June 2004. Shortly afterward, he suffered a stroke, and he moved from his home in Plantation, Fla., to live with his daughter.

Mr. Mancini is survived by four children, 10 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held tomorrow in Plantation, with funeral services to be held on Thursday.