The tribute, shown below, was copied from
https://chestercountysportshalloffame.com/inductees/2014/don_webster.html
(it may or may not still be available there)
Don Webster
Track • Kennett Square
Don Webster, considered to be one of the great quarter-milers in the early 1960’s, was a phenom from Kennett Square High School. He was the first Kennett Square High School athlete to win a State Championship. As a sophomore, Webster won the 440 yard dash. Don later went on to win the 440 in 1960 and 1961, and the 220 yard dash in 1960 and 1961. He was a four-year letter winner in both track and basketball. It was his dominance in track and field, and his longevity that made him such an unforgettable athlete. As a member of the KSHS mile relay team, Webster participated in the Penn Relays. In one of the most amazing accomplishments of all-time at the Relays, Don anchored a race where the team was behind by as much as 40 yards - getting the baton - clearly out of contention. Not to be defeated, he took the baton and as if shot out of a cannon, not only made up the yardage, but overtook the leader and ran away with the race for the gold medal. This achievement was said to have stirred the crowd into a frenzy saved only for the most dynamic of performances. Some people still regard it as one the most amazing accomplishments in Penn Relay history. Webster was named Most Outstanding Penn Relays Athlete and qualified for the 1960 Olympic Trials. Don would go on to win the Penn Relays with Kennett High again in 1960, and then again also as a member of Villanova’s 1963 Mile Relay team. He would again qualify for the Olympic Trials in 1964 and 1972, barely missing out both times in qualifying for the Olympic Games. Webster was named to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame (1995). While at Villanova, Don had similar success, running both indoor and outdoor track for legendary track coach Jumbo Elliott. After two brief years at Villanova, he left school and enlisted in the Army where he achieved the rank of 1st Lieutenant, and served in Vietnam. Upon discharge from the Army, Webster entered Cal State-Hayward, ran track for Cal, and graduated with a degree in Art. Don continued to compete upon graduation, and was still competing at the age of 27 running for the prestigious Philadelphia Pioneers Track Club. After 15 years in Marketing, he returned to his love of track as a coach. Webster started as an Assistant Coach at Morgan State University (1987), and then went on to lead the Track and Field and Cross Country programs at Coppin State (1989). While at Coppin (now Coppin University), Don led the team to six Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Championships. He was also a Head Coach at South Carolina State University (1996-1998), and Bowie State University (1999-2001). Webster had such a profound influence on his athletes at Coppin, the University named a track meet in his memory. To this day, the Don Webster Invitational is run every spring at Coppin
University. In 1996, Don was inducted into the Pennsylvania High School Track
Hall of Fame. Many of his high school records stood for years and years - this
being considered quite remarkable considering the fact that he ran on cinder
tracks while the modern athletes run on fast synthetic tracks. Don Webster
passed away at the age of 62 in 2006.
The tribute, shown below, was copied from
https://www.dailylocal.com/2006/11/09/webster-remembered-as-one-of-kennetts-all-time-greats/
(it may or may not still be available there)
Webster remembered as one of Kennett’s all-time greats
By Brad Spahr
PUBLISHED: November 9, 2006 at 3:22 AM EST | UPDATED: August 20, 2021 at 5:29 AM EDT
There are some people who make it look easy, and Don Webster was certainly one of them.
At the 1960 Penn Relays for instance, the Kennett High School track legend recorded the fastest quarter mile ever by a junior in high school, 46.7 seconds, as he anchored the Blue Demons’ relay team to a first place finish at the historic event at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
“I was there that day, and when he got the baton the leading team was already half-way around the track. Donnie caught them at the end. It was spectacular. The place went wild. The crowd was cheering so loud for him that I’ll never forget it,” said Mac Rayne, a 1959 Kennett grad who ran track with Webster. “He had such long beautiful strides. I’ve never seen a stride like that before. He just kind of floated, to the point where he made it look effortless.”
Webster, who passed away on Oct. 5 at the age of 62 in Orangeburg, S.C., after an extended illness, is remembered by many as the greatest track athlete to ever come out of Kennett High School.
He won four state championships during his time at Kennett, six district championships, two Middle Atlantic A.A.U. championships and the Michael Dorizas trophy awarded to the most outstanding schoolboy runner at the 1960 Penn Relays.
Webster’s sophomore year he captured the state title in the 440-yard dash with a time of 49.5 seconds, marking the first time ever a Kennett student had won a state athletic championship. Webster also went on to win state gold in the 440-yard dash as a junior in 1960, and as a senior at the age of only 16 in 1961. Webster also won the state title in the 220-yard dash as a senior with a state record time of 21.2 seconds.
“Donnie was an athlete that could do anything,” said former Kennett High School athletic director Nate Kendig. “He was tremendous. I have so many fond memories of him.
“He was a good student. He was easy to coach. And despite all his success he never became conceited. He was just a super person, and he’ll never be forgotten.”
Webster placed sixth overall in the 1961 A.A.U. Nationals in the 440-yard dash with a time of 47.4 seconds. Running in the finals that day, he was competing against the likes of Otis Davis (Olympic champion and world record holder in the event), Ulis Williams (interscholastic record holder in the event) and Earl Young (second in the NCAA meet the week before).
After high school, Webster went on to run at Villanova University. In 1963, he was a member of the Wildcats’ sprint medley relay team that won the Penn Relays.
Webster was head men’s and women’s track coach at South Carolina State in Orangeburg from 1996 to 1998. He also coached Coppin State (1990-95) and Bowie State (1999-01).
Charlie Lewis was a 1956 Avon Grove High grad who won two state titles before going on to help lead Winston-Salem State University to back-to-back small college national championships. After getting out of the Army, Lewis ran with Webster at the Philadelphia Pioneer Club.
“When I was in the Army my mother used to send me articles about Donnie setting records,” said Lewis. “As a high schooler, he was actually beating some of the top college and A.A.U. runners in the country.
“I have some great memories from running with him. We were pretty good friends. As a person he was a nice, easy, soft-spoken guy. If you met him, other than realizing he was an athlete by looking at him, you wouldn’t realize his accomplishments because he never talked about them. As an athlete he had such beautiful and powerful strides. He made it look easy. He was a natural. In my opinion, he was the best track athlete to ever come out of Kennett, without question.”