Andy Bakjian
Encyclopedia
Andy Bakjian was a Hall of Fame
Track and Field official and author on the subject. An alternate on the ill fated United States Olympic
Wrestling
team in 1940, Bakjian coached Football
, Baseball
and Track at Jefferson High School
in Los Angeles, California.
in 1969. His service was recognized at the Mt. SAC Relays
who established the Andy & Mary Bakjian Award For Outstanding USA Track & Field Competition Officials
In 1982 he authored the book Track Management published by Track and Field News, ISBN 0911521011.
He was Chairman of the National Officials Committee. He was also the Chairman of the panel that selected the Officials who would work the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He also served as Chief Referee of running events at the Games, a position that among other events, had to settle the controversial collision between Mary Decker
and Zola Budd
.
USATF, now the successor to the AAU and later TAC, has named its award for outstanding officiating after Bakjian. He was elected to the Hall of Fame following his death in 1986.
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
Track and Field official and author on the subject. An alternate on the ill fated United States Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
team in 1940, Bakjian coached Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and Track at Jefferson High School
Jefferson High School (Los Angeles, California)
For schools with a similar name, see Jefferson High School.Thomas Jefferson High School, usually referred to as Jefferson High School was founded in 1916, it is the fourth oldest public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District...
in Los Angeles, California.
Career
Working as an official, Bakjian worked at many of the top track and field meets in Southern California. He established himself as an outsdanding official, which led to him becoming the Commissioner of Officials for the Southern California Association of the AAUAAU
-Education:* Aalborg University, in Denmark* Academy of Art University,in San Francisco* Addis Ababa University, in Ethiopia* Allied American University, brand used by Allied Schools in California, United States* Alpen-Adria-University of Klagenfurt, in Austria...
in 1969. His service was recognized at the Mt. SAC Relays
Mt. SAC Relays
The Mt. SAC Relays are an annual track and field festival held primarily at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the Mt. San Antonio College campus in Walnut, California. The relays, held in April each year, were started by then track coach Hilmer Lodge in 1959. The meet attracts all levels and disciplines of...
who established the Andy & Mary Bakjian Award For Outstanding USA Track & Field Competition Officials
In 1982 he authored the book Track Management published by Track and Field News, ISBN 0911521011.
He was Chairman of the National Officials Committee. He was also the Chairman of the panel that selected the Officials who would work the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He also served as Chief Referee of running events at the Games, a position that among other events, had to settle the controversial collision between Mary Decker
Mary Decker
Mary Slaney is an American former track athlete. During her career, she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships, and set 17 official and unofficial world records and 36 US national records.-Biography:Mary Decker was born in Bunnvale, Hunterdon County, New...
and Zola Budd
Zola Budd
Zola Pieterse, better known by her maiden name of Zola Budd , is a former Olympic track and field competitor who, in less than three years, twice broke the world record in the women's 5000 metres and twice was the women's winner at the World Cross Country Championships...
.
Death and legacy
After his death, Bakjian's wife Mary continued his legacy as both a leading official and the manager of Track and Field operations in Southern California until her retirement in 2009.USATF, now the successor to the AAU and later TAC, has named its award for outstanding officiating after Bakjian. He was elected to the Hall of Fame following his death in 1986.