Michigan State University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2026
- Class:
- 1978
Sue Latter-Addison
Track & Field/Cross Country (1975-78)
Clarkston, Mich.
· Seven-time Big Ten Champion (five individual titles, two relay titles)
· Won the 440-yard and 880-yard and mile relay races at 1977 Championship, helping MSU to its first team title
· Finished sixth in the 440 and second with the medley relay team at the 1975 AIAW Championships
· Finished third in the 800 meters at the 1977 AIAW Championship
· Won the 800 meters at the 1977 U.S. Track & Field Federation Championships and the 1977 AAU Nationals
· Winning 800 meter time of 2:03.75 at the 1977 AAU Nationals still stands as a school record
· Member of six U.S. National Teams
· Ranked as the No. 1 miler in the United States in 1986
A pioneer in the 1970s for women’s sports, Sue Latter-Addison, a conference champion, All-American and former head coach, can now call herself a member of the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame.
As a standout at Clarkston High School in the early 1970s, Latter-Addison captured state titles in the 440-yard dash and 880-yard run at the first Michigan girls high school state meet as a junior in 1973. Since Clarkston did not have a girls track team, Latter-Addison trained with the boys team, allowed by an upheld ruling in the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in 1972 that gave high school girls the option to compete in varsity, non-contact sports with boys in Michigan. She moved to shorter distances her senior year, finishing second in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the Michigan state meet in 1974.
Originally set to attend Central Michigan, Latter-Addison arrived at MSU in the fall of 1974 after a Title IX ruling gave her the opportunity to run on the track team coached by MSU Athletics Hall of Famer Dr. Nell Jackson.
“Dr. Nell Jackson called and said, ‘Hey, we have a track program’ and I changed schools two to three months before coming. It was a different time. There was no recruiting,” remembered Latter-Addison
Under the direction of legendary MSU track & field coach Jim Bibbs, Latter-Addison found early success at MSU. As a freshman at the AIAW Championships in 1975, she placed sixth in the 440 and was a part of the Spartans’ medley relay team that finished second in the nation. With encouragement from Jackson and Bibbs, Latter-Addison moved up to 800 meters.
The move proved to be a good one. In the 1977 Big Ten Championships, she won the 440-yard and 880-yard titles and was part of the first-place mile relay, helping MSU to its first team title. Nationally, she would go on to finish third at the AIAW Championships in the 800. A week later, she won the 800 at the U.S. Track & Field Federation Championships. Her breakout moment, however, came still later that summer at AAU Nationals, where she captured the national title in the 800 in a time of 2:03.75, finishing ahead of two Olympians. That time still stands as the MSU record in the event nearly 50 years later.
“My junior year, when I got third at the AIAW Championships and then to top it off winning USA Nationals, was just sort of like a storybook thing,” said Latter-Addison. “It’s sort of unbelievable that you’re trying a new event for the first year and you end up winning. I hadn’t done it since high school.”
Latter-Addison’s win at the national championships gave her the opportunity to run on the world stage that season, qualifying for the World Cup held in Germany and competing in the World Student Games in Bulgaria.
She took that experience and posted another strong season in 1978. Serving as team captain, she won three Big Ten titles at the conference’s first indoor championship. Individually, she captured both the 400 and 800 crowns, while also running a leg on the winning 4x440 yard relay team. At the Big Ten Outdoor Championships later that spring, she took first in the 800, bringing her career total to seven Big Ten titles (five individual and two relays).
Latter-Addison was also a member of the women’s cross country team. While the 5,000 meter races were significantly longer than her signature track events, her drive and determination allowed her to make a positive contribution. During the 1978 season, she was often among the top scoring Spartans.
After graduation, Latter-Addison pursued a professional career in track & field and coached as a graduate assistant at MSU, completing her master’s degree in athletic administration in 1981. She moved to Eugene, Oregon, to train under Bill Bowerman and later was coached by Luis DeOliveira, running for Nike’s Athletics West team.
While running as a professional, Latter-Addison was a member of six U.S. national teams and was ranked as the No. 1 miler in the country in 1986. She qualified for two Olympic Trials in the 1,500-meter run in 1984 and 1988, narrowly missing the Olympic team in 1984 with a fourth-place finish.
“One thing I learned at Michigan State was tenacity,” said Latter-Addison. “I missed the Olympic team (in 1984) by three tenths of a second. I made a lot of national teams, but not that one. Even though I was probably depressed for a month, it helps you in your coaching because you realize you’re only as good as your last race. There’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs, there’s going to be injuries, but if you love the sport, you do it for more than just the wins.”
Latter-Addison ran professionally while working as the head women’s cross country and track & field coach at Brown and as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado, where she coached two All-Americans and four Big Eight champions. Her professional career came to an end while she coached at Florida State. Her daughters, Rebecca and Laura, were born in Tallahassee.
Latter-Addison later served as the head coach at Wheaton College in Chicago, where she was named the 1999 Division III Midwest Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. She also worked as an assistant coach at Hope College and at the high school level in West Michigan after returning to the state in 2000.
She credits Dr. Nell Jackson for her success as an athlete and a coach.
“I owe a lot to her (Dr. Nell Jackson),” said Latter-Addison. “She was at the forefront, especially being a black female athlete in her decade. She was quiet, unassuming, and led by example. With women’s athletics taking off at Michigan State and everywhere else, I do owe her a lot.”
Over 50 years after first arriving on campus, Latter-Addison will return this fall to join Jackson, Bibbs and several other legendary track & field athletes and coaches in the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
“I’m really excited about it,” said Latter-Addison. “It’s an honor to be in any college’s Hall of Fame, especially one like Michigan State’s. I never wanted to leave Michigan State.”
