University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Bertram Mott 1943 - Track and Field
Bertram Mott earned a spot in the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986 for his spectacular exploits in track and field - primarily in 1941 and 1942. Though he never competed in track and field on any level before he arrived at UVM, Mott would become UVM's second all-time points scorer accomplishing the feat in just two varsity seasons.
In 1941 - his sophomore year - Mott scored 82 points and became the Eastern champion in the 220-yard dash. In winning that race, in Worcester, Mass., Mott pulled off a stunning upset of a heavily favored runner, Ed Dugger of Tufts. Though a track neophyte, he handled five events for the Catamounts varsity. He was the top gun in the 220, the low and high hurdles (state record 15.8), the high jump, and the long (broad) jump.
He was so talented and dominant that the Vermont Cynic once referred to UVM's track team as the "Ver-Mott" squad. Even as a freshman, the Morristown, N.J., native showed signs of being a natural, winning each of his five specialties in three consecutive meets for several unheard-of 25-point efforts.
He was chosen captain his sophomore year -- only the second sophomore so honored. He wore the title well scoring 18 first-place finishes in just four spring meets, and he personally scored eight points for UVM at the New England Championships. In one of those meets, Mott picked up 21 points to lead Vermont over Trinity, taking four first and a third. That same year, he became the first UVM athlete since Hall of Famer Albert Gutterson (the 1912 Olympic long jump champion) to score at a national AAU track meet. Mott captured two places at the prestigious national competition.
He was also team captain as a junior, and he was chosen captain-elect for his senior year and elected to Boulder Society, UVM's senior men's honorary.
Mott, however, died unexpectedly in the fall of his senior year.
