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At exactly 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 8, 2003 I realized what it means to be a coach. The
emotion was an odd sensation, familiar yet distant. It was my first year coaching, I was awaiting the start of the IHSA state cross country meet, and the gray clouds, hooded sweatshirts and wet leaves at Detweiller Park made the day the quintessence of cross country, so in retrospect it was an ideal moment to learn the lesson. But the setting had nothing to do with my epiphany. My team was striding out in front of the starting line while I nervously awaited the start of my first state meet as a coach. While I was taking in the moment I suddenly felt an arm wrap around my shoulders. It was Coach Struck. He was getting ready to attend to the finish line as a meet referee. He understood the
shoes I was wearing from his own years of coaching. He gave me a smile and said, “Enjoy the moment. I’m proud of you.” What was odd about the moment was that it was at once new yet strangely familiar. I couldn’t pinpoint its familiarity. Soon enough I realized what the feeling was, and I knew hadn’t felt it since I was 18 years. That was the year my dad died and that was the last time I felt the arm of a father around my shoulders.
Yet, there it was—that feeling of caring, decency and pride that a father gives his son. That was when I learned what it means to be a coach. Coach Struck was not a replacement for a father, but he played the role, just like he played the role of friend, teacher, mentor, tutor, lawyer, doctor or whatever role the moment called for in each athlete’s life. I knew at that moment that a coach is about being there in the role that the athlete needs. In some cases, this meant being a dad. And for me at that moment, I fully realized the significance of Pete’s role in my life.
Exactly 40 years ago Pete began coaching track and cross country and with only a couple years off he has been coaching ever since. In all, Pete has spent 44 seasons coaching boys cross country and track and field athletes. During that time he had numerous state qualifiers and all-state athletes. When he left Rich East High School in 1986, the program was better off due to his contribution. After
arriving at Sandburg High School in 1987, his presence was immediately felt. Numbers for the program increased and athletes began qualifying for the state meet. Pete qualified seven teams to the IHSA State Cross Country meet, won six Regional Cross Country titles, and coached eleven All-State performances. Many of his athletes led successful collegiate careers as well. Three of his athletes later qualified for the NCAA National Cross Country Championships.
Most significantly, Pete’s coaching tree is Sequoia-sized. Just to name a few of his former athletes: Brian O’Donnell is the head coach of Crete-Monee boys track and cross country teams. His track teams have been some of the most successful, recently placing 7th in 2011 AAA and 5th in 2010 AA. Brian’s foundation began under Pete’s coaching in the 90’s. John Sipple is head coach of one of the most recurrently state level programs, Downers Grove North, for boys track and cross country. Kevin Carey, who Pete coached at Rich East, was the head Sandburg cross country and track coach from 1989-1994. Jeff Boele coached at Greenville College in southern Illinois for several years and now coaches at Colorado powerhouse Lyons High School. Jeff has been featured on the Disney Channel for coaching the soon-to-be high school phenom, Paul Roberts, who was the 2012 Colorado state champion as a freshman. Kevin Fahey, an all-state athlete under Struck’s direction, coached track at Plainfield. Jeremy Borling, another of Struck’s all-state athletes and NCAA All-American, is currently the communications manager and elite athlete coordinator for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle. I was lucky enough to take over at Sandburg High School upon Pete’s retirement and have been there as the head cross country and assistant track coach since 2003.
The willingness of his athletes’ continued involvement illustrates their love of the sport. This love was instilled in their positive high school experiences and the enthusiasm that Pete inspired in his athletes. Struck’s passion for the sport is also evident in his own lasting commitment after retirement. He continues to mentor coaches, is an IHSA official starter, he completed the 2004 and 2005 Chicago Marathons, and he continues coaching at Carl Sandburg High School. He has worked the state meet for cross country and track every year and every state meet since his retirement from teaching. Most recently, he was the head referee at the 2011 IHSA State Cross Country meet.
But the true explanation for why Pete Struck should be nominated for the ITCCCA Hall of Fame cannot be found on paper, nor will his true influence appear on the coaching records, the state qualifiers, the team trophies, or any other material item, although he does have an impressive record. If you want to know why Pete should be considered for the Hall of Fame you must listen to his athletes. There you will find what it means when he visited an athlete in the hospital after he sprained his ankle in a school basketball game, you will find what a pat on the back meant after someone fell short of his goals, you will see how he tutored athletes before school, and you will understand the power of his presence when an athlete experienced a death in the family. He is much more than a coach to his athletes. Pete’s athletes all know that he sincerely cares about
them. He asks the best from his athletes and gives his best in return. He shows his athletes what passion means. Pete teaches his athletes how to become better runners, and more importantly, in his presence they learn the meaning of dignity, class, work ethic, and compassion. In a world of shortcuts, Pete stresses what he continually refers to as “the journey.” He shows his runners that hard work is worth the effort. Indeed, there are no state championship trophies gathering dust in the Sandburg or Rich East hallways. Instead, there is something that does not gather dust—there are the living values that Pete taught his athletes. I know firsthand the strength of his values. Thirteen years after being coached by him the power of his lessons are still entrenched in my character.
Pete Struck embodies everything that is good about IHSA, ITCCCA, and sports. He facilitates excellence, he calls for hard work, and he demands character. He has a faith in simple dreams and an insistence on small miracles. He is a man who gave 44 seasons of morning and afternoon practices, late nights sorting workouts and meet results, short weekends, and countless hours of passion and hard work. Pete is a man full of humility who never asks for recognition, which is exactly why he deserves it. Please consider Pete Struck for your esteemed Hall of Fame.