M. "Newton's law.(interview with legendary cross-country team coach Joe Newton)(Cover Story)." Coach and Athletic Director. Scholastic, Inc. 1999. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54895521.html
Give them something to love and commit to, and they will achieve.
Green may be the word that best describes the youngsters that Joe Newton recruits every year for his cross-country team at York High School in Elmhurst, IL.
But by the time he has finished teaching, motivating, and bonding with
them, they will have become part of the legendary Long Green Line that
has won 18 national championships, 19 state titles, and 113 conference
titles in the 42 years that the little man with the elfish grin has
been coaching them.
Joe Newton is everything that a coaching legend should be: warm, caring, idealistic, tireless, driving, and giving.
COACH: At what age and under what circumstances did you first get interested in track?
NEWTON:
I remember running at the YMCA on the South Side of Chicago at a very
early age. I won the Chicago Sun-Times' 50-yard dash when I was 11
years old, it was 1940, and I got my picture in the paper. My socks
went up to my knees and I wore these big old tennis shoes. I was hooked
for life.
Because of my speed I gravitated towards track
and enjoyed a lot of success at the YMCA, Parker H.S. in Chicago, and
then at Northwestern. I ran competitively for 16 years up through
college.
I earned 11 letters at Parker playing baseball,
basketball, track, tennis and swimming. In the spring I'd run track,
then play baseball the next day, and the day after I might play tennis.
I think my 11 letters at Parker - now Robeson - is still a record.
COACH: Who would you say was the coach who sparked your interest in the sport?
NEWTON:
Rut Walter, my freshman coach at Northwestern, was a major influence.
He moved to Wisconsin just after I graduated and won a bunch of Big 10
championships.
Mr. Henderson was a wonderful gentleman who
taught gym at the YMCA and he took a personal interest in me. Because
of my speed I fell in love with track. When I got older, I found out I
wasn't as fast as I thought I was. Mr. Henderson was like a second
father to all the kids at the Y. He took a great interest in our lives,
encouraged us to do the right thing, and I just bonded with him.
He taught me the importance of getting along with other kids and that
everyone had to be treated a little differently. A coach needs to care
for his athletes and take an interest in their lives before they will
make a commitment to work hard. If athletes don't care, they won't work
hard.
COACH: What events at Northwestern did you specialize in?
NEWTON:
I ran the 100- and 220-yard dashes and competed in the long jump. My
best times as Northwestern's number three sprinter were a 9.8 in the
100 and a 21.4 in the 220. My best long jump was a very modest 22-10.
I was never a big star, but I worked hard. By the age of six, I knew
that I wanted to coach and I became very observant at practice.
Coaching also gave me an appreciation for the little guy, especially
since I was never a big star. Big stars are not always good coaches, as
their talent often came so easily. I have always taken great pride in
my little guys because I know how they feel.
The
competition level at Northwestern shocked me. I had been a high school
star and I knew I had to adjust to a new role. I ran the relays, made
good friends, and had a lot of fun - a valuable experience for a
prospective coach. High school kids have no idea what they want to be,
but I knew at a very early age.
COACH: What did you major in at college?
NEWTON: I majored in physical education and minored in history and math and later earned a master's degree in education.
COACH: Did you do anything special to prepare for coaching? Take
special courses - go to clinics, confer with successful coaches?
NEWTON: The Phys Ed majors at Northwestern had to take very basic coaching courses.
After college I got drafted into the Korean War and ended up at Fort
Leonard Wood where I became the head track and basketball coach. Good
fortune smiled at me. I had three Olympians to coach and I intently
watched their workouts.
Phil Coleman was a distance runner
who later ran for the Chicago Track Club and competed in the
steeplechase in two Olympics; Ted Wheeler ran for Iowa and made the
Olympics in the 1500; and the third star was a high jumper whose name
escapes me.
COACH: Where did you begin your coaching career and how did it come about?
NEWTON:
Before leaving Leonard Wood, I called Northwestern's placement bureau
and they sent me some job postings. I applied for a teaching job at
Waterman, a K-12 school just outside of DeKalb. There were about 75
applicants.
The principal at Waterman turned out to be a
Northwestern graduate. When he saw my credentials, I went to the top of
the pile. The job was wonderful because in addition to being the A.D.,
I coached baseball, cross-country, and basketball in the fall, and
track and intramural volleyball in the spring.
Two years
later I read in the Chicago Daily News that Charlie East, York's A.D.
and track coach for 40 years, was retiring. I was one of the 125
candidates who applied for the job.
Ray Hosteland, York's
personnel director, was also a Northwestern graduate. He called me for
an interview and I got the job. That's why I love Northwestern. The
only two jobs I've ever had were a direct result of going there!
COACH: What was the inspiring force at this early stage in your career?
NEWTON:
My first goal was to win a dual meet, as York's cross-country program
had not won a state title since 1939 and needed a spark. After winning
some dual meets, my next goals were to win conference titles, earn a
trip to the state meet, then win a state title.
It scares
me when I look back after all these years and count 19 state
cross-country titles, 18 national championships, and about 230
conference titles in cross-country and track!
COACH: How did your philosophy come together? Was there any special coach you modeled yourself after?
NEWTON:
I really loved my high school basketball coach, Eddie O'Farrell.
Basketball was my favorite sport, but I couldn't shoot and I was only
5-7. He had charisma, was a tough Irishman from the South Side, and he
got the most out of guys.
I never heard a bad word said
about him in all the years leading up to his death in 1978. He was
tough and demanding but his teams were well-disciplined. I think kids
really seek that. They are looking for someone to put the hammer on
them. But it has to be positive motivation, not the negative type.
My primary concern as a high school coach is not worrying about sending
guys to college, the Olympic Games, or training them for 30 years down
the road. My job, and I get a lot of flak over working my kids hard, is
to get the most out of the ability the good lord gave them at that
moment in their lives.
People wonder how I can be
satisfied with kids running two miles in 12 minutes. How are they going
to run in college with that kind of timing? I can't wait for an 8:40
guy. I might have to wait a lifetime. I have to work with the guys I
get. We're a public school and can't recruit. We have to take the guys
that walk in the door.
The Europeans can take a
nine-year-old and work him up the ladder. In America, there is no real
continuity. My main function is to get the most out of each boy's
ability while he's in high school and make sure he has a good time.
COACH: Did you ever arrive at a stage in your career when you realized
that you were very good at what you were doing and probably had a big
future in it?
NEWTON: I knew I had something special going in 1962 when we won our first state title.
My special thing, I believe, is bonding with my athletes. When they
know I care, they will do what it takes to become successful. I learned
that early on. You can be demanding and tough, but you have to be fair
and caring.
I believe in yelling at the kids when they do
something wrong and complimenting them when they do something right. A
lot of coaches just yell all the time. Other coaches only compliment.
If I get on a guy in practice, I will always praise him before he
leaves practice - let him know I am trying to make him better.
I use a little yelling and a little sweetness and try to combine the
two. The kids definitely know I care about them. Now they'll listen. I
am not trying to demean their character, I'm just trying to make them a
better runner and person.
COACH: What track coaches have you looked up to over the years?
NEWTON:
Sam Bell, former track coach at Indiana, took me under his wing 30
years ago. He's been a wonderful friend and helped me land some
international coaching jobs.
Roy Griak, the former track coach at Minnesota, has also been a very influential figure in my life.
COACH: Is there any specific way in which you work at motivating your teams?
NEWTON:
I think the coach has to lead by example. I am 70 years old, but I work
out constantly and weigh 157, only five pounds higher than it was in my
Northwestern days.
Kids need to feel their coach is
committed to working out, which I do six days a week. I still like to
feel the pain, to understand what the kids are going through. You can't
experience their pain if you are far removed from it.
I
once ran every day over a period of 21 years and 24 days, until I hurt
my knee and had it operated on. I haven't been able to run since then
(1994), but I ride a bike and swim to stay in shape.
I've
seen coaches smoke in front of their kids, but I want to lead by
example. If I expect them to work hard, they have to know that I'm
willing to work hard and make some sacrifices. They have to buy into my
lifestyle.
COACH: What do you believe is the outstanding characteristic of your championship team?
NEWTON:
We've only had three or four superstars since I've been here. Our teams
are noted for blue-collar guys that are well disciplined, are
over-achievers and work their butts off. They get the job done and know
how to win and finish a race.
We have great team
camaraderie and bonding; it's almost like a family. I make a freshman
earn his track suit and when he graduates he doesn't want to give it
back. He loves that green and white so much he wants to take it with
him forever.
You have to understand that track is the
least glamorous of the spring sports and is really no fun. That is why
I'm constantly recruiting and motivating kids who don't know anything
about the sport to come out and try it. If I didn't recruit these raw
beginners, I'd never have a good team.
When I get them I keep them. Every year we have 130-140 athletes in both cross-country and track.
COACH: How do you account for the fact that the United States hasn't
produced a sub-four-minute miler over the last 35 years? Does it
indicate a breakdown in coaching or athletic psyche?
NEWTON:
It's the American lifestyle; we're soft. Running is a way of life in
other countries, which is why we'll never catch up. For instance, the
Kenyans live at 7,500 altitude, have no cars and run everywhere.
They're running 30 miles a day! It's a lifestyle. Can you imagine
telling an American to run 30 miles a day every day! We drive our cars
50 yards to get a bottle of milk. Until we can redesign our lifestyle,
nothing will change.
Plus, American athletes can make
millions of dollars playing other sports, so why go out for track?
There are only 12 guys in track making all the money. Everybody else is
struggling. We have too many other things going on in this country.
In many European and Third World countries, there are two sports:
soccer and track. That's all they know. They walk and run to school
with their buddies. When it rains at York, we have 30% absenteeism. The
kids can't get rides to school or won't walk in the rain.
I don't think the problem is a coaching breakdown, it's a breakdown in
lifestyle - in getting great athletes interested in track. If you're
going to run 30 miles a week and the Kenyans are running 30 miles a
day, how are you going to beat them?
Reviving track in the US is too big a problem for Joe Newton.
The sport must be marketed better. We must get it on TV and develop a
national coach. We don't have heroes in track anymore. When Frank
Shorter won the 1972 Olympic marathon, Americans starting running
marathons.
COACH: How would you go about building a track tradition in a high school?
NEWTON:
You have to be a good recruiter, very enthusiastic, have a tremendous
work ethic, and have an understanding partner. Your spouse must
understand how much time goes into starting and maintaining a quality
program.
Once you get a program rolling, you must stay
with it every day, put in the time. I come to York at 5:00 a.m.
everyday and get home at 7:00 p.m., but I love it. You have to have the
passion.
THE NEWTONIAN PRINCIPLES
* Nothing is more common than losers with talent.
* Success is never final and failure is never fatal.
* When we lose, we all lose.
* Wherever we go to dwell, our character goes with us.
M. "A Newton cookie ...(cross-country coach Joe Newton)(Brief Article)." Coach and Athletic Director. Scholastic, Inc. 2005. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-130570565.html
Every time we hear or see the word "cross-country," a man named "Joe Newton"
springs instantly to mind. We first heard about him in the 70's when
Sports Illustrated hailed him as the best cross-country coach on the
planet.
He was only a high school coach in Oak Brook, IL,
but he was piling up wins the way the Yankees used to do before
succumbing to the Curse of Ramirez.
From 1962 to 1992, Newton's
teams won 17 state titles, 16 national championships, and a total of
1,650 victories in dual meets (a 92% winning record).
In 1988, Newton became the first high school coach ever to work with an Olympic track and field team.
Somewhere in all that time, we exchanged a couple of phone calls with
him and lapsed into a mutual admiration society. He told us he was
crazy and we agreed with him. But it was lovable craziness.
Following is his lucid answer to a question about his coaching system:
"You've got to know your athletes, whom to pat on the back and whom to
yell at. Every kid is different and you have to learn how to motivate
him. That's the big secret.
"I make it a point at every
practice to call out the name of every kid on the team and to shake his
hand: Isn't that right, Jackie? What do you think, Willie?"
"We let everyone know that we exist for them.
"Society can change and people can change, but truth is truth and courage is courage.
"Maybe I'm whacky and out of date, but as long as my athletes know I'm sincere, they'll put up with me."