Spring 2006

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Passing the Baton Members of the record-setting 1977 track team raise funds

—Faye S. Wolfe

Coach Ken O’Brien, left, and Jim Hunt ’77 are right on track—the brand new UMass Amherst track—raising scholarship money for the men’s track & field and cross-country teams. (photo by Ben Barnhart) THE 1977 CROSS-COUNTRY AND TRACK & field season stands out: The team went to the IC4A cross-country championship and the NCAA championships. Ken O’Brien, the coach back then and still today, even now calls those athletes “the kids.” Now some of those “kids” are doing legwork again for UMass Amherst. In the last year they have raised funds—$550,000, with an ultimate fundraising goal of $1.5 million—to increase the scholarship endowment for the men’s cross-country and track & field teams. The catalyst was Michael Quinn’s induction into the George “Trigger” Burke UMass Hall of Fame in January 2005. Quinn was on the UMass cross-country and track & field teams from 1975 to 1979, setting records that still hold today. Back on campus for the ceremony, a group of the 1977 team members proposed the fundraising effort. Jim Hunt ’77, from that winning team, now a dentist in Amherst, has spearheaded the drive. “I got on the phone and called everyone I could think of,” he says, reeling off names: Tom Derderian, Peter Bloom ’78, Dave Lipinski ’78, Lou Panaccione ’80, Michael Morris ’80, Glenn Lyle ’80, Brady Meyer ’77, Randy Thomas ’75, Tom and Matt Wolff ’79 and ’78, Frank Carroll ’78, Bob Neil ’78, Jack Maloney ’74, John Scheer ’77…Some calls elicited large contributions, others more modest ones, and some, promises to give in the future. Hunt seems personally grateful for every positive response, evidence, he says, of close ties and fond memories. “Academically we did well; Ken encouraged strong study habits and helped us set priorities. We studied on the bus, got up before dawn to study when the dorm was quiet. We also had great parties! A lot of dancing, a lot of fun,” remembers Hunt. At the heart of the runners’ loyalty is O’Brien. Hunt says, “He really knew us individual athletes. He’d have what seemed like casual conversations with us after workouts. Later, I found out he kept notes, from which he designed workouts to bring out the best in each individual. I was a pre-dental student and my science labs sometimes went to four or five p.m., so I’d miss practice. Ken met me for lunchtime workouts. I was delighted when a few years ago, he coached my son’s Little League team—he instilled the same work ethic in the boys. Ken is one of the most respected track & field coaches in New England.” Hunt isn’t the only one who thinks so: The U.S. Track Coaches Association named O’Brien the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year three times. And for good reason—in the 38 seasons that Ken O’Brien has been head coach of the Minutemen track & field team, they have won 18 conference titles, four New England crowns, and two IC4A titles. The funds raised, O’Brien says, “will certainly contribute to the success of the team and the individual students on it, and that’s meaningful for former athletes and alums. They know the role that UMass Amherst played in their own development at a crucial point in their lives. What I also find exciting is seeing these alums reconnect with the campus. There’s a new excitement, a feeling of hands-on connection that’s very meaningful.” Some have come back to see the team compete on the new track facility, rekindling old friendships and passing the baton to the present generation of runners, in hopes that they will be the next source of support for their alma mater. Says Hunt of the alums, “Once people give, they start turning to the sports section of the paper and following the team. They feel, ‘the team belongs to me—they’d better keep winning!’” To contribute to the track & field and cross-country scholarship fund, contact Garrett Waller at the Athletic Advancement Office, 413-545-4290, or by e-mail, gwaller@admin.umass.edu.

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