Roy Griak

Roy Griak (1923-2015) lived a long life. He passed away on Thursday, July 9, 2015 in his home. He accomplished many different things throughout the 92 years of his life including, serving in the military, specifically the army, earning his degree, and eventually went on to coach at the high school level and the the collegiate level.

Personal life

Roy Griak grew up in Duluth, Minnesota where he attended elementary school at Stowe Elementary School and high school at Morgan Park High School. He worked as a paper boy for the News Tribune while in middle school and high school. He was also an athlete on the basketball team as well as ran on the track and field team at Morgan Park High School since they did not have a cross country team at that time. He set the school's 800 meter or half mile record that remained under his name until the school closed down. After earning his high school degree and graduating from Morgan Park High School, he decided to join the military. Always supporting military he joined the U.S. Army. He then was deployed where he served his country proudly in the U.S. Army Infantry. He served during World War II for two years (1944-1946) in the South Pacific[1]. Once he was done serving in the military he moved home to what he called "paradise." He then attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1946 where he studied education. Two years later he transferred to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. While a student at the University of Minnesota, he ran on the cross country and track and field teams as a division one athlete. He earned letters in both cross country and track and field. He graduated in 1940 with a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.He eventually married his love, Kay Richardson and had two sons, Seth and Jason who gave him three grandchildren. Roy Griak always stayed physically fit, even until his later years in life. His work out consisted of 80 sit-ups, 15 minutes of stationary bicycle riding, 100 barbell curls with 20 pounds, and 100 two-handed press lifts with 20 pounds[2]. He eventually needed oxygen to assist his breathing and after turning 92 years old, he passed away in his plymouth home surrounded by his family in 2015.

Career

In 1950, Roy Griak started his first teaching and coaching job at Nicollet High School, in Nicollet, Minnesota. He coached a total of five sports while working at Nicollet High School. After a year, he worked at Mankato Public Schools and eventually St. Louis Park High School. While working at St. Louis Park High School from 1952-1963, his cross country team won two state titles in 1955, and 1961. His track and field team won three state titles in 1958, 1962, and 1963. In the year of 1963, Roy Griak earned himself a job as a coach for the University of Minnesota's mens cross country and track and field teams. He led the Golden Gophers for 33 years (1963-1996). After coaching the mens cross country and track and field teams, he work as an administrative assistant until the time of his death. He celebrated his 50th year of working with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2013. In total he spend 52 years working for the University of Minnesota.

Roy Griak led his cross country teams to Big Ten conference titles in 1964 and 1969. In 1968, his cross country team placed second in the Big Ten conference meet and ended up placing fourth in the NCAA finals for cross country. In 1968, he also led his mens track and field team to a Big Ten conference championship. In total, he coached 59 cross country and track and field All-Americans, which included three NCAA Division I champions, and 61 Big Ten individual conference titles during his time at the University of Minnesota[3]. The national champions that Roy Griak coached included Gary Bjorcklund in 1971, Ron Backes in 1986, Martin Erickson in 1993, Vesa Rantanen in 1998, and Luca Weiland in 2015. Even though he was no longer a coach at the University of Minnesota when Vesa Rantanen and Luca Weiland were named national champions, he helped in assistance with the head coach Steve Plasencia. Gary Bjorcklun went on the run in the Olympic Games.

Roy Griak was part of over ten different coaching staffs for U.S. international teams. These teams included the 1972 U.S. Olympic team in Munich, and head manager of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic track and field teams. In 1993, Roy Griak was inducted into the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame. In 1996, Griak was inducted to the University of Minnesota "M" Club Hall of Fame. Then finally in 2001, Griak was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The University of Minnesota honored coach Roy Griak in 1996 by naming the the nation's largest annual cross country meet after him. The Roy Griak cross country meet is for both college and high school cross country runners and takes place at the university's Les Bolstads Golf Course in Falcon Heights. He left a major impact on the University of Minnesota from all the time he spend coaching and working at the institution.

References

1. "Roy Griak." Star Tribune. Star Tribune, 11 July 2015. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
2. "Longtime Gophers Track and Field Coach Griak Dies at 91." Duluth News Tribune. Duluth News Tribune & Forum Communications Company, 10 July 2015. Web. 8 Apr. 2016. *
3. Shryack, Lincoln. "Remembering Minnesota Legend Roy Griak." FloTrack. Flotrack Sports, 15 July 2015. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.