Roy Griak
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Roy Griak (October 5, 1923-July 9, 2015) is a National Track and Field Hall of Fame cross country and Track and Field coach (inducted in 2001).[1] He was the head cross country and Track and Field coach at the University of Minnesota from 1963-1996.
Early Life
Griak was born in Montana but raised in Duluth, Minnesota. He served three years in the Army Infantry during World War II. After the war, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota ran for Coach Jim Kelly. He was a letter-winner in both Cross-Country and Track and Field.[2] Griak earned his bachelor's degree in education and later also obtained his master's degree.
Career
Griak taught at Nicolett High School and Mankato Public Schools.[1] Those jobs led him to St. Louis Park High School where he continued teaching and took on his first coaching position.
In 1962, Coach Kelly retired from the University of Minnesota and Griak filled his vacancy, taking a pay cut from $12,000 to $8,500. He spent 33 years being the head coach, continued for 19 years of being an assistant coach, and helped many students and runners accomplish their goals. On July 9, 2015 Roy Griak passed away at the age of 91.[3] Gophers athletics director Norwood Teague said in a statement that "Roy went to Minnesota, coached here for more than 30 years, worked here for more than 50 years and impacted more lives than almost anybody in the history of athletic department."[4]
Coaching Accomplishments
- 10 years, St. Louis Park High School
- 33 years, head coach, University of Minnesota
- 19 years, assistant coach, University of Minnesota
- Big Ten Conference Cross-Country titles in 1964 and 1969,and runners-up in 1968
- Fourth place finish at NCAA cross-country finals
- Big Ten Conference Conference title, 1968
- Coached 47 Cross-Country and Track and Field All-American athletes, including three NCAA Champions and 60 Big Ten individual champions.[3]
Other Accomplishments
- Roy Griak co-founded the Twin Cities Race for the Cure, which over the years, has raised millions of dollars towards breast cancer research.[3]
- Over his time coaching at the U of M, Griak raised more than two million dollars for the Gopher Cross-Crountry and Track and Field teams.[3]
Roy Griak Invitational
The Roy Griak Invitational was named in his honor and has become one of the nations largest Cross-Country events. Today it is one of the largest and most exciting meet for athletes to participate in. Each Cross-Country season the Roy Griak holds six collegiate races (Division I-III) and four high school races (varsity and junior varsity) totaling up to over 4,000 runners[2].
References
- ^ a b "GOPHERSPORTS.COM Roy Griak Bio :: University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site :: Men's Cross Country". www.gophersports.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
- ^ a b "A Truly Golden Gopher". www.gophersports.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
- ^ a b c d "Roy Griak, longtime Gophers track and field coach, dies at 91". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
- ^ "Roy Griak, former Gophers cross country and track coach, die..." West Central Tribune. Retrieved 2016-04-08.