The day John Lucas finished 11th in the 1952 Olympic Trials in the 10,000 M was a momentous occasion. Not making the team, (with Group idol Horace Ashenfelter III !), made him devote his life to researching and documenting the Modern Olympic Games. The love affair has continued ever since, leading to his attaining the highest honor given by the IOC, the Olympic Order Gold Medal.
Dr. Lucas has been a honored professor of Kinesiology, winning many Teacher of the Year Awards, as well as the Cross-Country and Track Coach from 1962-1968. He was replaced by Coach Harry Groves after he decided to pursue his Olympics documentation more completely. That year, a certain Freshman began his tenure at PSU, recruited by Dr. Lucas. Coach Groves admits he wouldn't have bothered with the skinny kid from near Reading, with him being "way too slow". He was stuck with him anyway, and the rest is Olympic History....
Dr. Lucas is shown above showing Walt Chadwick, another Historian, his extensive Olympic Chronicles, the largest in the world outside the Official IOC Archives.
I had three classes by Dr. Lucas -- the best (and most entertaining) of my entire PSU career!
ReplyDeleteI had Coach Groves for "Fitness and Games" twice. Against the rules somehow, but I did love the floor hockey.
ReplyDeleteMy first memory of Coach John Lucas was the day he came out to East Halls in the spring of 1967 for an open entry cross country event for any of us in the dorms who thought we could run. Near the end of my sophomore year, I read Dr. Cooper's book, "Aerobics" and decided that I needed to get back in shape, so I signed up for my first of many P.C [physical conditioning] classes with Coach Lucas. During that time I ran my first marathon [Pikes Peak] and also finished the 1968 Olympic Trials Marathon in Alamosa. I have continued to run marathons since then [my most recent being when I turned 60]. Coach Lucas's example has been an inspiration to me ever since those undergraduate days. I can still see him running laps around the Rec Hall track while eating an apple on his lunch hour.
ReplyDeleteJoe Head
Class of 1970
B.S. Geological Sciences
Thanks for the comment. I'd love to hear more from your marathon career. You were doing this before the running boom, which puts you in rare territory. Interesting times (Buddy Edelen, Amby Burfoot ...)
ReplyDeleteDavid, I just noticed your question [only years after the fact]. I hope you have gotten some of your answers with the more recent info I have sent your way. thanks again for the two blog posts featuring me. I definitely feel honored by the 'late in life' attention. I certainly came to Penn State at the right time and crossed paths with the right people to point me in the direction of life long fitness. I'm just glad that I enjoy running more than any other form of exercise.
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