Three First Meetings of Coach Groves

I have told this story once before, but here it is again...

First:  Me

When I finally decided that I wasn't going to the Division III route following several college visits after my State 2-Mile victory (Kutztown, Millersville among them) I was tasked with trying to walk on at PSU.  Every one in my family went there and I was quite familiar with everything about the school, ...except maybe Coach Groves. My only advice in this regard was "be careful" from a high school coach who had met him.

 When a friend was making a trip to State College, I hitched a ride (I didn't even have a license at the time!) and found my way to his office in Rec Hall.  He greeted me in his usual style (still til this day) and at least knew who I was.  When I finally asked if I could walk on, he asked "How much are you running right now?"  When I confidently answered "70 to 80 miles/week" (I can back that up BTW), he answered back  "that may not be enough".  He insinuated that I could join the team, but had a lot of work ahead of me.  I did do quite a bit of running from that day in June 1977 until I showed up at his office again in August.  It scared me straight and I credit that with becoming the 7th man for my first 2 meets as a Freshman (Bob Snyder was hurt!).  All in all, not a bad first meeting of Coach!

Second:  Gunny

I had the opportunity to speak with Roger "Gunny" Roll during the Womens race this past weekend.  I figured it was about time I thanked him for his service to the Nation AND his service to Coach Groves over the years. 

I also had the opportunity to ask him how they first met. Gunny was coaching the Quantico Marine team and ran into Coach at a meet in the mid-70's. Coach had once started and coached an Army team before heading to William and Mary and PSU.  Gunny's parting words following that first meeting were prophetic and were something to the effect of "I think we'll be seeing each other again."

And a short time later he was given his orders to travel to Happy Valley to head the PSU ROTC program.  The friendship between Coach and him has only gotten stronger every day since.  Any of us who ran with Gunny back in the day knows what a tough and honorable man he is.

Third:  Greg Fredericks

Greg was actually recruited by Coach John Lucas when Coach Groves took over the program in 1968.  I don't think Greg had ever met him and probably knew less about him than I did when we first met.  Coach actually has said he would not have recruited Greg.  Because he was way too slow!

 Greg arrived in University Park with a single suitcase on a Saturday evening and plopped his things down in the middle of his dorm room and waited for his roommate to arrive.  Greg is the kind of man who would wait to let his roommate pick his bed first!  There aren't many of them left in the word, to say the least.  I told him that today, the first into the dorm room probably takes both beds and tells the tardy roommate that he must sleep on the floor.  But I digress...

Seeing as it was late on Saturday, the two of them had their first dorm meal and called it a night.  They awoke early Sunday and attended church together, and used the rest of the day to look around campus and try not to get scared, I suppose.

Early Monday morning, both of them made their way to Rec Hall to check in and meet Coach for the first time.  In typical Coach Groves fashion, he bawled them out for not checking in on Saturday night or Sunday morning.   Greg isn't quite sure, but relates that 4-letter words were probably used.

Any other first meeting stories out there?