Craig "Surgin" Virgin Has a Soft Spot In His Heart For Coach Groves

Steve Bratt sent along his saved listing of the finish of the 1975 NCAA Cross Country Championships.  That's the one hosted by PSU on the Blue Course.  Sort of a big day for Coach Groves, highlighting Penn State's resurgence as a running powerhouse.

This was the same event which featured a great duel between Craig Virgin and Nick Rose, with Craig taking the title with a big finish.

You'll notice that there was a top 5 finish for PSU with a great run by Paul Stemmer in 28:58!  In fact, Penn State finished 4th overall in the team standings.  Glancing through the results reveals some great names from the past littered throughout:

• Paul Cummings of Brigham Young in 7th  29:02
• David Merrick of Penn in 9th  29:05
• Herb Lindsay of Michigan State, 12th  29:10
• Tony Staynings of Western Kentucky, 13th  29:12
• John Treacy of Providence, 21st  29:19
• Bill Donakowski of Michigan, 23rd, 29:19
• Greg Meyer of Michigan, 29th  29:30
• Niall O'Shaughnessy of Arkansas, 38th  29:39
• Henry Marsh, Brigham Young, 77th  30:05
• Kenneth Wilson, Penn State, 80th  30:08
• George Christopher, Penn State, 125th 30:30 (PSU Marathon Record Holder)
• Craig Masback, Princeton,  143rd  30:40
• Walt Majak, Penn State, 144th  30:41 (fellow podiatrist and PCPM grad.)
• Ronald Secord, Penn State, 222nd, 31:28

Craig Virgin, Illinois and Nick Rose, Western Kentucky.

 I had the pleasure of speaking at length with Craig several years ago and he could not have been any nicer.  He was in the midst of his extensive rehab following his devastating head-on collision that ended his competitive running career.  He took to the rehab as hard as any workout he ever did.

When I related my PSU (shallow!) roots, he became quite animated and related that the 1975 NCAA XC race was one of his fondest running memories.  He really enjoyed his stay at the Nittany Lion Inn and marveled that he was able to wake up early for a shake out run after just crossing Atherton Street to the golf course.  Thank goodness he didn't sprain his ankle on the exposed roots!

But what he was most happy about was the reception that Coach Groves gave him during and after the race.  Craig related that in all the races he ran all over the world, the only one where he received a gift and hand-written letter afterward was from Coach Groves.  Craig framed the letter and has kept the Lion statuette that Coach sent him all these years. (I have lost mine BTW)  I'll keep trying to get Craig to attend a Coach Groves Golf Tourney as a surprise for Coach.