Legendary Penn State track & field, cross country coach Harry Groves dies at the age of 89
Longtime Penn State cross country and track & field coach Harry Groves — a five-time National Coach of the Year whose legendary career spanned 53 years — died Sunday at the age of 89.
The cause was not immediately made public. The funeral services are pending, according to the university.
Groves oversaw the Nittany Lions’ program for 38 years, taking over in 1968 and retiring in 2006. During that time, he remained among the most-decorated coaches in his profession.
The award for Mid-Atlantic Region Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year bears his name, from the USTFCCCA. According to that organization, he coached 11 American record holders, 21 national champions, 14 Olympians and 227 All-Americans.
He was also named Regional Coach of the Year 26 times. And the annual Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational cross country meet, hosted by Penn State, also bears his name.
“Coach Groves was instrumental in the growth of not only Penn State track & field and cross country but the growth of our sport across the world,” current Penn State coach Jon Gondak said in a written statement. “He impacted countless lives of student-athletes for over 50 years, 38 of those spent in Happy Valley.
“Coach’s influence will always be felt by me, personally, as well as the Penn State track & field/cross country family. His dedication to Penn State and our sport was inspiring, and we cannot say thank you enough. Coach Groves will be deeply missed.”
Groves’ coaching career started in 1953 when he spent two seasons at Fort Eustis, Virginia. From there, he moved on to William & Mary, where he was an assistant from 1955-1956 and head coach from 1956-1968. And then came Penn State, where his impact was most felt at the college level.
But that doesn’t mean Happy Valley was the only place the former Temple middle-distance runner made a difference. He also helped coach a number of nationally recognized Olympians.
In a 2008 Centre Daily Times article, the coach recounted one of his more memorable Olympic anecdotes. When he was an assistant coach, in 1992, he literally stole one of the suitcases of Andrew Valmon, who wanted to return home because he felt he wouldn’t make the final cut with the 1,600-meter relay team.
Rather than rouse him with a stirring speech, Groves was more practical. Valmon was forced to stay overnight, then reconsidered, stayed in Barcelona — and won a gold medal.
“I wasn’t going to let him go home,” Groves told the CDT in 2008. “To this day, he thanks me.”
Another time, renowned athletes Carl Lewis and Dennis Mitchell both wanted to anchor the 400-meter relay squad, and constant bickering continued between the two. Eventually, Groves urged head coach Mel Rosen to “make the call.”
He did. Lewis was the anchor.
“Anyway, it turned out we not only won it, we broke the world record,” Groves recounted 12 years ago. “And those who guys had been fighting like cats and dogs were hugging each other all over the place.”
Groves finished his coaching career with 899 wins and an .836 winning percentage, and he was inducted into the USTCA Hall of Fame in 2001. Some of the highlights to his towering resume include the fact he’s been on the selection committee for the Olympics since 1996, he coached 11 international teams, he had 22 individual Big Ten champs since 1991, and he’s also a member of William & Mary’s Hall of Fame.
“His tireless commitment to growing the sport of cross country and track & field will not be forgotten,” Penn State Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said in a news release. “... He impacted the lives of so many student-athletes, community members and USA Track & Field participants throughout his career, and his legacy will carry on through his influence on the sport.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 12:43 PM.
