Matt Centrowitz named director of XC/track & field at Manhattan College

I find it funny how Manhattan College and MC track alum loves to claim this guy but he ran for them 1 year before bailing on them and heading west. If he was such a NY/Manhattan College man then why not stay and try to be the base to build the program into a national power.

Big question what will last longer his time as a runner at Manhattan College or his time as a coach

What’s happened to American distance running is that the martinet coaching mindset has begun to die out. As a result, we’ve seen an enormous improvement in performance.

Good coaching is much more than just telling athletes they’re weak pieces of sh!t; a good coach works hard across the board, treats people like human beings, and applies sound scientific principles to elicit the best performances from every one of their charges.

Creating a “culture of fear” may work short term for “improving” athletes’ performances, but in the long term, the result was that American had a high athlete attrition rate (whether through transferring or quitting) that were a direct result of the culture that was established. It’s hard to have a successful team when you have a high attrition rate coupled with low roster numbers.

Verbal abuse daily. Assault on occasion. Financial improprieties. Recruiting oddietes. Running injured athletes.

I will not divulge stories on a message board as they may be personally identifiable. If there are any journalists reading this thread, my message to you is go digging, there is gold underneath these hills.

Consider the Source wrote:

Would never claim that Centro is a saint, but despite his many flaws, the man can certainly coach.

Let’s all just realize that anything written by Kevin Tschirhart, world class bozo that he is, must be taken with a grain of salt. Don’t believe me? Ask his teammates at both AU and UVA or either of the coaches. Vig kicked him off the team! Or just go check his social media. What a turkey.

And who are you to be ripping Tschirhart apart? What is your name? Easy to single him out and hide your name. Kevin is far from a bozo. He is an intelligent, successful and engaging young man. His experience at American with Centro was negative and abusive. I told Centro when he was recruiting him that his in your face, cursing people out, style wouldn't fly with Kevin, as it shouldn't. Despite Kevin being the frosh of the year in the League, and possibly the region during XC, (can't recall) and winning the collegiate mile at the Armory Invite, he was called weak, a wimp, and several other choice words and publicly embarrassed by him. It was even done in front of a family member. Kevin gave all he had and was successful in his short stint but as with most people under Centro, he had enough of his negativity. Typically, Centro still tries to blame me after 12 years, for Kevin leaving. A total falsehood. His ego couldn't accept that he is just intolerable as a person.

Kevin would be the first to tell you he would do some things over at UVA but one of them isn't his relationship with Viggiano or whatever his name is. The fact that Kevin didnt get along with him says good things about him. Please don't hold that coach up as a model of character or virtue.

You seem to have some issues with Tschirhart after all these years. Let it go.

Kevin's HS coach

TShirt would have been a beast if he stuck it out under Centro. Instead, he went to another program and had issues with teammates and coaches there as well.

You seem mad.

Little known fact: I am a HUGE track and cross country fan.

Well known fact: I am an award-winning journalist.

Let’s meet at the Tombs Tuesday night and discuss what “gold lies in those hills.”

I am not sure there will be more than ten, maybe a dozen, folks interested in hearing about the verbal abuse from a small school track coach. But let’s find out!!!

TShirtTime wrote:

TShirt would have been a beast if he stuck it out under Centro. Instead, he went to another program and had issues with teammates and coaches there as well.

Discrediting the character of the abused is straight from the abuser's handbook.

Who is Kevin Tschirhart?

I finished fourth at FLL’s in 2000 behind Ritz, Hall and Webb.

Shouldn’t this thread be about me?

kieth washington wrote:

I find it funny how Manhattan College and MC track alum loves to claim this guy but he ran for them 1 year before bailing on them and heading west. If he was such a NY/Manhattan College man then why not stay and try to be the base to build the program into a national power.

Already won an NCAA indoor champs.

Mission accomplished

let's talk about this wrote:

TShirtTime wrote:

TShirt would have been a beast if he stuck it out under Centro. Instead, he went to another program and had issues with teammates and coaches there as well.

Discrediting the character of the abused is straight from the abuser's handbook.

As is hiding the "abused""s own self-unawareness behind repeated posts under different handles. Right mr. t?

His own high school coach admitted he had issues at UVA if you read his post. Kevin is also very outspoken about his issues with Vig who coached him at UVA. I'm not trying to discredit Kevin, I'm just saying he had issues elsewhere for different reasons. He's not a bad guy, he just was a bit of a diva at that age. His sophomore year of high school he cried at the state meet award ceremony because he didn't win the race.

Among the AU alumni that I know, Kevin is liked and respected.

Kevin’s experience is typical of the treatment that many athletes received. Few people would (and did) thrive in such an environment for the long term, especially without inconsistency or bumps in the road.

To my knowledge, Kevin was civil about his departure from AU. Kevin quietly departed to UVA where he had a solid career.

TShirtTime wrote:

His sophomore year of high school he cried at the state meet award ceremony because he didn't win the race.

What a bish

This is an interesting development for Centro senior. He had a good run as the coach at American University with starting a D1 program at a small school from scratch. When he resigned, it seemed like a semi-retirement move to coach his son and stay in the DC area. It didn't seem like he would be interested to take another college coaching job that would involve a move to New York. He may work with Frank Gagliano again with the Hoka NY/NJ track club.

The AU team found out about Kevin leaving when an assistant coach read about it on a Dyestat forum. When confronted he then asked for a release which was granted even though it didn't have to be. He was never granted permission to talk to other school, his high school coach did that for him since he was miserable. Then at UVA he had it out with the coach and some teammates there.

LeavingAU wrote:

The AU team found out about Kevin leaving when an assistant coach read about it on a Dyestat forum. When confronted he then asked for a release which was granted even though it didn't have to be. He was never granted permission to talk to other school, his high school coach did that for him since he was miserable. Then at UVA he had it out with the coach and some teammates there.

Just want to point out that the relative flaws of this Kevin fellow — and the fact that he butted head with Centro Senior — do not make Centro Senior himself a good man or a good coach.

When AU’s top recruit in Kevin and walk ons and so many in between still hate centro enough 10+ years later to come on this board and rip him for a terrible collegiate experience ... well, I can’t think of a worse reflection on a coach. He’s lucky AU’s AD let him frame his firing as “retirement,” and should have stayed retired.