Sean Brosnan couldn't hold a candle to the late Joe Newton of York Community HS, Elmhurst, IL. There will never be another coach like Coach Newton- 28 state titles under his leadership, never a finish lower than 8th over 50 years and that was a fluke.
It's pointless to make this comparison. Newton was a terrific coach and his longevity sets him apart. Brosnan did well for the few years he coached in high school, but he decided to move on. I'm aware of all the hate that's directed against Brosnan, but beyond the obvious stars he coached that probably would have had success in almost any decent program, he did get kids with less ballyhooed backgrounds and got them running decent times.
Brosnan is an elite coach that got kids to reach levels no one thought was possible in Hofh School. He did this with small teams and outside the box dedication. We may never see a HS coach like him again. Newton was a big team guy with tons of kids and a family like environments.
They are two different kind of people and coaches. I personally rather my kids run for Brosnan to see what they are made of and what they are capable of.
Lets get real, best HS track coaches don't just coach distance. They coach sprints, hurdles and relays - minimum of 7 events vs 2-3 (800 more of a sprint event).
Joe Lee at Bullis dominates in these event areas far more than any of the distance coaches teams do.......
Get out of here with that BS, Bullis is the biggest cheating team In the US! How’s that make there coach the best? Morons could coach those kids to championships they are so loaded with recruited all stars.
there are amazing coaches in all events, but coaches who steal everyone else’s kids are not top end coaches, they are thieves and should be shunned.
Well, this entire thread is really about comparisons, right? I have no rancor toward Brosnan, who clearly did a great job for several years- but also had the advantage of runners transferring in to his program. That has never been the case at York, with one unexpected exception- when Marius Bakken came as an exchange student to the Chicago area back in the late 90s, he specifically asked to be placed with a high school that had a good running program. Friends of ours, a Presbyterian minister, put Marius up for the year. This is how Marius ended up running for York and Coach Newton. Marius flew in from Norway for Newton's big honor party a year or so before the coach died.
Yes! Ripping on coaches anonymously on Letsrun, let me join in. :)
Actually, I have been fortunate to meet some of the top high school coaches in the country and I have been very impressed with their knowledge, dedication, and care for their kids. Here are some of the coaches I think should be in considered for the best distance coaches in the country (in no particular order):
-Dan Iverson - Naperville North (IL)
-Jeff Messer - Desert Vista (AZ) (currently not coaching)
-Marc & Joan Hunter - Loudoun Valley (VA)
-John O'Malley - Sandburg (IL)
-Timo Mostert - American Fork (UT)
-Rene Paragas - Saugus (CA)
-Juris Green - The Woodlands (TX)
I would feel very comfortable having any of these fine coaches coach my own children and have been fortunate to spend some time with each one of them. I'm sure I'm missing some as well, but this is a good start. Have a great day. :)
Doug
Hmm, no Aris or Kranicks?
Anyone who thinks the latter should be on there needs to see page 25 and 31 of this document
