“Run for fun and personal best.”
It’s a mantra those who knew Al Carius would hear from him time and time again. The longtime North Central College cross country and track & field coach would use those words to push his athletes and encourage their love for the sport.
Coaching an unexpected career choice for Carius
Carius didn’t set out to be a coach. Born in Morton, Illinois, he was an avid runner, and made a name for himself at University of Illinois as a two-time Big Conference champion in cross country, along with receiving three Big Ten two-mile titles in track. He’d run competitively until 1968, and at one point, had the fifth-best time in the nation in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
He had originally planned to get a PhD and become a professor in physical education. But in 1966, he got an unexpected offer.
“Bob Wright called and said, ‘Hey, the school, North Central College called, and they’re looking for a track coach and would you be interested?” Carius recalled.
That would kick off a 54-year stretch as the head of the running program at the college, followed by several more years of pitching in as an assistant coach.
Al Carius and Frank Gramarosso at the 1994 National Championships, image courtesy North Central College
Known for his positive attitude and ‘infectious’ spirit
When he started with the college, he made a distinct impression, his friends remember.
“Al had a swagger back then. He [had] the blonde hair, the blue eyes, the white toothy smile,” said Bob Dunphey, NCC Class of 1985. “Anywhere on a campus, you’d see him cruising around campus on a nice weather day in a late 70’s Corvette and a license plate that says Carius.”
His casual style was coupled with a positive attitude that would last for the full run of his tenure.
“When I first came to North Central College, there were six cross-country runners,” said Honorable Kenneth Popejoy, Volunteer Assistant Coach at the college. “Al [was] just so infectious that they just enjoyed and he didn’t care where they came from, just as long as they wanted to run, that’s all he cared about & that’s where he developed his slogan of run for fun & personal best.”
A winning approach, racking up one championship after another
“When I first met Al, the energy is the first thing that [came] across,” said David Thompson, NCC Class of 1999. “All of his questions were about me as a person, nothing about performances or this is what your goal should be, just trying to find out about me as a person, which really outlines our relationship ever since.”
That approach with his athletes would turn out to be a winning one, bringing the college one accolade after another. Among those were 19 NCAA Division III National Championships in cross country and 12 Division III team national championships in track & field.
Personally, he’d be named the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Association’s Coach of the Century in 2000, and was inducted into several athletic hall of fames, including North Central’s. The college would also name the Al B. Carius Track in his honor in 2009.
“There’s no way to measure the reach of a guy like Al Carius, who’s been coaching athletes in college for 60 years,” said David Kindred, sports writer for The Washington Post and The Sporting News. ”It’s a ripple effect. You change one person. That person changes ten. Those ten change 100. Those 100 change 1,000.”
Image courtesy North Central College
An individual focus based in support and growth
Carius focused on the individual, developing their talents while supporting them along the way.
“The winnng was there but at the same time Al was able to show the caring side too,” said Mahesh Narayanan, women’s cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at North Central. “We’re not going to chew you up and spit you out. If you want to be part of the program, you’ll be part of the program and we’re gonna be here for you.”
He’d share his philosophy in a book he wrote and published in 2021: the title, no surprise to any who knew him: “Run for Fun and Personal Bests.”
“A coach who wants his athletes to be good people has transcended the idea of athletics as a way of life,” said Kindred. “The Division III coach who comes with that philosophy of improving a person while improving an athlete has the best of it and any athlete lucky enough to have that coach profits for a lifetime.”
Carius died early Tuesday morning at the age of 83, after a long battle with cancer. His legacy will live on through his athletes and the countless others he touched with his positive mindset and personal mantra.
Image courtesy: North Central College
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