UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State athletic department mourns the passing of former Penn State Track & Field/Cross Country Head Coach Harry Groves on Sunday, February 23.
Groves served as the head coach of the Penn State for 38 years, taking over the program in 1968 until his retirement in 2006. Groves was inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 2001. Groves was named National Coach of the Year five times in his illustrious career and was named Regional Coach of the Year a combined 26 times.
Services for Harry Groves are pending. This press release will be updated when services are finalized.
The USTFCCCA Mid-Athletic Region Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year award is also named in his honor. The annual Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational cross country meet hosted by Penn State is also named to honor coach Groves.
"I'd like to offer my deepest condolences to the Groves family in this incredibly difficult time," Penn State Cross Country and Track & Field Coach John Gondak said. "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. 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."
"Harry dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to Penn State as the head cross country and track & field coach and continued to be a fixture at the Multisport and outdoor track & field facilities for many years following his retirement," Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour stated. "His tireless commitment to growing the sport of cross country and track & field will not be forgotten. I got to know Harry well while working with him when we hosted NCAA Outdoor Championships in New Orleans. 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.
Coach Groves coaching accomplishments are listed below.
Coaching Experience
Head Coach -- 1968-2006, Penn State
Head Coach -- 1956-1968, William & Mary
Assistant Coach -- 1955-1956, William & Mary
Head Coach -- 1953-1954, Fort Eustis, Virginia
Coaching Accomplishments
- 899 wins, 180 losses, 3 ties (.836 percentage) and numerous victories in invitational and championship competition.
- 11 American record-holders
- 21 National champions
- 14 Olympians
- 1 World champion
- 1 Pan American champion
- 1 World Cup champion
- 227 All-Americans
- 1 World Junior champion
- 1 Pan-American Junior champion
- 10 ICAAAA team titles
- 4 Central Collegiate team titles
- 7 Central Collegiate Cross Country individual champions, 1974-81
- 13 Central Collegiate Indoor Track & Field individual champions, 1975-80
- 25 Central Collegiate Outdoor Track & Field individual champions, 1975-80
- 2 IC4A Cross Country individual champions
- 29 IC4A Indoor Track & Field individual champions
- 29 IC4A Outdoor Track & Field individual champions
- 1992-2000: Penn State participation in IC4A outdoor conflicts with Big Ten Championships
- 4 Penn Relays Championship of America Relay; one 4x800 title; ranked No. 1 in the World, 1985
- 27 Penn Relays individual champions
- 22 Individual Big Ten champions since 1991
- 8 NCAA Region II Cross Country team championships since 1978
- 3 Region II individual champions and 4 runners-up in cross country
- Five-time National Coach of the Year
1975 & 1979 Cross country
1984 & 2001 Indoor track & field
1986 Outdoor track & field
- 15-time Regional Track & Field Coach of the Year
- 12-time Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year
- 2001 USTCA Hall of Fame Inductee
International U.S. teams
1963: Near East team (assistant); Greece, Turkey, Iran
1973: World University (assistant); Moscow, Russia
1979: Pan Pacific Games (assistant); Cambera, Australia
1981: East team, U.S. Sports Festival (head coach)
1981: USA vs. USSR (assistant); Leningrad, Russia (USA, 1st)
1983: USA vs. East Germany (head coach); Los Angeles (USA, 1st) 1986: Goodwill Games (head coach); Moscow, Russia
1989: World Cup (head coach); Barcelona, Spain (USA, 1st)
1991: World University Games (assistant); Sheffield, England
1992: U.S. Olympic team (assistant coach, alternate head coach); Barcelona, Spain
1993: World Championships (assistant coach); Stuttgart, Germany
1995: World Championships (head coach), Gottenborg, Sweden
Additional Accolades
- William & Mary Hall of Fame member
- Virginia Intercollegiate Hall of Fame member
- Drake Relays Hall of Fame member
- NCAA Track & Field Rules Committee
- 1987-1993: Meet director for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
- Chairman from 1980-1994 for USAT&F long distance events for Olympic Development.
- Current Vice Chair of USAT&F Men's Committee (second appointment) and as such has served as Chairman of the USA Juniors Program (19 years and under) since 2002.
- Member of the Site Selection Committee for the 1992 and 2000 Olympic Trials.
- Member of the USAT&F Executive Committee from 1985-present.
- Member of the Board of Directors for the World's Greatest Athlete Decathlon Club team.
- Member of Olympic, World and Pan Am Games coaching staff selection committee since 1996.
-Nittany Lions-