A legacy tracked in runners' hearts

HOLLIS, N.H. -- The Hollis/Brookline track team had just endured a thrashing in Frank Tkaczyk's first meet as an assistant track coach and he slumped into his seat on the team bus.

Longtime head coach Lou Korcoulis soon plopped into the spot beside him and started gushing about the Cavaliers' tremendous performance that afternoon as Tkaczyk stared back at him incredulously.

''I'm thinking, 'Were you at the same meet I was at?' " Tkaczyk recalled. ''He starts going down the list and saying, 'Look at this, personal best, personal best, personal best.' As a coach, it was an epiphany for me."

You don't even have to say Korcoulis's name in these parts to elicit stories like this. Just ask about the man affectionately known simply as ''Coach" and you'll hear tale after tale of a mentor who valued the development of the people around him far more than any team victory.

Korcoulis died in March at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer and the Cavaliers have dedicated the spring season to the only head coach the school had ever known. Korcoulis not only started the cross-country and track programs at Hollis/Brookline, he also guided the school to 26 championships during a 44-year tenure. But as Tkaczyk found out at that memorable meet, winning was simply a byproduct of hard work. And nobody got more out of athletes than Korcoulis.

''The one word you always heard was 'drive,' " said senior Liz Allen, who will run at Korcoulis's alma mater, Keene State, in the fall. ''You could hear him say it in the last corner of your race and you just had to run. It was almost like you were running to make a big impression for him."

Korcoulis's appearance alone was enough to motivate his charges. Despite his deteriorating health, Korcoulis made the trip to Dartmouth for the indoor state meet in early February. As he entered in a wheelchair, his players rushed to greet him and the girls' squad contends it was his presence that propelled the Cavaliers to an unexpected second-place finish in the Class I-M-S championships.

''I was competing in the high jump and he was watching me," said senior Amanda Nauman, who fought off nerves to win the event by clearing 5 feet. ''It was nice just having him there. Everyone wanted to do their best for him." The meet ultimately came down to the final race in which Lebanon pulled away for a narrow victory. The girls were apologetic, but, in classic Korcoulis form, he was overjoyed with their lofty finish.

This year's outdoor state meet will be held at Hollis/Brookline Saturday at the sparkling new track that bears Korcoulis's name. Both the girls and guys would like to bring him home a victory.

''There's almost a bit of pressure this season because we all want to do the best we can for him," said senior Kim Spargo. ''We'd really like to win, but if that's not possible, we'll just keep pushing for personal bests. After all, that's the way Coach would have wanted it."

Born Elias Korcoulis, his friends knew him as Lou or Louie, and in later years everyone called him Coach. He starred as a harrier at Manchester (N.H.) Central High School (class of 1958) before attending Phillips Exeter and Keene State. He joined the staff at Hollis/Brookline in 1962, the same year he graduated from college, and soon instituted all three running programs.

Away from the track, Korcoulis was a sports junkie who rooted for his beloved Cleveland Browns during football season and the New York Yankees during the baseball season. Korcoulis was notorious for his knowledge of sports trivia, which he could engage in for hours.

But Korcoulis simply liked talking to people. Hollis/Brookline assistant coach Don Boggis, who coached 12 years with Korcoulis, said the veteran coach was the ''most affable person you'll ever meet" and he loved nothing more than to ''chew the fat" over a meal or a cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee (something peers rarely spotted Korcoulis without in the Hollis halls).

An English teacher at the start of his career, Korcoulis soon morphed into a physical education teacher. His peers say it is impossible to know the number of lives he touched as both a coach and a teacher.

''Even if he didn't know you, Coach made everyone feel special," said Kim Smith, an assistant to Hollis/Brookline athletic director Rhon Rupp. Smith got involved with athletics back when her daughter first ran track for Korcoulis.

It seems that not only could you not forget him, Korcoulis wouldn't forget you.

''I remember my first year running he came up to me and shook my hand and I told him my name," said senior Natalie Harvey. ''From then on I wasn't just a number on his roster. He always called me Natalie and he made everyone feel important. It didn't matter if you were the best runner or the worst."

Colleagues said Korcoulis could recognize every bit of talent in one of his athletes and bring it to the surface.

His three assistants Tkaczyk, Boggis, and Ann Melim share the duties of running the track teams this spring. Tkaczyk and Boggis admit they sometimes feel like Korcoulis is still around in the building (and sometimes they forget he's gone as Boggis catches himself reaching for the phone at night to call Korcoulis and chat about the next day's practice).

Both are certain the state of New Hampshire will never see another like Korcoulis.

''Someone might come along and win some championships, but there will never be anyone like Louie," said Tkaczyk. ''He was one of a kind. The ones who really miss out are the younger runners who didn't get a chance to know Coach and run for him. The rest of us just feel blessed to have known him."

Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@globe.com.