Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007

A Winning Tradition At La Salle

By Mike Dyer

It’s been about eight years since Steve Padgett won the Division I state cross country title at Scioto Downs. Padgett doesn’t recall what all was said as he crossed the finish line and leapt into the history book as the 1999 champion from La Salle.

At this point of life, the words of congratulations don’t seem as significant. It’s not that he wants to forget that time of his life, but it’s just that things have changed.

It’s been almost seven years since Padgett has lived in Cincinnati. He said he has changed as a person since he was a cocky 18-year-old running for the Lancers.

Padgett is now 25 years old and living in Chicago working as an operations manager for Cintas. He claims his successful work ethic can be attributed to the foundation of cross country at La Salle.

During college, Padgett ran for Michigan State his freshman season, garnering the Big Ten freshman of the year honors. He then transferred to Miami (Ohio) and helped the squad to a high national ranking.

Padgett admits he’s matured a great deal since high school and has a different outlook on life from what he once did.

However, he hasn’t left everything behind in Cincinnati. Even after eight years, Padgett has stayed in contact with La Salle coach Frank Russo.

“He was a great influence for me at a tender age,” Padgett said, “from a little punk at 13 and until 18 when I was shipped off to college.”

In fact, they had a recent phone conversation about catching a Cubs game on the north side of Chicago sometime soon.

“He never forgets about his athletes,” Padgett said.

It’s funny after all these years how Padgett can have a flashback to the late 90s and recall Russo relating to the teenagers whether it was playing Sega Genesis or teasing them about the girl they were dating from Colerain. Padgett remembers calling the coach ‘Roos.’

But, then when it came to running, it was all business.

“It was my freshman year of high school and I ran varsity. I was doing very well all year. “I remember it was the GCL race and in the locker room, he told me ‘you are varsity, not a freshman,’” Padgett said. That motivation helped Padgett place sixth at district.

“You just don’t want to let him down,” Padgett said. “You just want to please him as a coach because he puts so much into it.”

Russo, 47, is the athletic director at White Oak Middle School where he teaches American History.

This upcoming season will mark his 25^th year of coaching. A 1978 Colerain graduate, Russo took over the La Salle cross country program in 1983 and became head track coach in 1985.

After winning the past two state titles in 2005 and 2006, Russo admits a three-peat is not on the radar at this point of the preseason. Several runners graduated from those state champion teams and the Lancers will be much younger this season.

Yet, La Salle will have a strong schedule as always and certainly the respect of area coaches.

Russo has taken teams to such places like Stanford, Disney World, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Not to mention the Nike Team Nationals in Portland, Ore., in which the Lancers finished 15^th nationally last December. Everything is done first class, including hotel stays at Embassy Suites, according to La Salle athletic director Dan Flynn.

“Nationally, people now know La Salle is a tremendous school for running and distance runners,” Flynn said. “There is no secret they work their tails off.”

Flynn said it’s not a vacation, but an opportunity the Lancers deserve.

“That’s pretty appealing (for a cross country runners) to go out and compete at Stanford, Florida, North Carolina or Portland, Flynn said. “That’s pretty sexy.”

Russo insists he has a system that works. Since 2000, La Salle has finished as state runner-up four times (2000, 01, 02, 04). Since 1999, there have been three individual state champions including Padgett (1999) and Allen Bader (2000 and 2001).

There have been countless names such over the years such as Dan Fulmer, the first La Salle distance runner at the state meet in 1985. Or, how Russo said the program got rolling when Doug Bockenstette won the state title in 1993 and was the first Foot Locker All-American from the school the same year.

“Everything we do has relevance and history behind it,” Russo said. “We don’t deviate too much from that. …We try to create meets with purpose involved and no second guessing to what our competition is.”

There is no second-guessing the passion Russo has for the La Salle cross country program. He would like to coach another 25 years if the opportunity presented itself, he said.

“I like being in a competitive environment in a day to day basis,” Russo said. “…What we are doing at La Salle is unique and we are doing things right.”

Padgett said he won’t forget the lasting influence Russo has had on him.

“He forms a very close bond around the sport with the runners,” Padgett said. “He is just as well into the sport as much as you are.”