Joe Newton is a legendary high school cross country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

 and track

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 coach at York High School

York Community High School

York Community High School is a public secondary school in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. Most of the students reside in Elmhurst, however the district also draws a small number of students from Addison, Bensenville, and Oak Brook...

 in Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois. The population is 46,013 as of the 2008 US Census population estimate.-History:...

. In over fifty years of coaching, he has won 27 Illinois state cross country titles and one track state title. A feature-length documentary was made about his life and successes, called The Long Green Line after his team's nickname.

Among his many accomplishments he was an assistant manager in charge of marathon runners in the U.S. team for the 1988 Olympics

1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...

. He was the first high school coach to hold such an honor. He was awarded the National Cross Country Coach of the Year four times and has written four books, concentrating on training and motivation. He is known for motivational talks that focus on the philosophical and psychological factors that are required for success.

"A person can have some talent and some character and have the chance to succeed. But, if he has tons of talent and no character, he will fail." Quote from Newton

"It's nice to be great, but far greater to be nice."

"How sweet it is!"

"However fast you are running, run faster."

"Talk is cheap, dirt is free. Don't tell me, show me."

"Your mind can make you train, your body can create power, but only your heart can make you a champion."

"It's colder than a well digger's ass in the Klondike at midnight."