Joe Newton (April 13, 1929 – December 9, 2017) was a high school
cross country and
track coach at
York High School in
Elmhurst, Illinois. In sixty years of coaching between 1956 and 2016, he won 28 Illinois state cross country titles[1] and one track state title.[2][3] A feature-length documentary was made about his life and successes, called The
Long Green Line[4] after his team's nickname.[5] He died on December 9, 2017, aged 88.[6]
Among his many accomplishments he was an assistant manager in charge of marathon runners in the U.S. team for the
1988 Olympics. He was the first high school coach to hold such an honor.[7] He was awarded the National Cross Country Coach of the Year four times and wrote four books, concentrating on training and motivation.[8]
IHSA State Cross Country Meet Results
Joe Newton at the
IHSA State Cross Country Meet (1960-2016)
