Dear Delaware Cross Country and Track & Field Family,

In December of 2000, I had the privilege of presenting fellow Henlopen Conference Coach Vince Morris, the Delaware Coach of the Year Award for Women’s Cross Country.  I remember speaking of his courage and the example he set for his team.  I spoke of why his team ran great.  It was due to the love and respect his young ladies had for him.  They loved the sport and most importantly, they loved him.  All of Vince’s teams felt the same about him.  Championships were just a bonus; his teams were about character and commitment.  Vince and his teams were winners no matter what the season win-loss record showed.

I had little to no contact with Vince after 2002 because of my commitments outside of the education and sports venues.  I am a member of the Delaware Air National Guard and I have been deployed overseas in support of the Global War on Terror several times since 2002.  I have done little to no coaching since then and my education career has been on hold.  Each time I return home from a deployment, people shake my hand, they thank me, and I am told that I am a hero. 

I am not a hero.  Vince represented what a real hero is and should be.  Great Coaches like Vince made and make many sacrifices.  They give up time with their families.  They look after students who often do not have someone to look after them.  They do not give up on you when you yourself are ready to give up.  Many Coaches go year after year without recognition yet they keep returning because of the sport they love.  They love the sport because of the student-athletes that they get to work with each year.  Their teams may go without a win, but the Coach measures the progress his or her athletes made during the season.  Growth and success are measured on many levels.  The Coach acts in the best interest of the athlete and the sport.  Vince did all these things locally, for the State, and Nationally.  

Vince like many others, Ralph, Steve, Michelle, Rod, Rob, Lou, Joe, George, Charlie and Jim, are just some of the names I have known over the years who have given so much to Delaware’s youth.  They are the real heroes.  I thank them all for being there for the kids.  If you want to honor Vince’s memory, take the time to thank your coach and let him know how much you appreciate what they do.  Your heroes are in front of you; let them know how you feel.  I am personally saddened by the loss of Vince, but I am comforted by the fact I got to show him how much we as a Cross Country and Track & Field family cared and appreciated him.  

Take Care and God Bless,

Pat Pollock

Former Coach Who Misses the Cross Country Community Greatly.