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Wabash College Athletics

Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame

Don Race

Don Race

  • Class
    1966
  • Induction
    2010
  • Sport(s)
    Track and Field, Cross Country
Donald John Race ’66
Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame
November 12, 2010
 
Donald John Race, native of Pittsburgh, you came to Wabash at the very height of Coach J. Owen Huntsman’s career as track and cross country coach. And with a name like Race, you had to be good!

You arrived here with a group of fleet-footed rookies, who would extend Wabash’s distance running dominance. You would go on to earn four varsity letters in both cross country and track, earn three Most Valuable Runner awards in cross country, serve as team captain, and earn the Pete Vaughan Award. Coming to Wabash as a state track champion, you established your excellence at Wabash from day one, helping the thinclads to an undefeated dual meet season, Little State Championship, and Great Lakes Invitational title. You teamed with Mike Decker to take the Hokum Karem race, and you were the runner-up at Little State and in a big upset of Ball State. The following year, you finished sixth at Little State and won the dual meet with Ball State in another upset victory. Named the Most Improved Track Man in 1964, you were a part of track teams that won 22 straight dual meets during your career.

As a junior, you were again the cross country team’s Most Valuable Runner, finished 42nd at the National Championships, and capped the year by winning the two-mile run at the Little State track meet. In your senior year, you led the harriers to dual meet wins over DePauw and Rose-Hulman as well as second place at the Great Lakes Association meet. You completed your exceptional career in track and field by winning the two-mile at the Little State/Big State meet, taking top honors in 9:19.3, which set Little State and Wabash records.

Just as you were a dedicated distance runner, you were equally impressive in the classroom. You would graduate cum laude as a biology major, earn your medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and you have had a thriving ophthalmology practice throughout your career. Along the way, you have coached track and cross country for 19 years, winning 11 independent school state championships and 15 conference Coach of the Year awards.

The National Association of Wabash Men is proud to lift you up as a Hall of Fame distance runner. Donald J. Race — Some Little Giant
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