Hawks who run together, stick together!
Veterans of Hunter College’s late-1970s indoor-outdoor and cross-country track teams – including a former Olympian – and their coach met for a reunion in October at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx.
The group of 11 men and one woman, organized by a team captain, Victor Lopez ’75, came from as far away as Texas, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina for the gathering at the scenic Hester and Piero’s Mill Pond, later repairing to a local steakhouse for a festive lunch. They reminisced about their long-ago exercises – many of their meets were at VCP -- and presented mementos to each other and the man of honor, “D’Coach,” former Hunter Men’s and Women’s Head Track Coach Vincent Chiappetta.
“I watched as each of you developed as runners while representing Hunter College and over the years have appreciated more and more having the honor of being your coach,” Chiappetta told them.
Chiappetta is a legend in New York running. Besides his eight years coaching at Hunter, he taught biology, anatomy, geology, and other sciences at Yeshiva University for decades. He is a co-founder and former president of New York Road Runners and a founder and an organizer of the first New York City Marathon in 1970. He started running in 1948 at James Monroe High School in The Bronx and has run 114 marathons and more than 100,000 miles since.
“D'Coach spoke lovingly (yes, that is the correct word to use here) as he reminisced of days (actually, years) gone past and how he watched us develop our skills under his watchful eye,” alum Jack La Torre ’77 said of the gathering.
The group presented Chiappetta with a framed sheet with the team’s signatures, which “showed him we not only respected him but love him as we certainly love each other,” in La Torre’s words.
Using a vintage copy of a photo from The Hunter Envoy, the group tried to recreate a shot of their 1976 team. Everyone got an inspirational keychain, which read, “When your legs get tired, run with your heart.”
Other attendees included Eugene Atwood ’78, Eugene Atwood ’78, Jorge Buxton ’77, Ernie Eans ’78, Tim Hanks ’79, Karen McKeon ’79, Vincent O'Sullivan ’79, Peter Paris ’78, and Bob Siegel ’77.
The British-born O’Sullivan, who in 1982 was inducted into the Hunter College Hawks Hall of Fame for Track & Field, competed beyond Hunter. He placed fifth in racewalking at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and competed on Team USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“My spirits were lifted by spending time with all of you,” Buxton wrote. “I think that our group got a great deal out of our Hunter experience because we found each other.”
