While professionally retired, Coach George Green still remains busy with the Coronado High School running community.
Now in his 32nd year of coaching runners on the island, Green is rebuilding the cross country program after stepping away as the head track coach. Green, however, continues to assist distance runners in the spring.
I know what it’s like to go to a state meet, to win championships, and feel what they’re feeling.”
-Coach George Green.
“I did a lot of running when I was in college and I can talk to them on a having done this before,” said Green “I know what it’s like to go to a state meet, to win championships, and feel what they’re feeling.”
Green began as volunteer coach during the 1992-93 school year, and he took over the track program in 1997. But after a quarter century, Cameron Gary took the helm.
“His being the head coach and my being the distance coach is really perfect for me because now I don’t have to hang around the track,” said Green “We can go all over the place with the distance runners, so it’s a perfect situation for me.”
Entering 19th year as head cross country coach
Since 2005, Green has been the cross country head coach.
He looks forward to his continued participation on both teams and helping a cross country squad of about 30 runners and roughly 50 track athletes. The ultimate goal, he said, is to get them to the CIF finals.
And, the connections he makes during the fall roll into the spring as about 40% of the students who run cross country at the high school also participate in track.
He also has no intention of leaving coaching any time soon
“I’ll probably be around for a couple more years,” said Green about his commitment to the running teams, especially cross country.
He said the only way he would truly retire is if “somebody came along that I think would really benefit the program and can take both the track and cross-country programs.”
Yet, his athletes say Green loves the sport way too much to become idle.
Navy background
Dubbed a candidate for “Coronado’s Most Interesting Man” by one local publication 10 years ago, Green’s continued passion for coaching ensures a mirrored intrigue in 2023.
During his undergraduate career, Green studied Geology and Marine Biology at Old Dominion University, where he established an admirable cross country and track distance running trajectory and was inducted to the school’s Hall of Fame at the turn of the century in 2001.
Green also holds a Double MBA from National University in Accounting and Computer Information Systems.
Upon completing the Navy’s Officer’s Candidate School (OCS) on the East Coast in 1967, Green moved to Coronado, which has since been his home.
“When I got out of the Navy, I started the Coronado Half-Marathon,” said Green. “It proved to be a huge race still going on today.”
Along with the Coronado Half Marathon, Green has been the official timer for major races in Coronado and San Diego, including two races in partnership with PepsiCo.
Green in an online published article wrote that the first Half Marathon race took place on Independence Day in 1974 and the last Coronado Half Marathon he organized was in 1982.
Behind the scenes
At 80, Green continues to make significant contributions to the running community in Coronado, including his role as a timer and publishing meet results on sports websites available to all runners, coaches, and recruiters.
“I’m the guy who uploads all the results to Athletic.net,” added Green.
In the last and current season, Green timed all of the Eastern League cross country meets and uploaded those results as well as the South Coast Middle School League for cross country and track programs. That means runners not even connected to Coronado had access to their results.
This meticulous record keeping began during his Coronado Half Marathon days, and he said he continues to do it to help athletes keep track of their progress and showcase their accomplishments.
“He might be old, but he has the energy of an 8-year-old,” shared current Coronado High freshman Carly DeVore, who runs on the varsity cross country team.
Capturing event milestones
Through photography and videography, Green captures event milestones for his students, a quarter of which have gone to run at some of the top schools in the country.
“My goal is to get the kids that have potential to compete in college into events where they’ll be noticed,” said Green. “I do a lot of videoing… the goal is to get those videos on YouTube and get the kids into bigger meets, where they’re going to be seen.”
I do a lot of videoing… the goal is to get those videos on YouTube and get the kids into bigger meets, where they’re going to be seen.”
-George Green on helping his athletes.
With the help of Green and other assisting coaches, including parents of top performing students who share impressive athletic backgrounds, six to 10 athletes each year transition to collegiate running, with a majority earning full ride scholarships, Green said.
“It’s just great to watch them develop over time,” said Green. “You can take a freshman boy who can barely run a seven-minute mile, and he can wind up running the CIF finals by the time he’s a senior. So, it’s watching them progress.”
A connection among teammates
And although Green’s current and former runners have worked hard to secure a spot on minor and major division college teams, he considers a connection among the teammates extends well beyond the athlete’s rigorous training.
“Because the training is so intense at times, there is a great sense of comradery among the team members,” Green said. “They tend to stick together at events outside of the sport.”
While recruiters often look for athletes who excel in cross country and track, Green adds that “coaches are more interested in track performances than they are in cross country performances,” which points to the impact distance training may have for runners.
Amy DeVore, parent to Carly, considers that her daughter’s first high school sports experience has been a good one and that is due to Green being so positive.
He knows when to push hard and when to have the kids take a step back. He rides his bike right alongside the kids, coaching them and encouraging them.”
-Amy DeVore, parent to runner Carly DeVore.
“He never gets mad or disappointed with the kids’ performance, no matter what,” Amy DeVore said. “He knows when to push hard and when to have the kids take a step back. He rides his bike right alongside the kids, coaching them and encouraging them.”
Making athletes’ names known
Green also has produced weekly write-ups that he shares with local newspapers in Coronado ever since the start of his coaching career.
“I figured that the more exposure they get, the better,” said Green. “I’ve written stuff for magazines here and there, but it’s never been a profession for me.”
According to Green, this separate form of documenting his runners takes him no more than one hour, depending on the amount of information.
“I look at the results of the meet,” said Green. “Then I just look at the marks, improvements, I’ll make a rough sketch of all the points, then I just brush it out. Walk away from it, look at it the next day, and then send it to the news.”
Top performers trend continues
Several of Green’s top performing Islanders started off on the middle school track team, excelling through high school running and outperforming personal records at the collegiate level.
“Coach Green has positively affected my life by staying so consistent through my middle school and high school track career,” said senior track star Lindsey Balsley, who also participates in volleyball, soccer and football. “He will continue to make a difference in other runners’ lives in the future by continuing to inspire more runners and support them in their journeys.”
According to Green, nearly every year from 1991 to 2019, at least one of his runners qualified for the state meet. The only exceptions were in 1999 and 2020 (COVID).
Green added that the pandemic really hurt the program.
“Since then we’ve been rebuilding and didn’t qualify anyone in 2021 or 2022. However, prospects are looking good for the future,” added Green. “Historically, the cross-country team has been strong.”
As part of the Eastern League, Coronado competes against Clairemont, Crawford, High Tech High, La Jolla, Our Lady of Peace, Saint Augustine, and San Diego.
Green anticipates his current girls team, with a majority of underclassmen and including DeVore, can advance to the state meet.
Coached CIF champs in 2018
Green added that despite Coronado’s relatively small school size, the Islanders have consistently had a handful of top athletes.
And in 2018, the girls’ team won the Division Two CIF Championship with all nine of the girls who scored points recording at least one school record, Green noted.
That was the school’s best girls team, according to the Islander Track website.
The squad included Alysah Hickey, Teresa Perez, Victoria Perez (no relation to Teresa), Ruthie Grant-Williams, Abigail Whittemore, Madison Shanks, Madden Hundley, Abigail Hundley, and Sofia Van Arsdale.
Perez, who went on to star at the University of Portland, said Green played an instrumental role in shaping her collegiate running trajectory by helping her recognize her innate speed and instilling courage to push beyond limits.
She said Green continues “to fuel my success in running and my professional and personal life.”
“Coach Green’s brilliance extended beyond the track,” said Perez. “He possessed a profound understanding of training methodologies and cutting-edge techniques, always striving to provide us with the best possible preparation. His ability to calculate time and speed was remarkable, and he had an uncanny knack for predicting our race-day potential based on our training.”
Coach Green is more than a coach; he is a mentor, a friend, and a driving force behind the success and unity of our team.”
-Former Islander Teresa Perez.
Perez added: “Coach Green is more than a coach; he is a mentor, a friend, and a driving force behind the success and unity of our team…His dedication, passion, intelligence, creativity, and caring nature make him the embodiment of inspiration, a true guiding light.”
“As the Coronado girls secured a hard-fought victory, the team, brimming with excitement, sprinted towards our coach. We enveloped him in a joyous, heartfelt group hug, nearly knocking him off his feet. He wobbled momentarily but stood tall, symboling unwavering strength and support. A very proud moment!!!” Courtesy of Teresa Perez.
