Each Monday of the fall semester, we’ll be bringing you “Getting to Know Them” profiles on coaches, athletic administrators and athletic trainers at Slippery Rock to introduce you to the folks behind the scenes here at The Rock. Next up, we check in with track & field and cross country head coach John Papa. 

QUICK BIO
Simply put, John Papa is one of the best track and field coaches in the country and one of the most significant individuals in the history of athletics at Slippery Rock University. Now in his 34th year at the helm of the cross country and track and field programs, Papa has guided Slippery Rock to 25 PSAC titles and 27 PSAC runner-up finishes while coaching 11 individual national champions, more than 120 All-Americans and more than 330 PSAC individual champions. In addition to more than three decades of excellence as a coach, Papa is also one of the best athletes in SRU history. A two-time All-American in the decathlon, Papa placed second at the national championships in 1979 to help SRU win the NCAA Division III National Championship that spring, which is still the only NCAA team title in any sport in SRU history. He was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.

IN HIS WORDS

Q: What was your earliest memory of track and field?
A: I was about 12 years old and a neighbor invited me to compete at a track meet with him. I had no idea what track was. The only thing I knew was racing people in the playground at St. Bernadette Elementary school. When we arrived at the track, I had no idea what was going on, kinda like today when someone tells me they saw something on Twitter or Facebook. 

Q: When did you realize you could be a college-level athlete?
A: I was a senior at Gateway High School in Monroeville when the track coach at Slippery Rock University came to speak at our cross country team banquet in November of 1974. My high school coach Larry Young introduced me to coach Bill Lennox. Larry told Bill that he thought I would be an asset to Slippery Rock. 

Q: Who were your biggest influences?
A: My parents raised eight children and they taught us to share and to be grateful. Mom and dad were always supportive of me being an athlete and were always encouraging. My high school track coach Larry Young taught me how to think big and motivated me to do my best. My SRU coach Bill Lennox taught me how to set goals and work hard to reach them. Coach Lennox taught me how to be responsible and accountable. 

Q: What brought you to Slippery Rock?
A: I chose to attend SRU because I was recruited by Bill Lennox. SRU was inexpensive and my parents agreed to pay for my first two years. 

Q: Are you still close with your former teammates?
A: My teammate and training partner Tucker Campion was my best college friend back in the day.  However, current day, Mike Franko and Steve Walker, who were also teammates of mine, live local and I see those guys often. 

Q: What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about track and field?
A: My favorite thing about track and field is that your success or failure is up to you. You cannot hide behind anyone and you do not depend on anyone else to make you look good. My least favorite part of the sport is outdoor practice in March. If you have ever been at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in March when it is windy and the snow flurries are falling you know what I am talking about. 

Q: What do you think your legacy at Slippery Rock will be?
A: When I leave SRU I want people to know that I gave my best effort. Win or lose, I gave my best. 

Q: What does your typical summer look like?
A: Typically in the summer, we host at least 3-4 track and field meets and several recruits visit campus.  We have a track and a cross country camp. I take a vacation. Slippery Rock typically is a very busy place in the summers.

Q: What’s one thing that you think helped you succeed in your time at SRU?
A: When I left Gateway high school in 1975, I weighed 142 pounds. As an aspiring decathlete, my college coach Bill Lennox introduced me to Garry Benford (the president of the SRU weightlifting club at the time). Most athletes did not lift weights in the 1970’s. I eventually got into Olympic lifting and gained a significant amount of strength and I improved significantly as a decathlete. I graduated SRU about 175 pounds. 

Q: What’s the most important thing you learned from your sport?
A: The most important thing I learned from my sport is that if there is something that you want; make a plan, get to work, give everything that you have and don’t give up. You can do almost anything! 

Q: Do you have a name for your car?
A: I do not have a name for my car, but I drive a minivan. The minivan is the greatest of all vehicles. You can do more with the minivan than any other vehicle.

Q: What are some of your favorite musicians?
A: I love music and listen quite often. I have a record collection of several hundred albums and 45’s. The old musicians like the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Otis Redding, Neil Young, Link Wray and J Geils Band are among my favorites. Newer bands like JD McPhearson, Lake Street Dive and JJ Grey are also on the list.

Q: What was your favorite vacation?
A: My favorite vacation was a 26-day drive around the country that my wife and I took about six years ago. We visited relatives in Utah, California and Texas. We rode mountain bike trails in about 15 different states during our trip. We did not have time to go to Yellowstone National Park. We will go there one day (God willing).

Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: My hobbies are mountain bike riding and photography. Back in the day I developed my own film and printed my own black and white photos. Hundreds of my photos have been published. Many photos used here at SRU and others scattered out all over the place. I mostly ride my mountain bike on the trails on the SRU campus, which I have been working on building for a number of years now. However, I have ridden in over 30 states on many of the best trails in the country.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: In 10 years I see myself retired. My passion will be redirected. I will find something to challenge me and I will work hard to be successful.  

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