V 11 N. 76 Jerry Rushton, Longtime Coach at Ball State University, R.I.P.

 

Recently Joe Rogers, former Ball State and West Point coach informed me of the passing of Jerry Rushton.   I first met Jerry in 1960 when he was coaching at the Quaker school, Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.   A friend of mine was on Jerry's team and we would go over to Richmond to run on their cross country course in the summer.  Doing that now would probably put the school into some type of probation for violation of one of the million NCAA rules on the book, but it was a much simpler time then.  Jerry was very personable to me and the others and may even have gone along for the run with us.  That course was not easy, down through some thickly wooded gullies and crossing some creeks, no like today's golf course/country club racing.   Sixteen years later I got to reacquaint with Jerry when I was at Ball State doing graduate work and he was then head coach at that school.  His main man in those days was Kelly Marsh who won the NCAA indoor meet in the 1000 yards as a freshman.  I was doing research on sprinters then and Jerry was nice enough to allow me to use his sprinters to take biometric measurements and do pre and in training high speed photography.   It was not uncommon to see Jerry at the Human Performance Lab asking questions and seeing what we were doing and what he might learn about high performance athletes.  Below is the obituary that appeared at his funeral home.

Always a gentleman.  He'll be missed by those who knew him.   George Brose   

MUNCIE,, IN   Well-Known coach, professor and mentor, Jerry Lee Rushton, 86, passed away early Sunday morning, November 7, 2021 at Westminster Village.
Jerry was born in Indianapolis, June 29, 1935, to William Lloyd and Blanche Isabela Rushton. In 1958, on his birthday, he married Cindra Nanette Davis in the Meetinghouse at Earlham College.
A 1953 graduate of Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, he was Marion County track-mile champion and cross-country runner-up. He earned an AB degree Earlham College in 1957, a Master of Science degree from Ball State University, and took additional work at Indiana University. During his Earlham days, he lettered all four years in both track and cross-country, and in his senior year set the Earlham track record for the 880-yard run.
From 1957 to 1960, he taught and coached at Decatur Central High School (Indiana), and Gratis and Preble County (Ohio) and Abington School (Wayne County, Indiana).
From 1960 to 1969, while head track and cross-country coach and a physical education faculty member at Earlham College, he had only one losing season in cross country and none in track. He qualified three cross-country teams for national champions and in 1965 and 1966, was named Hoosier College Track and Cross-Country Coach-of-the-Year. The track teams were some of the best in school history, with many records standing today. In 1993, he was an Inductee into the Earlham College Hall of Fame.
In 1969 he became head coach and cross-country coach at Ball State University, where he was employed 48 years when he retired from full time teaching in 2000. He continued as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Physical Education and Exercise Science, active in both jogging and cycling, for a total of 60 years in the teaching field.
During his career at Ball State, his overall track record was 73 wins, 42 losses, and his overall cross-country record was 48 wins, 22 losses. In 1971, his cross-country team was Mid-Western Conference and Indiana Big State champions. The team qualified for National Championships and placed 18 in NCAA Championships.
He coached and qualified two track runners for the 1972 NCAA and Olympic trials, and in 1973 was voted chair of the Track & Field Coaches Association of District IV. He coached several All-Americans in both track and cross-country during his tenure, and was recognized as one of the top collegiate coaches in the Mid-West.
His 2000 Ball State Omega citation noted
Jerry was a member of First Presbyterian Church since 1969 and served as an Elder. He was also a founding board member of First Choice for Women.