January 19, 2024
Al Cantello in his famous follow through
Knut Hjeltnes
Friday January 19, 2024
It has been a sad week with the passing of four people in the track and field world, only one of which I was personally connected with. But this sport is truly a connector to all of us, so the passing of a stranger can still cause a personal pain. Before starting this piece on Al Cantello and Knut Hjeltnes I received a letter late Thursday night from Elliott Denman, international race walker, former Olympian, and a nonagenarian of extreme and extraordinary vigor. Elliott says it all and then some. I cannot hope to match Mr. Denman's letter but will humbly follow with some clippings on Al Cantello and Knut Hjeltnes.
George Brose
Hi Everybody...
Happy Thursday!
That said, just wanted to sit down at my computer and pour out my heart a bit...and start by saying
I am totally saddened by the passing of Mr. Al Cantello. Mr. Knut Hjeltnes, too....
Al was a truly wonderful athlete, coach and gentleman,
His hometown was Norristown, Pa, and what a town it was...and is..
Home of track's Josh Culbreath, too....For a while, home of Hall of Famer Ron Laird..Home of baseball's TommyLaSorda...and Mike Piazza...so many other notables..
He was a great LaSalle man....Along with track's Ira Davis and John Uelses, lots more...and basketball's Paul Ariziin, and swimming's Joe Verdeur...
If you're a younger guy, go-googling and read the stories of these great people..
Al was one of the sport's greatest coulda-woulda-shouldas....
He came to the 1960 Rome Olympics as the world record holder...but was caught up in the mire of late-evolving implement change rules, etc..
Google all this. too.
Became truly great coach at Naval Academy, coached great young men including astronaut Willie McCool
(suggestion: read his story carefully, too) who served us all so well...
Al and I were USA co-staff members at the 1990 Seattle Goodwill Games, tremendous event with many highlights..
For me, one of those was the chance to meet the young Dan O'Brien....and just look at what he soon would do.
Al had a great family loss some years ago, lots who knew him were so-saddened...
A grandson of Jo and I is now at the Naval Academy, and excellent swimmer..I have told him of Al's lifetime story...It has made him a better Midshipman..
Au Revoir, Al..
Knew Knut for his discus feats at Penn State and for Norway and for his friendship with my friend and teammate Art Swarts..
Later as the coach at West Point///
May have been sports' second greatest Knute (beyond Rockne...who by the way, did you know this? - was deeply involved in track, too..)
Knute Rockne first came to Notre Dame as the track coach before he coached football. ed.
I have always loved to see these great big men in action, spinning as gingerfully as ballet performers....and letting
their disci fly off into the wild blue yonder..
At their best, they are true artists...To see a discus whirl and whirl and plop down in a distant location is a great sports sight..
One of all sports' greatest pieces of statuary is Rodin's Discus Thrower....The ancients had that one right..
Years ago, when our Capt. Ronald Zinn Memorial Races were in need of a new home (with the storm damage to the Asbury Park
boardwalk) I suggested these races be moved to a truly apporopriate site - i.e., the storied West Point campus..
Alas, it was a good idea but Knut H. couldn't make it happen..
Fortunately, the Zinn Races are back now and doing well at Dorbrook Park, Colts Neck, NJ thanks to our excellent
Shore AC management team...
Au Revoir, Knut..
With this double dose of sadness, it makes me more resolved to do good things in our sport than ever before..
So many excellent ideas and projects are out there just waiting to be done.....sure hope that most of them can actually turn into reality..
Sure hope folks step up to make them happen..
I'll be 90 on Jan. 23....so much still to be done..
On June 2 at Joe Compagni Track, my Shore AC colleagues will stage the second Elliott D NJ International Meet at
Monmouth University....The 2023 meet was really excellent...Would love to see the Olympic Year 2024 meet even excellent-er..
The Olympic Trials and Olympic Games will soon follow...Epic achievements await....but epic disappointments await, too...Only a few
will step to the podium...Such is life, such is all of sport....My advice to all: Love that journey. Make it nothing more, nothing less..
We've already circled Sunday Nov. 24 as the date of our "90's Gala." - a grand re-convening of friends and folks and good people for some
good food. some good beverages, some good times....and some look-backs at the events that have put wide smiles on all our faces,all these
years....The "85's Gala" in '85 was a great event...Let's make the "90's Gala" five years better...
I've had some health challenges but all well now (from the neck up, anyway.)
Need some good folks, of course, to step up and make all these things happen...
Thank you-thank you-thank you-thank you to all share such visions and can get things done,,
The passings of Al and Knute have stirred me to write all this, in the wee hours of the morning,,
Just wanted to share it all this with you.
Best to all..
Keep on smiling...
Keep on keeping-on.
Elliott Denman
Al Cantello,
Briefly I did once meet Al Cantello somewhere in Ohio, but I cannot remember the specific occasion. He was probably on a recruiting trip. This was most likely in the 1990's. His attire was what you would see on coaches back in the 50's and 60's, quality threads, sport jacket, pressed pants, tie, and hat, shoes shined. It drew memories of Oliver Jackson, Bill Easton, Bill Carroll, Jumbo Elliott. My high school coach in Dayton, Ed Jones, had a son Brian who pole vaulted at Navy and so knew Al. It was Ed who made the introduction. I cannot remember the verbal exchange.
The following obituary/bio is taken from usnavysports.com
ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Albert Anthony Cantello Sr. (Al), a legendary cross country and track & field coach whose tenure at the Naval Academy spanned 55 years, passed away on Jan. 17, surrounded by his daughters. Cantello was born on June 9, 1931, in Norristown, Pa. to Italian immigrants Michaelangelo Cantello and Cesarina Gaspari Cantello, Al was the third of five children.
Al's journey unfolded as an outstanding swimmer and diver during his youth. His true athletic calling was revealed through a chance encounter with javelin throwing in high school that led to a remarkable career on the Norristown High School Track and Field Team.
Upon high school graduation, neighborhood friend and decorated Olympic Swimmer, Joe Verduer, recognized Cantello's collegiate potential. With his encouragement, Al left his Norristown factory job and pursued higher education at La Salle University.
Cantello was a standout member of the La Salle track & field team from 1951-55, where was a two-time All-American in the javelin. He was enshrined in La Salle's Hall of Athletes as a charter member, as well as the Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame and Penn Relays Wall of Fame for his individual success.
Upon his graduation from La Salle, Al joined the Marine Corps, where he served for 10 years. It was here that his life continued to thrive as his athleticism took him to countless meets around the world competing in continents he only dreamed about.
A world-class competitor in the javelin throw, Cantello once held every national and international record in the event. In 1959, he set a world record in the javelin (282 feet 3 inches) and the following year he competed with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1960 Games in Rome. In 1964, Sport magazine named Cantello to its all-time track and field team and voted him the world's greatest competitor in the javelin.
Cantello will go down in javelin history for having one of the most unique throwing styles in the history of the sport. His versatility as an agile, all-around athlete became evident as he transitioned his diving and gymnastics talents into the nimble success behind his distinctive throwing style. As a smaller-sized thrower, standing at 5 '8", Al would "run up" to the throw and catapult his entire body into the air as the javelin took flight, generating heightened momentum for his instrument.
It was also during this period of competition that he was introduced and later married his wife Doris Jacqueline Brownlee (Jackie) in an intimate ceremony at Quantico, Virginia, 1960. They would remain together, raising three kids, until her death in 2014.
Cantello took a job at Methacton High School in his hometown of Norristown, where he applied his creative wordsmith talent and competitive spirit as both an English teacher and track & field coach.
Cantello's life continued with possibility as he later accepted a coaching position at the Naval Academy. This marked the beginning of his coaching legacy.
Cantello, who retired from coaching on August 30, 2018, served as Navy's head cross country coach for 50 years.
During his time working with Midshipmen athletes, Cantello collected a combined 49 N-Star victories over Army as the head coach of cross country and track & field programs.
"Coach Cantello has influenced so many lives throughout his career, it is impossible to comprehend his influence on so many people," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "As an educator, coach, inspirational leader and friend, the legacy he leaves behind is immeasurable. Those privileged to have benefited from his insights, wisdom, and humor truly know how extraordinary he was as a husband, father and coach. Everybody has an Al Cantello story and those stories will be a cherished memory forever."
A legend in the field of cross country and track & field, Cantello took over the reins of the Navy men's cross country program from Jim Gehrdes in 1968. Only the fourth head coach in the storied 95 years of Navy men's cross country, Cantello almost immediately found success with the Mids and led the team to a shared 1972 Heptagonal Championship and a berth in the NCAA Championship meet. Competing at the Heptagonal Championships through 2002, Cantello and the Mids earned outright titles in 1974, 1992 and 1996. Overall, Navy finished in the top three on 21 occasions, including every year from 1978 through 1986 under Cantello's leadership.
After joining the Patriot League in 2003, Cantello and the Mids asserted their dominance on their new conference mates with four second-place finishes over the first-five years before running off eight Patriot League Championships in nine years from 2008 through 2016.
The program's success at the conference level carried over to the national scene with 12 total appearances at the NCAA Championships. Following the program's first NCAA appearance in 1972, the Mids competed at the 1974, 1975, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 2016 and 2017 championships. The 1985 team recorded the highest finish for a Midshipmen squad, as they placed seventh overall in the nation.
Aside from Navy's postseason accolades, Cantello made sure the Mids were nearly always in line to check the Army-Navy Star box. Victorious at a 76.5 percent clip, Cantello led the Mids to 37 wins over the Black Knights in his 50 years in charge. The program's most successful run came between 1973 and 1986 when the team won 13 straight head-to-head contests versus its service academy rival.
Navy runners found a host of success with Cantello's guidance as 10 student-athletes earned All-America status in cross country and/or distance track events. Four of those Mids were multi-time All-Americans: Ronnie Harris (1985 – XC, 1987 – 3K and 5K); Greg Keller (1992 – Mile & Steeplechase, 1992 – XC, 1993- Mile & Steeplechase); Jon Clemens (1997 – Indoor 5K, 1997 – Outdoor 3K & Steeplechase) and John Mentzer (1997 – Indoor 5K, 1997 – Outdoor 10K, 1998 – Outdoor 10).
Additionally, Harris (1988, 1992, 1996) and Mentzer (2008) were two of the six Midshipmen to have competed at the United States Olympic Track & Field Trials under the direction of Cantello. James Dare (1968, 1972), Mark Newman (1996, 2000, 2004), Aaron Lanzel (2004) and Erik Schmidt (2004) make up the complete list of Cantello's Midshipmen distance athletes to have competed for the right to wear the Red, White and Blue in Olympic competition. Dare qualified for Team USA as an alternate in 1972, while Harris qualified for the team in 1996.
At the Patriot League level, three Midshipmen won the individual league championship a total of five times with Andrew Hanko finishing first in 2009 and 2010 and Lucas Stalnaker achieving the feat in 2015 and 2016. Steve Schroeder won the title in 2014.
A valued member of the track & field program, Cantello was an assistant coach with the Mids from 1968 through 1980 before taking over as head coach from 1981 to 1988. Beginning with the 1989 season, he moved back to an assistant coaching role. As the head coach of the Mids' track and field team, Cantello collected 12 N-Star victories over Army. Cumulatively, he won 49 N-Star wins over cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field. Adding in 51 victories as an assistant coach, Cantello reached the 100-Star milestone with the men's 102-101 win at West Point on April 7, 2018.
As a result of his teams' success, Cantello was recognized as the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year four times (1984, 1985, 1992, 2016), NCAA Mid-Atlantic Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and Patriot League Coach of the Year eight times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). In December of 2013, he was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame.
Residing in Annapolis from 1963 until his passing, Cantello leaves behind a rich tapestry of memories. Preceded in death by his parents, siblings, son Albert Anthony Cantello Jr., and his wife Jackie, Al's legacy lives on through the love he shared with his family and for his job.
Let us remember the way Al illuminated a room with his quick wit, his passion for coaching, his commitment to the USNA track and cross country program, his undying passion for La Salle University, his fierce competitive spirit, and his profound love for his family.
Albert Cantello Sr. is survived by his daughters, Karla McMahon (Michael McMahon) and Karen O'Kane (Gerard O'Kane), daughter-in-law Nancy Cantello, and his cherished grandchildren: Charles Cantello, Samuel Cantello, Kellen McMahon, Koby McMahon, Kylie McMahon, Brendan O'Kane, and Audrey O'Kane.
A visitation to celebrate Albert Cantello Sr.'s life will be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Kalas Funeral Home (2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, Md.), followed by a celebration Mass at St. John Neumann (320 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, Md.) on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 10:30 am. There will be a reception following the funeral in the Vice Admiral Lawrence N* Room at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Al's journey unfolded as an outstanding swimmer and diver during his youth. His true athletic calling was revealed through a chance encounter with javelin throwing in high school that led to a remarkable career on the Norristown High School Track and Field Team.
Upon high school graduation, neighborhood friend and decorated Olympic Swimmer, Joe Verduer, recognized Cantello's collegiate potential. With his encouragement, Al left his Norristown factory job and pursued higher education at La Salle University.
Cantello was a standout member of the La Salle track & field team from 1951-55, where was a two-time All-American in the javelin. He was enshrined in La Salle's Hall of Athletes as a charter member, as well as the Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame and Penn Relays Wall of Fame for his individual success.
Upon his graduation from La Salle, Al joined the Marine Corps, where he served for 10 years. It was here that his life continued to thrive as his athleticism took him to countless meets around the world competing in continents he only dreamed about.
A world-class competitor in the javelin throw, Cantello once held every national and international record in the event. In 1959, he set a world record in the javelin (282 feet 3 inches) and the following year he competed with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1960 Games in Rome. In 1964, Sport magazine named Cantello to its all-time track and field team and voted him the world's greatest competitor in the javelin.
Cantello will go down in javelin history for having one of the most unique throwing styles in the history of the sport. His versatility as an agile, all-around athlete became evident as he transitioned his diving and gymnastics talents into the nimble success behind his distinctive throwing style. As a smaller-sized thrower, standing at 5 '8", Al would "run up" to the throw and catapult his entire body into the air as the javelin took flight, generating heightened momentum for his instrument.
It was also during this period of competition that he was introduced and later married his wife Doris Jacqueline Brownlee (Jackie) in an intimate ceremony at Quantico, Virginia, 1960. They would remain together, raising three kids, until her death in 2014.
Cantello took a job at Methacton High School in his hometown of Norristown, where he applied his creative wordsmith talent and competitive spirit as both an English teacher and track & field coach.
Cantello's life continued with possibility as he later accepted a coaching position at the Naval Academy. This marked the beginning of his coaching legacy.
Cantello, who retired from coaching on August 30, 2018, served as Navy's head cross country coach for 50 years.
During his time working with Midshipmen athletes, Cantello collected a combined 49 N-Star victories over Army as the head coach of cross country and track & field programs.
"Coach Cantello has influenced so many lives throughout his career, it is impossible to comprehend his influence on so many people," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "As an educator, coach, inspirational leader and friend, the legacy he leaves behind is immeasurable. Those privileged to have benefited from his insights, wisdom, and humor truly know how extraordinary he was as a husband, father and coach. Everybody has an Al Cantello story and those stories will be a cherished memory forever."
A legend in the field of cross country and track & field, Cantello took over the reins of the Navy men's cross country program from Jim Gehrdes in 1968. Only the fourth head coach in the storied 95 years of Navy men's cross country, Cantello almost immediately found success with the Mids and led the team to a shared 1972 Heptagonal Championship and a berth in the NCAA Championship meet. Competing at the Heptagonal Championships through 2002, Cantello and the Mids earned outright titles in 1974, 1992 and 1996. Overall, Navy finished in the top three on 21 occasions, including every year from 1978 through 1986 under Cantello's leadership.
After joining the Patriot League in 2003, Cantello and the Mids asserted their dominance on their new conference mates with four second-place finishes over the first-five years before running off eight Patriot League Championships in nine years from 2008 through 2016.
The program's success at the conference level carried over to the national scene with 12 total appearances at the NCAA Championships. Following the program's first NCAA appearance in 1972, the Mids competed at the 1974, 1975, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 2016 and 2017 championships. The 1985 team recorded the highest finish for a Midshipmen squad, as they placed seventh overall in the nation.
Aside from Navy's postseason accolades, Cantello made sure the Mids were nearly always in line to check the Army-Navy Star box. Victorious at a 76.5 percent clip, Cantello led the Mids to 37 wins over the Black Knights in his 50 years in charge. The program's most successful run came between 1973 and 1986 when the team won 13 straight head-to-head contests versus its service academy rival.
Navy runners found a host of success with Cantello's guidance as 10 student-athletes earned All-America status in cross country and/or distance track events. Four of those Mids were multi-time All-Americans: Ronnie Harris (1985 – XC, 1987 – 3K and 5K); Greg Keller (1992 – Mile & Steeplechase, 1992 – XC, 1993- Mile & Steeplechase); Jon Clemens (1997 – Indoor 5K, 1997 – Outdoor 3K & Steeplechase) and John Mentzer (1997 – Indoor 5K, 1997 – Outdoor 10K, 1998 – Outdoor 10).
Additionally, Harris (1988, 1992, 1996) and Mentzer (2008) were two of the six Midshipmen to have competed at the United States Olympic Track & Field Trials under the direction of Cantello. James Dare (1968, 1972), Mark Newman (1996, 2000, 2004), Aaron Lanzel (2004) and Erik Schmidt (2004) make up the complete list of Cantello's Midshipmen distance athletes to have competed for the right to wear the Red, White and Blue in Olympic competition. Dare qualified for Team USA as an alternate in 1972, while Harris qualified for the team in 1996.
At the Patriot League level, three Midshipmen won the individual league championship a total of five times with Andrew Hanko finishing first in 2009 and 2010 and Lucas Stalnaker achieving the feat in 2015 and 2016. Steve Schroeder won the title in 2014.
A valued member of the track & field program, Cantello was an assistant coach with the Mids from 1968 through 1980 before taking over as head coach from 1981 to 1988. Beginning with the 1989 season, he moved back to an assistant coaching role. As the head coach of the Mids' track and field team, Cantello collected 12 N-Star victories over Army. Cumulatively, he won 49 N-Star wins over cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field. Adding in 51 victories as an assistant coach, Cantello reached the 100-Star milestone with the men's 102-101 win at West Point on April 7, 2018.
As a result of his teams' success, Cantello was recognized as the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year four times (1984, 1985, 1992, 2016), NCAA Mid-Atlantic Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and Patriot League Coach of the Year eight times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). In December of 2013, he was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame.
Residing in Annapolis from 1963 until his passing, Cantello leaves behind a rich tapestry of memories. Preceded in death by his parents, siblings, son Albert Anthony Cantello Jr., and his wife Jackie, Al's legacy lives on through the love he shared with his family and for his job.
Let us remember the way Al illuminated a room with his quick wit, his passion for coaching, his commitment to the USNA track and cross country program, his undying passion for La Salle University, his fierce competitive spirit, and his profound love for his family.
Albert Cantello Sr. is survived by his daughters, Karla McMahon (Michael McMahon) and Karen O'Kane (Gerard O'Kane), daughter-in-law Nancy Cantello, and his cherished grandchildren: Charles Cantello, Samuel Cantello, Kellen McMahon, Koby McMahon, Kylie McMahon, Brendan O'Kane, and Audrey O'Kane.
A visitation to celebrate Albert Cantello Sr.'s life will be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Kalas Funeral Home (2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, Md.), followed by a celebration Mass at St. John Neumann (320 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, Md.) on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 10:30 am. There will be a reception following the funeral in the Vice Admiral Lawrence N* Room at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Wikipedia outlines Knute Hjeltnes' career
Knut Hjeltnes (8 December 1951 – 17 January 2024) was a Norwegian college coach and track and field athlete.
Biography[edit]
Hjeltnes, who was born in Øystese, won 20 Norwegian national championships: 11 in discus throw, in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980–84, 1986, 1988, and 1989; and 9 in shot put, in 1975–1978 and 1980–1984.
Hjeltnes was ranked 2nd through 7th in the world in the discus for twelve years from 1976 to 1988.[1] He still holds the Norwegian national record in discus with 69.62 meters (228 feet, 5 inches), achieved in 1985.[2] He also had a personal best shot put of 20.55 meters (67 feet, 5 inches), achieved in 1980.[3]
Hjeltnes was a four-time Olympian in the discus (1976, 1980-boycott, 1984, 1988). His best Olympic placings were 4th place in 1984 and 7th place in 1976 and 1988. He narrowly missed the podium in 1984, throwing only 18 cm short of John Powell's bronze medal throw. His best World Championship placing was 9th in 1983. His best European Championship placing was 4th in 1986.
Hjeltnes attended Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College),[4] Penn State University, and Brigham Young University. He earned multiple All-American accolades in shot put and discus while attending Western Maryland and Penn State. While attending BYU, he was coached by Jay Silvester, an American discus legend and former world record holder.
Hjeltnes was ranked #36 on the world all-time list for discus.[5] As a masters-level athlete, he has an all-time world ranking of 8th in the men's 35-39 age class.[6]
Hjeltnes coached at the NCAA Division I level for about 20 years, producing a number of All-Americans and conference champions. Hjeltnes coached athletes at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY from 1999 until 2013. While coaching at USMA West Point, his athletes produced 40 Patriot League Championships, 3 NCAA All-Americans, 30 NCAA Regional Qualifiers, and 2 Academic All-Americans.[7] Hjeltnes was hired as the throws coach at Auburn University in 2013.[8][9] He retired from full-time coaching at the end of the 2016 outdoor season.
Hjeltnes tested positive for anabolic steroids at Oslo's Bislett Stadium on July 6, 1977, and at the European Cup in Helsinki in August, 1977, and was suspended "indefinitely." The suspension was reduced to one year on appeal, allowing him to participate in the 1978 European Championships.[10] He continued to compete internationally for another 10 years and was doping-tested at all national and international competitions more than 100 times throughout his career. He was the first Norwegian ever to test positive. Hjeltnes publicly admitted to doping and claimed that almost everybody at the Olympic level used some form of doping during the 1970s. Knut also cooperated with Jan Hedenstad to write a book, called Dopet ("Doped"), published in 1979 (ISBN 8205120021).[11]
Hjeltnes died on 17 January 2024, at the age of 72.[12]
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