The Class of 2006

Lou Korcoulis Bob Brennan John Eastman Boo Morcom

Coach Elias C. (Lou) Korcoulis: His love for cross country and track and field started in the 1950’s as an outstanding runner for the Manchester Central Little Green. After graduation from Keene Teacher’s College in 1962, he went on to a teaching and coaching career in the Hollis and Brookline school system. After 41 years, the man known as “Coach” is the only head coach the high school has ever had. Coach’s positive spirit and inexorable desire to help student athletes achieve goals, are hallmarks of his coaching greatness.

Korcoulis started the Boy’s Cross Country program in 1965, and won his first of many championships in 1968. The school was competing in Class S at the time. Next were the Boy’s Spring Track and Field team in 1968 followed by the Boy’s Indoor Track and Field team in 1970. He started the girl’s programs in 1975 with Spring Track and Field. In 1978 Girl’s Cross Country came into the picture, and Girl’s Indoor Track and Field in 1981. The Coach and his teams have gone on to take the state by storm, establishing a standard of excellence and a record of achievement that is second to none.

A rundown of the Lou Korcoulis coaching years is as follows:

Boy’s Cross Country: Class S champions – 1968; Class M Champions - 1970, 71, 73, & 83. Class M & S Champions – 1984.

Boy’s Spring Track & Field: Class M & S Champions – 1980, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86. Runner-up – 1975.

Boy’s Indoor Track & Field: Class I, M, & S Runner-up - 2001

Girl’s Indoor Track & Field: Class I, M, & S Champions – 2001, 02, 03, 04, & 05. Runner-up – 2006.

Girl’s Outdoor Track & Field: Class M & S Champions – 1984, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 2002. Runner-up – 1979, 1986, 1993, 97, 99, & 2001. Class I Champions - 2004. Runner-up – 2003.

Coaching Honors Include:

1989:

• NH Boy’s Outdoor Track Coach of the Year

• Region I Coach of the Year; one of 8 finalists for National Coach of the Year

• Nashua Telegraph Coach of the Decade

1990:

• New Hampshire Coaches Hall of Fame

• Coach Korcoulis Scholarship Fund established for Hollis/Brookline High School

1991/92:

• Coaches Award for the Manchester Union Leader

2000:

• Girl’s Indoor Track Coach of the Year

2001:

• Inducted into the New England Coaches Hall of Fame and the only active coach ever to receive this honor

• Coach Korcoulis Day at Hollis/Brookline High School

Coach Lou Korcoulis is the only coach to win a state championship in 5 different decades.

Bob Brennan

Robert T. Brennan: Coach Brennan is forever remembered for his belief of "Superior Attitude, Superior State of Mind." He was the head track coach at Monadnock Regional High School for 27 years. During those years he not only coached his athletes he also coached parents, community members, and anyone who wanted to better their lives through fitness. He spent countless hours on the track and in the weight room to help and inspire anyone and everyone to strive and achieve their own personal goals. Coach Brennan guided seven teams to state championships in his tenure. He led the boys track team to six consecutive undefeated years in the early nineties, winning 187 dual meets, and six straight Class I Championships.

Coach Brennan has left an undeniable mark not only on the Monadnock Region, but on the New Hampshire Track family as a whole, as he promoted everyone to improve their own life through personal fitness. As stated one of his favorite sayings - "Superior Attitude, Superior State of Mind." Many of his teams had T-shirts made with that saying on it. Bob won the students minds and hearts as much as anything. He was universally respected by students, peers, and administration. It was his incredible charisma with the students that kept the athletes coming to him and allowed Monadnock to win. He trained them from Kindergarten through College. Also, he could physically do anything he asked his athletes to do and would always go the extra mile, hour, or effort for his kids.

John Eastman

John Eastman started coaching track and field at Kearsarge High School in the early 1970’s. During his almost 30 years at Kearsarge he led his teams to four different runner-up titles, including both the boys and the girls second place finishes in 1980. John Eastman was a pioneer for girls’ pole vault in New Hampshire. He began coaching the girl’s vault years before the state adopted the event in the mid 1990’s. John retired from teaching English and coaching track and field at Kearsarge High School in 1998, and made the to Souhegan High school as their head track and field coach where he is still inspiring athletes today.

Eastman has coached many great athletes who have gone on to compete in college, including the Canuto twins, who were two of the top vaulter’s for the University of New Hampshire; Throwers such as Ann Johnson, and Karen Wenmark; and former Dartmouth jumper/hurdler Mary Mulcahey.

John Eastman is a man who truly loves his sport. He has traveled the world to witness Olympic Games and World Championships. He sits on the NHIAA outdoor track and field committee and helps guide the direction of New Hampshire track and field. If it were not for dedicated people like John Eastman then Track and Field in New Hampshire would not be as popular or successful as it is.

Richmond "Boo" Morcom

Richmond "Boo" Morcom's first brush with fame--not to mention a famous person--came early. At the age of 19, he had already set the record for the highest pole vault in the state of Maine. He also had a trademark for high jumping with one shoe on and one shoe off and thus became known as "The Barefoot Boy." Before he knew it, the barefoot boy was pole-vaulting across Canada in a series of charity exhibitions with three other athletes--one of whom was none other than Babe Ruth.

Morcom entered UNH in 1940, served in World War II for three years and finished his degree in biology at UNH in 1947. An intercollegiate champion in the long jump, high jump and pole vault, he set a UNH record in the long jump that still stands today. As a sophomore, he won the national indoor championship in Madison Square Garden.

In 1948, Morcom competed in the Olympics in England. Although he was disappointed by his performance there, a week later in Belgium he bested the winning vault at the Olympics by six inches. In 1949, he took a job coaching and teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, ending his Olympic career. But his life of competition was far from over.

During 35 years of teaching physical education and coaching track at Penn, he often participated in college meets, and when the first international master's track and field competition for athletes over 40 was held in 1971, Morcom had found a new outlet for his competitive spirit. He began racking up records around the world, and became something of a celebrity. He appeared on the Bob Hope Show and met famous athletes like Jesse Owens, Wilt Chamberlin and Jackie Robinson.

In the heyday of his master's career--around the age of 65--Morcom could pole vault to 12'6," which was "as high as any New Hampshire high school boy could do at the time," he notes proudly. "I also used to run a couple of miles every day--sometimes so fast that people literally stopped to see if everything was all right. They thought there was an earthquake or fire or something." When you're going that fast, life can almost become a blur! I would go to Canada, set a record, come home," he recalls. "My wife would have my bag packed, and 12 hours later I was in South America talking to Eva Peron." By way of explanation, he adds, "It's the energy thing."

He has applied that energy to a number of pursuits. As a coach, he is particularly proud of opportunities he gave to girls and blacks at a time when the playing field was far from level. He started a high school girls' track team in 1954, and saw to it that poor minority high school students could use the Penn athletic facilities. Morcom also coached the U.S. women's pole-vaulting team in the 1956 Olympics. "I've been to the games as an athlete, a coach and a spectator," he said in 1989. "Without a doubt, the best way to go is as a coach. You're into everything, part of everything, but without that terrible, terrible anxiety."

Morcom toured with Babe Ruth in Canada: Pole vaulting and signing Autographs to raise Money for the Naval Relief fund He was the world champ in the pole vault when he was 20 years old 13'6". He still holds the Indoor record in the long jump at UNH, 23’8", the record is over 60 years old.

Morcom was the first person to Pole Vault at the North Pole. He finished second in the World Championship Decathlon in 1989 in his age group. When he was 79/80 he was still pole vaulting 9 feet, which was an age graded conversion equal to 18 feet. Morcom has held many world records in events like the discus, long jump, pole vault in the senior athletes competition. In 1997, he was inducted in the USATF Hall off Fame.

Now 85 and living in Sunapee, N.H., he just retired from coaching track at Kearsarge Middle School in nearby New London. Four years ago, Morcom decided to stop pole-vaulting competitively. He doesn't seem to miss the fray: "I went to 105 different countries. I won records everywhere. I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt and caught malaria," he explains with a laugh. Now he's turned his attention, energy and competitive drive to producing artwork using paint, pastels and found objects. He goes to art shows instead of meets, and he's won a number of ribbons.

Still, there's one more meet he's looking forward to. "When we get to heaven, we'll have a track meet," he says with a smile. "And everybody will be young and strong." (Most of this is from the UNH Alumni Magazine)