Homestead's Dick Shenfeld has coached nine state champions, two national champions and countless all-stars in his 39 years as a track and cross country coach. But to fully comprehend his devotion to the sport is to hear him recall one of his most fulfilling moments.

“We had a boy several years ago,” Shenfeld begins. “All he ever wanted to do was break 6 minutes in the mile before he graduated. We were down to the last meet and it was a very windy day. I didn't think he had a chance. But three of his (faster) teammates paced him and blocked the wind for him and he did it. I'll never forget that.”

Note that many sixth-graders break 6 minutes in the mile and the best miler Shenfeld ever coached, Louie Klump, ran a 4:14. Talk about coaching perspective.

Friday night, Shenfeld will be inducted into the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. Shenfeld's induction bio shows why: He coached 90 athletes to the state meet (43 earning all-state honors), 10 sectional championship teams, one regional championship team and three teams that finished in the state's top 10

In a career of nearly four decades, Shenfeld doesn't consider those numbers his legacy. Instead, he has a different take.

“I've been very fortunate to coach some really talented kids,” Shenfeld said. “I've had a discus thrower (Gregg Hart), a half-miler (Brock Smith) and a pole vaulter (Hunter Hall) all win state titles. And I had a hurdler (Will Luzar) get second.

“After each kid I got this reputation as a great coach for that event. Then I'd get invited to speak at conventions on what it takes to coach a state champ in that particular event. Like I'm suddenly an expert? I (would) just stand there and say: Get out of the kid's way!”

Of course, it's more than just getting out of a kid's way, especially at the high school level. Shenfeld can't deny his eye for talent and, when pressed, admits this.

“You recruit the hallways to get kids to come out for track and then they think they know what their best event is,” Shenfeld says. “Many times I talked a kid into trying a different event and the kid became a success. I guess it's a knack for knowing where to put a kid so he can optimize his potential.”

Shenfeld says the best example of that may be Hart, a three-time state champ and former state record holder. Hart came out his freshman year as a shot put/high jump athlete. Shenfeld put the shot put and the high jump together and came up with the discus. Two months later Hart medaled at the state meet in the discus. Three years later he was a national high school champ and went on to a fine career at Indiana University.

“Gregg wasn't interested in the discus,” Shenfeld says. “He wanted to be a high jumper. And he wanted to run the 200!”

Shenfeld admits that Hart was good in both the high jump and the 200. But he would have never won a national title in either of those events.

As you would expect from someone who's been around as long as Shenfeld has, he has many great stories. He talks about starting out at Huntertown Junior High in 1969 and becoming friends and rivals with another first-year coach, Larry Yant, then at Village Woods Junior High. Within five years Shenfeld was at Homestead and Yant at Harding, and the two continued their rivalry another 25 years.

“I've been very fortunate to coach against some of the greats in Indiana history,” Shenfeld said. “Like Bill Walker at South Side and Barrie Peterson at Northrop. Those were guys I looked up to and tried to learn from. They were legends. I guess track coaches are different than coaches in other sports. We stand around at meets and try to help each other.”

Now Shenfeld is one of the few remaining from “the old guard.” He's committed to getting his 40-year award (next year) but hasn't decided past that. He'd like to think he's someone the younger coaches look up to as he did to Walker and Peterson.

“There's a lot of great, young coaches in our area now,” Shenfeld said. “(Matt) Parker at Northrop, (Zach) Raber at Carroll, Derek Leininger at Snider and Eric Ade at Bishop Dwenger. I think our sport is in great hands.”

That's right, Coach Shenfeld. Even if those guys can't turn high jump wannabes into national discus champs.