Former Iowa State Coach Bill Bergan Inducted into USTFCCCA Hall of Fame

December 12^th was a very important date for many of the nation's top cross country and track coaches. On that day in San Antonio, Bill Bergan (Iowa State), Al Carius (North Central), John Coughlan (Illinois State), DeLoss Dodds (Kansas State), Bob Groseclose (Northeast Louisiana), Tom Heinonen (Oregon), Don Hood Sr. (Abilene Christian), Ted McLaughlin (Southern Methodist University), Bill Moultrie (Howard),Jack Pyrah (Villanova), Deb Vercauteren (Wisconsin Oshkosh) and Gary Wieneke (Illinois) were inducted into the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame. Iowa State's own Bill Bergan was inducted for the mark that he left on not only Iowa State, but the nation as a whole.

While Bill has stated that he may be he out of place by being selected, saying, “I look at some of those other coaches and think, boy, I don’t belong,” the record books seem to show a much different story. At the time that Bill Bergan took over the Iowa State cross country and track teams, no one could have predicted what was to come over the next twenty four years. When Bergan became the coach of the cross country team in 1971, Iowa State had finished in the bottom half of the Big Eight Conference meet for 11 consecutive years and the men’s track team had finished last or next to last in conference for 21 straight years. Things changed fast though under his tutelage. Three years after his arrival, Iowa State won its first Big Eight cross country title in 43 years. In 1981, five years after Bergan assumed the duties of head track coach, the Cyclones won their first conference track championship in 36 years. He didn’t stop there though. Throughout his time at Iowa State, he guided his track and cross country teams to 25 Big Eight conference team championships, as well as two NCAA cross county team championships in 1989 and 1994. The cross country teams also finished as a runner-up at nationals in 1990 and 1991. As Bergan’s successor Steve Lynn put it, “He never quit working. He had the philosophy that if he made anyone better, it made the whole team better.” Along with the team accomplishments, many individuals had great performances under him as well. Bergan coached John Nutall and Jonah Koech to NCAA individual titles in 1989 and 1990. An even greater accomplishment though was that Bergan coached 16 Olympians from six different nations, including intermediate hurdler Danny Harris and distance runner Yobes Ondieki. Harris won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics following his freshman year at Iowa State, and Ondieki won a world title in the 5,000-meter run for Kenya and set a world record in the 10,000 meters.

While Bergan became one of the most well known coaches in the United States for his accomplishments, everything he did was to benefit his athletes. As he put it, “You’re always shooting for championships, always trying to do better. The most rewarding part of coaching is helping young people fulfill their dreams. That gives you a real feeling of accomplishment.” It is apparent that his approach to influencing his athletes has helped many of them accomplish their dreams and much more. This can be seen in current Iowa State cross country coach, Corey Ihmels, who ran for Bergan during his college career. Corey was very appreciative of what he got out of his experience of working with Bill saying “I know there are a lot of Bill’s former athletes out there right now smiling knowing he is being honored. He had a tremendous effect on so many young people and the honor is well deserved.”

Since retiring from coaching, Bergan has still been keeping busy affecting the lives of young people. In recent years, he has been active in the Special Olympics. He and his wife, Karen, who have four children of their own, are the legal guardians of a mentally retarded 45-year-old man. Bergan also owns Championship Productions, a company that produces instructional books and videos.