GOONx19
After 25 years coaching and six state championships, Ted Rupe has decided to retire from teaching and coaching after this school year. Ted won the individual and team state titles for Maplewood in cross country in 1972 before going on to run for Cleveland State. He qualified for the U.S International cross country team on three occasions, was named the Ohio runner of the year three times, still holds the 5k record in Hawaii, and became the first Ohioan to win a major marathon when he won the Cleveland marathon in 1986. Coaching at Maplewood, his teams qualified for the state tournament in 22 out of 25 years, including 20 consecutive years from 1990-2009. He was Ohio Coach of the Year in 2001 and was also chosen to coach Team Ohio in the Mideast Championship Meet in 2003, 2004, and 2005. He was inducted into the Ohio Coaching Hall of Fame in 2003. More importantly, he taught and impacted hundreds of kids each year at Maplewood.
He will likely still organize the six major cross country meets he has put on in the past, as well as his road races, and I'm sure he'll still put on the NE Ohio Cross Country Camp in the summers.
This thread may go unread, but as one of his many former runners and students, I owe more to Coach Rupe than he could ever imagine. He is one of the greatest role models I have ever had, and I thank him.