The accomplishments of the North Central College men’s cross-country program speak for themselves. Sixteen NCAA Division III National Titles, 27 NCAA Regional Championships, 48 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championships, and 111 All-Americans, all within 50 years.
Entering his fiftieth season as the men’s cross-country coach at North Central College, it seems that Al Carius has a formula for success.
“The coaching staff and I try to look for every little thing that can be positive or supportive within our culture to help people to do what they choose to do,” Carius said. “We try to create the environment and support system to help [the athletes]focus on going out and doing the best they can.”
Despite this formula for success, winning is not the most important thing to Carius.
“Unquestionably, the relationships that I’ve made are the most important thing to me,” he said. “It’s not about developing Olympians; if it’s about building Olympians then I’m a total failure as a coach, and if winning national championships is what it’s all about then I don’t even want to coach.”
Coaches and athletes often stress over winning, but Carius does not. Connecting with his fellow coaches and runners and taking the time to get to know each individual that comes through the program is his main focus.
“I think the number one responsibility of our coaching staff is to create the culture,” said Carius. “It’s like growing a garden; you have to have the right seeds to plant— those are the athletes. The athletes have to have the right attitude. They have to like to run and want to get better, then you have to put them in fertile soil, which is the right environment.”
Aside from personal relationships with his runners, Carius strives to teach lessons to his runners that cannot be taught in a classroom.
“My goal here is to teach these young people work ethic, discipline and how to deal with disappointment,” Carius said. “Life has ups and downs, and I believe athletics can help people learn lessons that will stick with them the rest of their lives.”
Carius’ favorite tradition helps to make sure that the life lessons are not forgotten.
“The number one tradition is the striped shirts that we wear. We implemented that tradition in 1968,” Carius said. “They represent the life lessons and values that have been learned by the runners that have worn them.” North Central’s men’s cross-country team has become a national powerhouse in those striped shirts, but it has taken 50 years to get to this point.
Carius had a humble beginning at North Central, starting off with a rough track and few runners.
“When I first came here, the track here was three or four lanes of cinder with cattails growing and little ponds in it,” Carius said. “I never dreamed it would expand to what it is now.”
“When I started, we only had six cross-country runners, but I wanted them to experience the joy and love of running I experienced being on the University of Chicago track club under my mentor, Ted Haydon.”
Carius’ quest to get to where he is now started long before coming to North Central.
“I came from a small high school, and back then I didn’t know a lot about running. I had to do a lot of research on my own and learned through trial and error,” Carius said. “I had to learn to take responsibility for myself and what does and does not work.”
When he attended the University of Illinois, Carius won five Big-Ten Conference championships: two in cross-country and three in the two-mile event for track and field. He also clocked the fifth fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase time at 8:48 at the Kentucky Relays in 1966.
Carius dreamed of being an Olympian, but it was not in the cards.
“When the Olympic tryouts rolled around, I was going to get married and I wanted to establish a career because back then you didn’t get paid a dime for running,” Carius said.
Explaining that he did not plan to coach at North Central College, Carius said, “I was going to go to the University of Chicago and implement the Foundations of Physical Education Program there when I got a phone call from Bob Wright, who I worked with at the University of Illinois,” said Carius. “He said, ‘a school by the name of North Central College,’ which I’ve never heard of before, ‘called me and said they are looking for a track coach.’”
Coming from a small town, Carius did not like the idea of living in the city, making Naperville a nice fit.
“I came up here and loved Naperville because it was a small town and I liked the campus,” Carius said. “I began as the track and cross-country coach and didn’t think I would stay long, but here I am 50 years later, and I love the place.”
