Coach Paul Whitlock

While an outstanding runner in his own right, earning All-American status competing for the University of Tennessee from 1956 through 1960, Paul Whitlock left his mark on the Western Mass running scene as the head coach of Cathedral Cross Country and Track & Field for 23 years.

 

Born in Tennessee, Paul moved to the Indian Orchard section of Springfield and graduated from Springfield Technical High School in 1955.  After competing for, and graduating from the University of Tennessee, he returned to Western Mass  earning his master’s degree from Springfield College. He taught physical education in Belchertown and Ludlow, MA.

And then he became a coach!

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In 1961, Paul began his coaching career at Cathedral High School. During his tenure at Cathedral, his Cross Country teams won 14 Western Mass titles (including 9 consecutive), 3 State titles, a New England Runner up and two Eastern States Championships.  At one point, his teams had a 72 meet winning streak.  During this reign, his teams were led by 5 individual Western Mass Champions including Rick Bourie, who was inducted into the WMRHoF with the class of 2024.

In Track & Field, his Cathedral squads captured 9 outdoor and 17 indoor Western Mass Championships with countless individual titles.

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Beyond all the titles, Coach Whitlock impacted hundreds of runners over his career, many of whom continued to run in college and others who followed in his footsteps as coaches.

In addition, Coach Whitlock coached swimming and was a Western Mass swim official for a number of years.

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He was inducted into the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association’s  (MSTCA) Hall of Fame in 1984.