Dick Atkinson

Dick had a very successful coaching career with cross country state champs with Stetson Arnold in 1972 & 1973, Matt Behl in 1992 and Andrew Pitts in 2001. Over the years, Southwick teams won numerous Western Mass championships in both cross country and outdoor track. Dick was inducted in the Mass State Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986.

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Dick was the founder of the Western Mass High School indoor track league. He organized and ran the non-league indoor meets at Amherst College, UMASS and Smith College for over two decades. In the 2000-2001 school year Dick finally got the high school league officially sanctioned by the state, with the first meet held at Mt. Holyoke College. The league has now grown with over 1,000 student-athletes competing on Friday evenings at Smith College during the winter indoor track season.

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Dick was a long-time track official working many international, college and high school track meets. He helped with the local summer all-comer meets, regional road races and was always at the Springfield Van Horn Park Kids races put on by the Childs family.

 

Dick also competed in the Senior Games doing many events including pole vault, high jump, weight throws and running up into his 70’s.