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His last Hurrah Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman After 30 years of coaching track and cross country at Ashland High, Bob Julian announced earlier this season that this year will be his last. Julian says he will pursue coaching at the college level. After 30 years of coaching track and cross country at Ashland High, Bob Julian is stepping down By Don Hunt ASHLAND � The small, kindhearted man with a clipboard and stopwatch in hand jogs toward the finish line to greet and congratulate another one of his runners. It is Paris Edwards, the latest in a long line of standout Ashland High distance runners, and she has just clocked the fastest time in the state for 3,000 meters. By 20 seconds. And Bob Julian knows it. "Great job, Paris," Julian says. "Smart race." It�s a ritual Julian has done for most of the past 30 years as head track and cross country coach at Ashland High. (He stepped aside as the track coach for three seasons in the 1980s before reassuming the job.) But those magical moments with Grizzly athletes will soon end. Julian, 53, announced earlier this spring that this season would be his last as a coach at the school. It�s been quite a run. "The first time I saw Bob was at a cross country meet about 10 years ago," Grants Pass track coach Roger Stewart says. "He walked right past me without saying hello. I thought, how rude of him. And then I realized, he�s so transfixed on his runners that he never even saw me." Julian�s first boys cross country team won the Class 4A state championship in 1971 and his teams have been excelling ever since. "He�s been a huge advocate for cross country and track in Southern Oregon, and it won�t be the same without him," Stewart says. "Bob�s a quiet, humble, unassuming man who never beats his own drum, but he�s one of the top running coaches in the state." Ashland High Athletic Director Jim Nagel says one testament to Julian�s legacy is all the former Grizzly runners who keep competing after high school. "Bob loves running, and he gets others to share that same sentiment for it," Nagel says. "Without a doubt, he�s one of the most caring, concerned individuals I�ve ever been around in the coaching field." Julian, who coached three cross country teams to state titles and guided various runners to individual state championships in track, says he wants a new challenge and will pursue coaching at the college level. "We�ve got an excellent coaching staff at Ashland right now, and I feel comfortable stepping away and letting someone else run the program," he says. "It�s a time-consuming job, and I think it�s time to let someone else have their shot at it." Julian�s last hurrah as Grizzlies coach will come on June 9, when a 5-kilometer run for Ashland High runners � past and present � will be held at Lithia Park. Julian has received commitments from former Ashland standouts such as Jon Pentland, Justin Loftus, Ian Solof, Scott Studebaker, Pete Baughman, Claude Neuenschwander and each of Julian�s four children � sons Bob, 32, Tim, 31, and Pete, 29, and daughter Rebekah, 24. "That�s going to be a fun day," Julian says. "We�re calling it a fun run but some of these guys are still competitive." The event will also mark the return to running for Pete Julian, a world-class competitor who has been sidelined for several months while battling stomach cancer. Pete has competed on three United States world teams � two in cross country and one in track � and was the bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters at the 1998 Pan American Games. "It (the cancer) really set him back, but he�s running about 10 to 15 minutes a day now," Bob Julian says. "He�s on the comeback trail." The older Julian won�t be out of coaching for long. He�s applied for several college jobs and could wind up as an assistant for USA Track and Field. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.