Thain Jones, long-time track & field and cross country coach at Little Chute and Freedom, has decided to retire after nearly 50 years of coaching.
His son, Brendan Jones, put together a video tribute to honor the achievements and success that Thain has accomplished during his time as a coach.
According to the video, Thain has been running since he attended Wautoma High School, where he graduated in 1970 and went on to run at Eau Claire College. In his time running there, he became the first four-year cross country letterman in Blue Gold history.
Because he had such a love and passion for running, he didn’t want his track & field and cross country involvement to come to an end when he graduated from college. So when he did graduate, he landed his first cross country head coaching position at West Side High School in Gary, Indiana in 1976. In 1978, Thain volunteered at Berlin High School where he trained with the cross country team that went on to win the state championship that year.
Later on, Thain became the head coach at Little Chute in 1980, where his teams went to four straight state meets, finishing second in 1983.
In the tribute video made by his son Brendan, many of Thain’s former athletes that he coached over the years chimed in on their experiences with Thain as their head coach, giving thanks and congratulations for his achievements and his decision to retire.
“You inspired me, you found a way to get me involved. Make me a part of the team and really boost my confidence in myself and everything I did. Running really is a springboard for a lot of things that I accomplished in life. Make me a part of your I’ll say legacy because surely you have done marvelous things with your teams and done very well,” said Paul Bons who ran for Little Chute Track & Cross Country in 1980-84.
Margaret Mason, who was one of Thain’s running clients for over 35 years said, “He has a way of making everyone feel like a champion.”
In 1987, Thain became the head boy’s track & field coach at Freedom High School, and in 1999 he returned to coaching cross country as well for Freedom’s boy’s and girl’s teams.
Sam Hinz, a Freedom track and cross country athlete from 2011 to 2015 said, “You had an amazing impact on mine, and so many other athlete’s careers and lives. You pushed us to be our best and to realize our full potential.”
When he was 71 years old, Thain shared that the thought of retiring came in and out of his mind from time to time, but he never really seriously considered doing so. Now, he has made the decision that this is as good of a time as ever to move on, but he explained that coaching will always be in his blood.
At the end of the tribute video, a quote from Thain came up on the screen, reading:
“If all I accomplished was to enable them to run faster and farther, I have failed them, missing out on the opportunity to make a real difference in their life, not only in our time together, but well beyond in the years to come. Winning championships was special, by all means, but knowing I had a part to play in the joy and satisfaction they felt in their accomplishments, was the real reward for me, and the one that gave me the greatest sense of fulfillment and satisfaction as their coach.” – Thain Jones
