History
LAVERN GIBSON
LaVern Gibson was a successful local businessman and life-long resident of Vigo County. He was devoted to his family and the betterment of his community. Among his many contributions to the area was an inspired vision that came from watching his grandson compete in cross country. Mr. Gibson endowed 240 acres of land that had previously served Terre Haute and Vigo County as, first, a coal mine and later as a sanitary landfill to become the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. The vision became a reality in the early 1990s when Gibson enlisted the help of his son, Max; his grandson, Greg, an accomplished distance runner; and two respected cross country coaches, John McNichols of Indiana State University and Bill Welch of Rose-Hulman. They all launched a plan to retool the property for the Championship Cross Country Course that was dedicated in 1997. Mr. Gibson made numerous contributions to the Wabash Valley, but his vision for the land resulted in a world-class facility that has set a new standard for the sport of cross country and put our community on the map as Cross Country Town, USA.
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JOHN MCNICHOLS
John McNichols was the Head Coach of the Indiana State Track and Field & Cross Country programs for 24 years from 1983-2016. During his career, McNichols won 38 MVC Championships, coached 15 NCAA Champions, 10 NCAA runners-up, 113 All-Americans, and 464 individual MBC Champions as well as two Olympians. He made many contributions to ISU and the Wabash Valley including the design and development of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, the Heritage Trail and the Gibson Track & Field Complex. He, along with his wife, Linda, worked tirelessly to make Terre Haute a better place to live.
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WILLIAM M. WELCH
William M. Welch, one of the most legendary track and field coaches in the nation, began his lifelong career as a teacher, coach, and athletic director in Vigo County from 1951-1981, after graduating from Indiana State in 1950. Coach Welch was most notably recognized for his coaching of track and field and cross county. He was named the 1968 Indiana Track Coach of the Year at Gerstmeyer. In 1970, he was National High School Track Coach of the Year as well as Special Coach for the U.S. Olympic Training Camp. He led the Terre Haute North Patriots to the 1972 Cross Country State Championship, marking the first IHSAA Championship in any sport for Terre Haute. In 1968, he was the National Track Coach of Iran. He coached four individual track All-Americans at Rose-Hulman and 22 Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference Track Champions. Co-founder of the Indiana Track & Field & Cross Country Hall of Fame Museum in Terre Haute, his vision and expertise also included being a co-founder of the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
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