I was proudly one of Coach Lancaster’s runners from 1963 to 1967, cross country and track. I was honored to be his team’s captain my senior year. My career started and ended in the eighth grade when I pulled a muscle in my first 100 yard dash time trial. He sent me home to “rest the leg”. Fortunately for me he followed up on me to be sure I returned to run the next year. I wanted to be an athlete, but I was not a great student. Jerry accepted me as a raw product and invested in me with love, support, inspiration, challenge, and great coaching. He helped me set goals and supported me to work hard to achieve them. He understood he needed to have high expectations, knowing no one can rise up to low expectations. He changed my life, and gave me the confidence, and inspiration to achieve academically and athletically. Coach Jerry helped me land a track scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. He was a man of character and faith, and he knew how to give the best of himself to help others achieve. When things got tough he used his great sense of humor to help us gain perspective and to keep going after the goal. I was so fortunate to have Jerry Lancaster as a friend, mentor, coach, and teacher. He helped so many of us to achieve a better life, and he will be missed. I look forward to meeting up with him again some day, I know where he will be.