AKRON, Ohio -- Labor Day traditionally has marked the end of summer. But for Greater Akron running enthusiasts, the third and final leg of the Bill Heideman Memorial Cross Country Series signals the end of summer and the start of the high school sports season.

 

Hundreds of runners, of all ages and ability levels, gathered Thursday evening at Goodyear Heights Metro Park on the east side of Akron.

 

It’s an open meet, a fun meet, covering 5,000 meters, with results compiled, but no team scores kept. For high school runners, that all starts next week.

 

It’s also an opportunity to reflect on the life of Bill Heideman, one of the greatest athletes and coaches the City of Akron has ever produced.

 

“For us at Buchtel, this event is more sacred because he was our coach. He coached me,” said Buchtel girls cross country coach Orlando Green. “I know a lot of people talk about the things he did as an athlete, but a lot of times the things that he did for kids sometimes are forgotten.”

 

A Kenmore graduate, Heideman lettered three years each in basketball and track at the University of Akron. In 1962, and again in 1963, he was named as the Zips’ Athlete of the Year. But it was through coaching that he had such a powerfully positive impact on so many people.

 

“I think about him every day,” Buchtel coaching legend John Scott said. In 1979, Heideman asked Scott to help him coach the Griffins.

 

The rest is history.

 

Together, Heideman and Scott guided 14 straight boys City Series championship track teams, eight district winners and seven regional champions. The Lady Griffs, meanwhile, produced 11 City titles and seven district championships.

 

“He was one of the best guys in the world,” said Hudson boys cross country and track coach Rod O’Donnell when asked about Heideman. “He had a great gift.”

 

Every athlete to have ever competed for Heideman probably has a few stories. Carlos Jones, a state champion two miler in 1992, remembers being scolded once and that it didn’t happen again.

 

“I can remember the color of his eyes,” Jones said. “His eyes turned colors when he told me to get my butt off the van.

 

“He was a fun guy, but he didn’t play around with the guys. He told you how it was. He was very direct. He was intense.”

 

Jones now is the Buchtel boys cross country coach.

 

Sadly, Heideman died unexpectedly in 1993. Scott took over for his mentor and has coached the Griffins to a remarkable record of achievement, including more than 150 All-Ohio athletes.

 

“He gave me an opportunity,” Scott said. “He could have asked anybody to help him coach when he went to Buchtel, but he asked me. He got me back started with running. He made me a part of his family.”

 

Heideman is a member of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches, University of Akron and Summit County Sports Halls of Fame.

 

“An event like this honors what kind of man Bill Heideman really was,” Green said. “For the kids and coaches at Buchtel High School, it’s an honor to have this event named after him and it’s something to be proud of.”