Manhattan College track coach lets his past guide the present
RIVERDALE, N.Y. (BVM) — As Matthew Centrowitz’s son, Matt Jr., crossed the finish line of the 1600-meter in Rio de Janeiro, he became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in the event since 1908.
These are the moments parents dream of for their kids, but Matt Centrowitz Sr.’s journey to this point added even more significance to it.
“I was just overwhelmed with emotion,” Centrowitz Sr. recalled of the 2016 Summer Olympics. “There was shock, joy. My daughter was there and we started bawling right away. It was beyond my wildest dreams.”
Centrowitz Sr.’s career started decades before this when he was an elite runner himself. After a phenomenal high school career in New York and one year at Manhattan College, he took his talents to the running powerhouse, University of Oregon. On top of winning a NCAA Cross Country Championship in 1977, he broke the school record in the 1500-meter that was previously held by the late-great Steve Prefontaine.
Despite the exorbitant amount of success at Oregon, Centrowitz Sr. had an even more decorated professional career. He made the Olympic team in 1976, and would’ve participated in the 1980 Olympics had there not been a boycott. Nevertheless, he won gold in the 5000-meter during the 1979 Pan-American Games. He also won four national championships in the 5000-meter, setting the former American record in 1982.
“I far exceeded what my expectations were,” Centrowitz Sr. admitted when talking about if he envisioned his success. “My talent was being able to stay healthy and do a lot of work without breaking down.”
It’s one thing to dream of being a great runner as a youth and to exceed those goals, but Centrowitz Sr. also has kids that replicated this process in spectacular fashion. His two children, Matt Jr. and Lauren, are both professionals, with Matt being one of the best American runners over the past decade.
One might think Centrowitz Sr. was hands-on when introducing them to running, but he emphasized their passion for the sport was more due to the environment they grew up in.
“It was just a lifestyle we had,” Centrowitz Sr. said. “Their mother and I were always active and they wanted to follow that. They socialized with a lot of my friends who were former runners, going on vacations with them where we were always doing activities.”
Matt Jr. and Lauren were naturally introduced to the running world in a way that made them feel comfortable approaching it. Had Centrowitz Sr. coerced them into it, they may have been turned away.
This idea of parents being too involved and ruining their child’s enjoyment of the sport is something Centrowitz Sr. advocates heavily.
“The first rule of coaching/parenting is to not over-coach or over-parent,” Centrowitz Sr. emphasized. “I grew up in an era where parents weren’t overly involved. They worked and didn’t come to athletic events. There’s pros and cons to both approaches.”
Centrowitz Sr. realized he had to balance out these styles with a compromised approach. “Their mother and I would take them to games and we’d go jog ourselves instead of sitting there to criticize the officiating or yelling at our children.”
It was this balanced parenting method, combining the two styles from different generations, that allowed Centrowitz Sr.’s kids to excel thanks to there being a sense of support without the overbearing pressure.
It was necessary for Centrowitz Sr. to correctly fill his role as a sports parent, not only to aid his kids’ potential, but to quell the added pressure that came from their dad’s legacy. Most runners don’t have parents who broke national records in the same events they run in, but Matt Jr. and Lauren did.
Thankfully for them, Centrowitz Sr. was warned about this as a teenager.
“One of my high school coaches told me that when I get married and have children to make sure I put my trophies and medals away,” Centrowitz Sr. said. “I never had anything in my house until they went off to college. My coach told me the reason to do this was because the best feeling a child could have was surpassing their parents. Their trophies and awards were the first ones in the house, not mine.”
By erasing any reminder of his past, Centrowitz Sr. created an environment where his kids saw him as just a dad that would be proud of any running accolade. They could keep striving for bigger things without feeling they’d always be in the shadow of someone.
Centrowitz Sr. hiding his trophies was supposed to create the feeling for his kids that they surpassed him, but it’s fair to say that his son actually did surpass his best feats.
Centrowitz Jr. won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, becoming the best in the world at his distance. This is the ultimate achievement for every runner, and is something Matt Sr. never reached. But more importantly, as great as a legacy Centrowitz Sr. left in running, his son has a great chance to leave an even bigger one.
Centrowitz Sr.’s accomplishments in the running world have led to his newest endeavor as track and cross country coach director at Manhattan College. It’s a big challenge as he’s dealing with athletes at all different levels mentally and physically, but thanks to a vast amount of experience, he’s up for the task.
“Each kid is an individual that we have to create a program for, but that’s the fun part of coaching,” Centrowitz Sr. said. “This is the most dedicated group of kids I’ve dealt with. The stresses that they’re put under are much more serious than before.”
Pairing a group of athletes that have already shown signs of handling adversity with a coach that’s been through it all, is a promising formula for the future of Manhattan running.
