Simpson retires as
RoadRunners
track coach
By Chronlde Staff
Virgil Simpson, head coach of
the Winston-Salem RoadRunners
Track Club recently announced
his retirement. Simpson has
served as a volunteer coach in
summer track and field for more
than 20 years.
Simpson, often called the
"Godfather Coach" of the North
Carolina TAC (The Athletic
Congress), has been recognized
for long years of volunteer service
working with the youth of this
state. He and his wife, Marion,
t? .
Virgil Simpson
have received coaching and vol- ?
unteer awards from TAC's Region
HI. The East Coast Track & Field
organization awarded Simpson for
10 years of team participation in
their summer track program.
Devaldean Penn, one of
.../ Simpson 's long-time assistants,
replaces Simpson as the Road
? Runners head coach. Penn is a
.r Winston-Salem State graduate
- who is currently a teacher a*nd
coach in the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County school sys
tem. 'Track and field/* says Penn,
"teaches a youngster responsibili
ty and what it takes to get the job
done. That's what life is all
about."
Simpson's summer track
coaching career started in the fate
'60s when he was the
at Anderson High School. It was
then that he introduced his state
track winners to Amateur Athletic
Union (AAU) competition for the
first time.
"My wife, with our two
daughters, would drive her care
and I would drive my car to trans
port those young people around
the state and southeastern region
to compete in the summer AAU
meets," Simpson said. "The
young people were excited and
did very well in the state and
regional meets/*
From those summer months
grew the idea of forming a youth
track club ? the RoadRunners.
Simpson says his goals from
the beginning were to provide
organized track and field in the
summer months to area youth. By
doing so, the athletes developed a
positive self-image, leadership
skills, physical fitness and
endurance. "I've always tried to
stress the importance of giving
your best and feeling good about
it," the coach said. "I also told
them that winners take advantage
of all opportunities that come with
being a winner, always seeking to
improve on the last performance."
But aside from the track and
field aspect, Simpson is proud that
most of his athletes pursue their
education beyond high school. He
says that 99 percent of the young
sters who have come through his
program have attended college,
many of them on track scholar
ships.
Simpson credits much of his
athletes success to his staff of vol
unteers that he has had over the
years. He expresses special thank^
to the coaches along with the
RoadRunners Parents organiza
tions, headed by Bob Chiles, Car
olyn Thompson, John and Lois
Young. The recently retired coach
also expressed his thanks for the
financial support the club has
received from corporations, small
businesses, fraternal organiza
tions, churches, friends and the
athletes' families.
In August 1974, the Road
Runners held their first county
e
wide track meet. The meet was
sanctioned by the AAU and spon
sored by the Omega Psi Phi Fra
ternity and the Winston-Salem
Police Dept. Over 200 area
youngsters competed for medals
and ribbons. Since then, the club
has continued to host a county
meet each year.
In 1981, the RoadRunners,
along with several other youth
track programs, left the AAU
organization and formed the TAC.
This new national organization
was formed to develop a program
geared specifically towards track
and field. Even alter joining TAC,
the RoadRunners continued to
produce champions at the local,
state, regional and national level.
Simpson says that one of his
greatest coaching joys has been
watching his athletes develop as
they mature into young adults.
That's because many of those ath
letes started competing with the
RoadRunners at an early age.
Among those are snanta
Young (sprinter, relay i^inner at
North Carolina A&T); hurdler
Jabbar Bennett who plans to
attend Hampton University in
September; and Chantell Carter
who competed in the 1991 Swe
den Games.
The coach also reflects on the
sixth place finish of long jumper
James Samuels in the AAU
nationals, which was the first time
any RoadRunner competed in the
nationals.
But there's also the three
national championship gold
medals won by Randy Jones,
along with the 1976 girls 800
meter relay team that won the
national title. The foursome of
Vanessa Smith, Sharon Simpson,
Lemelia Johnson and Donna
Matthews still holds the AAU
national record in that event.
Debra Alexander, a Division II
All-American triple jumper at
Hampton, also developeq^ier
skills as a member of the Road
Runners Track Club^-7
While Simpson has stepped
down from the head coach posi
tion, he says he will continue to
volunteer his time as a volunteer
consultant for the RoadRunners
and TAC. "My heart and services
will always be concerned with the
youth of this community," Simp
son said."
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