Dec. 13, 2002
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - USA Track & Field President, longtime official and coach Bill Roe has been named the 19th winner of the Robert Giegengack Award. Roe, who has served as an assistant coach in both track and field and cross country at Western Washington University since 1988, received the award on Dec. 7 at the Jesse Owens Awards Dinner and Xerox Hall of Fame Banquet.
The award is presented annually to an individual "who excels in contributing to the excellence and high standards of the sport." The Giegengack award is USATF's only accolade for contributions not limited to one of the sport's three disciplines - track and field, long distance running and race walking - or to any one of the three areas of consideration - official, coach, and administrator. The award was established in 1982 and named after the former Yale University track and field coach for his half-century of outstanding contributions as an official, coach, and administrator to both the sport and organization.
The founder in 1972 of Seattle's Club Northwest and in 1973 of the Pacific Northwest Association of USATF, Roe's resume includes work in nearly all capacities of the sport as a coach, meet director, clinician, official, administrator and executive.
Roe was a member of the founding USATF Board of Directors in 1979 and became one of three vice presidents in 1988. He has served on the organization's Executive Committee as part of his officer duties since 1988.
The founder and past editor of Northwest Runner magazine, Roe has been a member of countless committees and task forces on the local, regional, and national level.
Roe has been an international team leader or coach nine times and directed the USA team to the 2001 World Cross Country Championships in Ostend, Belgium. He has been rated a Master official and referee since USATF's certification program was founded in 1980. He directs a number of track and field meets, cross country meets and road races each year, including a series of 10-12 summer all-comers meets in Seattle he has directed since 1969.
Roe was born in Seattle and attended Nathan Hale High School and the University of Washington.
