Tag Archives: MC1954

2017-Mar-26

http://www.flotrack.org/article/53741-matt-centrowitz-s-memoir-gets-behind-the-scenes-with-olympics-oregon-pre#.WNgT-o4pDog

Matt Centrowitz’s Memoir Gets Behind The Scenes With Olympics, Oregon, Pre
Mar 24, 2017
Johanna Gretschel

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The Matthew Centrowitz of popular imagination is not only the first U.S. man to win the 1500m Olympic gold since 1908 but also a super-human badass who gives us the theatrics we want from a great American sports hero. He won an NCAA title while making a throat-slit gesture at the camera. He’s probably flirted with your girlfriend on Twitter. He even got a fan to tattoo a likeness of his face on the fan’s shoulder. (It was actually the fan’s idea, and Centro told him he didn’t have to do it. But he did anyway. Still.)

To understand the story of the man, we have to take a step back and examine the story of his father, who was the first Matt Centrowitz to earn All-American honors at the University of Oregon, make two Olympic teams, and set the American record for 5K (OK, he’s still the only Centrowitz to do that). The elder Centrowitz–who says that at home, he’s “Matt” and his son is “Matthew”–recently published a book that every self-respecting track fan should read called “Like Father, Like Son: My Story on Running, Coaching and Parenting.” (It’s worth noting that the younger Centrowitz has the quote “Like father like son” tattooed across his chest.)

The memoir, co-written by Nathan Williams and Chris Kwiatkowski, who is Centro Jr.’s former teammate at Oregon and Centro Sr.’s assistant coach at American University, begins and ends with a personal account of watching Matthew race the Rio Olympic Games 1500m final. In between, it details his own atypical journey through life and running. And it was always meant to be that way; he says in an interview that you can watch below that this book is three years in the making and has been an idea in his head for the past 10 years. He just lucked out that his son’s Olympic final gave him a nice conclusion.

So, who is the man that produced America’s top middle distance talent?

Centrowitz was born and raised in the Bronx to an Irish mother and Jewish father in the tumultuous 1960s. His dad gambled. His parents split up, and a junior high-aged Centrowitz turned to the streets, where he spent his days drinking and smoking instead of sitting behind a desk in school. Eventually, his mother moved her kids out to Queens, where Centrowitz discovered the sport that would change his life.

He attended two different high schools, Andrew Jackson High and Power Memorial High, and gained two different mentors, coach Milt Blatt and Brother John Beilen. They helped Centrowitz not only find his gift but also tap into his desire to compete. He would set the still-standing New York state high school mile record of 4:02.7, matriculate at Manhattan College under the tutelage of Frank Gagliano and Fred Dwyer, and transfer to the University of Oregon, where he gained a lifelong friend and mentor in Bill Dellinger and encountered Steve Prefontaine, who had by then graduated from college but was still a rock star-like presence in Tracktown, USA.

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# – # – # – # – #  2017-Mar-26 @ 15:23  

 Donald Costello commented on MNEWS: Matt Centrowitz connection to Alma Mater

    2017-Mar-26 http://www.flotrack.org/article/53741-matt-centrowitz-s-memoir-gets-behind-the-scenes-with-olympics-oregon-pre#.WNgT …

Have no idea what this has to do with Jasper Jottings!

“He would set the still-standing New York state high school mile record of 4:02.7, matriculate at Manhattan College under the tutelage of Frank Gagliano and Fred Dwyer, and transfer to the University of Oregon …”

[JR: I thought this was an interesting connection.]  

Costello, Donald (MC1954)

# – # – # – # – #  2017-Mar-27 @ 09:44  

Donald Costello commented on MNEWS: Matt Centrowitz connection to Alma Mater

 

2017-Mar-26 http://www.flotrack.org/article/53741-matt-centrowitz-s-memoir-gets-behind-the-scenes-with-olympics-oregon-pre#.WNgT …

 

Have no idea what this has to do with Jasper Jottings!