Newton's law.

Give them something to love and commit to, and they will achieve.

Green may be the word that best describes the youngsters that Joe Newton recruits every year for his cross-country team at York High School in Elmhurst, IL.

But by the time he has finished teaching, motivating, and bonding with them, they will have become part of the legendary Long Green Line that has won 18 national championships, 19 state titles, and 113 conference titles in the 42 years that the little man with the elfish grin has been coaching them.

Joe Newton is everything that a coaching legend should be: warm, caring, idealistic, tireless, driving, and giving.

COACH: At what age and under what circumstances did you first get interested in track?

NEWTON: I remember running at the YMCA on the South Side of Chicago at a very early age. I won the Chicago Sun-Times' 50-yard dash when I was 11 years old, it was 1940, and I got my picture in the paper. My socks went up to my knees and I wore these big old tennis shoes. I was hooked for life.

Because of my speed I gravitated towards track and enjoyed a lot of success at the YMCA, Parker H.S. in Chicago, and then at Northwestern. I ran competitively for 16 years up through college.

I earned 11 letters at Parker playing baseball, basketball, track, tennis and swimming. In the spring I'd run track, then play baseball the next day, and the day after I might play tennis. I think my 11 letters at Parker - now Robeson - is still a record.

COACH: Who would you say was the coach who sparked your interest in the sport?

NEWTON: Rut Walter, my freshman coach at Northwestern, was a major influence. He moved to Wisconsin just after I graduated and won a bunch of Big 10 championships.

Mr. Henderson was a wonderful gentleman who taught gym at the YMCA and he took a personal interest in me. Because of my speed I fell in love with track. When I got older, I found out I wasn't as fast as I thought I was. Mr. Henderson was like a second father to all the kids at the Y. He took a great interest in our lives, encouraged us to do the right thing, and I just bonded with him.

He taught me the importance of getting along with other kids and that everyone had to be treated a little differently. A coach needs to care for his athletes and take an interest in their lives before they will make a commitment to work hard. If athletes don't care, they won't work hard.

COACH: What events at Northwestern did you specialize in?

NEWTON: I ran the 100- and 220-yard dashes and competed in the long jump. My best times as Northwestern's number three sprinter were a 9.8 in the 100 and a 21.4 in the 220. My best long jump was a very modest 22-10.

I was never a big star, but I worked hard. By the age of six, I knew that I wanted to coach and I became very observant at practice. Coaching also gave me an appreciation for the little guy, especially since I was never a big star. Big stars are not always good coaches, as their talent often came so easily. I have always taken great pride in my little guys because I know how they feel.

The competition level at Northwestern shocked me. I had been a high school star and I knew I had to adjust to a new role. I ran the relays, made good friends, and had a lot of fun - a valuable experience for a prospective coach. High school kids have no idea what they want to be, but I knew at a very early age.

COACH: What did you major in at college?

NEWTON: I majored in physical education and minored in history and math and later earned a master's degree in education.

COACH: Did you do anything special to prepare for coaching? Take special courses - go to clinics, confer with successful coaches?

NEWTON: The Phys Ed majors at Northwestern had to take very basic coaching courses.

After college I got drafted into the Korean War and ended up at Fort Leonard Wood where I became the head track and basketball coach. Good fortune smiled at me. I had three Olympians to coach and I intently watched their workouts.

Phil Coleman was a distance runner who later ran for the Chicago Track Club and competed in the steeplechase in two Olympics; Ted Wheeler ran for Iowa and made the Olympics in the 1500; and the third star was a high jumper whose name escapes me.

COACH: Where did you begin your coaching career and how did it come about?

NEWTON: Before leaving Leonard Wood, I called Northwestern's placement bureau and they sent me some job postings. I applied for a teaching job at Waterman, a K-12 school just outside of DeKalb. There were about 75 applicants.

The principal at Waterman turned out to be a Northwestern graduate. When he saw my credentials, I went to the top of the pile. The job was wonderful because in addition to being the A.D., I coached baseball, cross-country, and basketball in the fall, and track and intramural volleyball in the spring.

Two years later I read in the Chicago Daily News that Charlie East, York's A.D. and track coach for 40 years, was retiring. I was one of the 125 candidates who applied for the job.

Ray Hosteland, York's personnel director, was also a Northwestern graduate. He called me for an interview and I got the job. That's why I love Northwestern. The only two jobs I've ever had were a direct result of going there!

COACH: What was the inspiring force at this early stage in your career?

NEWTON: My first goal was to win a dual meet, as York's cross-country program had not won a state title since 1939 and needed a spark. After winning some dual meets, my next goals were to win conference titles, earn a trip to the state meet, then win a state title.

It scares me when I look back after all these years and count 19 state cross-country titles, 18 national championships, and about 230 conference titles in cross-country and track!

COACH: How did your philosophy come together? Was there any special coach you modeled yourself after?

NEWTON: I really loved my high school basketball coach, Eddie O'Farrell. Basketball was my favorite sport, but I couldn't shoot and I was only 5-7. He had charisma, was a tough Irishman from the South Side, and he got the most out of guys.

I never heard a bad word said about him in all the years leading up to his death in 1978. He was tough and demanding but his teams were well-disciplined. I think kids really seek that. They are looking for someone to put the hammer on them. But it has to be positive motivation, not the negative type.

My primary concern as a high school coach is not worrying about sending guys to college, the Olympic Games, or training them for 30 years down the road. My job, and I get a lot of flak over working my kids hard, is to get the most out of the ability the good lord gave them at that moment in their lives.

People wonder how I can be satisfied with kids running two miles in 12 minutes. How are they going to run in college with that kind of timing? I can't wait for an 8:40 guy. I might have to wait a lifetime. I have to work with the guys I get. We're a public school and can't recruit. We have to take the guys that walk in the door.

The Europeans can take a nine-year-old and work him up the ladder. In America, there is no real continuity. My main function is to get the most out of each boy's ability while he's in high school and make sure he has a good time.

COACH: Did you ever arrive at a stage in your career when you realized that you were very good at what you were doing and probably had a big future in it?

NEWTON: I knew I had something special going in 1962 when we won our first state title.

My special thing, I believe, is bonding with my athletes. When they know I care, they will do what it takes to become successful. I learned that early on. You can be demanding and tough, but you have to be fair and caring.

I believe in yelling at the kids when they do something wrong and complimenting them when they do something right. A lot of coaches just yell all the time. Other coaches only compliment. If I get on a guy in practice, I will always praise him before he leaves practice - let him know I am trying to make him better.

I use a little yelling and a little sweetness and try to combine the two. The kids definitely know I care about them. Now they'll listen. I am not trying to demean their character, I'm just trying to make them a better runner and person.

COACH: What track coaches have you looked up to over the years?

NEWTON: Sam Bell, former track coach at Indiana, took me under his wing 30 years ago. He's been a wonderful friend and helped me land some international coaching jobs.

Roy Griak, the former track coach at Minnesota, has also been a very influential figure in my life.

COACH: Is there any specific way in which you work at motivating your teams?

NEWTON: I think the coach has to lead by example. I am 70 years old, but I work out constantly and weigh 157, only five pounds higher than it was in my Northwestern days.

Kids need to feel their coach is committed to working out, which I do six days a week. I still like to feel the pain, to understand what the kids are going through. You can't experience their pain if you are far removed from it.

I once ran every day over a period of 21 years and 24 days, until I hurt my knee and had it operated on. I haven't been able to run since then (1994), but I ride a bike and swim to stay in shape.

I've seen coaches smoke in front of their kids, but I want to lead by example. If I expect them to work hard, they have to know that I'm willing to work hard and make some sacrifices. They have to buy into my lifestyle.

COACH: What do you believe is the outstanding characteristic of your championship team?

NEWTON: We've only had three or four superstars since I've been here. Our teams are noted for blue-collar guys that are well disciplined, are over-achievers and work their butts off. They get the job done and know how to win and finish a race.

We have great team camaraderie and bonding; it's almost like a family. I make a freshman earn his track suit and when he graduates he doesn't want to give it back. He loves that green and white so much he wants to take it with him forever.

You have to understand that track is the least glamorous of the spring sports and is really no fun. That is why I'm constantly recruiting and motivating kids who don't know anything about the sport to come out and try it. If I didn't recruit these raw beginners, I'd never have a good team.

When I get them I keep them. Every year we have 130-140 athletes in both cross-country and track.

COACH: How do you account for the fact that the United States hasn't produced a sub-four-minute miler over the last 35 years? Does it indicate a breakdown in coaching or athletic psyche?

NEWTON: It's the American lifestyle; we're soft. Running is a way of life in other countries, which is why we'll never catch up. For instance, the Kenyans live at 7,500 altitude, have no cars and run everywhere. They're running 30 miles a day! It's a lifestyle. Can you imagine telling an American to run 30 miles a day every day! We drive our cars 50 yards to get a bottle of milk. Until we can redesign our lifestyle, nothing will change.

Plus, American athletes can make millions of dollars playing other sports, so why go out for track? There are only 12 guys in track making all the money. Everybody else is struggling. We have too many other things going on in this country.

In many European and Third World countries, there are two sports: soccer and track. That's all they know. They walk and run to school with their buddies. When it rains at York, we have 30% absenteeism. The kids can't get rides to school or won't walk in the rain.

I don't think the problem is a coaching breakdown, it's a breakdown in lifestyle - in getting great athletes interested in track. If you're going to run 30 miles a week and the Kenyans are running 30 miles a day, how are you going to beat them?

Reviving track in the US is too big a problem for Joe Newton. The sport must be marketed better. We must get it on TV and develop a national coach. We don't have heroes in track anymore. When Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic marathon, Americans starting running marathons.

COACH: How would you go about building a track tradition in a high school?

NEWTON: You have to be a good recruiter, very enthusiastic, have a tremendous work ethic, and have an understanding partner. Your spouse must understand how much time goes into starting and maintaining a quality program.

Once you get a program rolling, you must stay with it every day, put in the time. I come to York at 5:00 a.m. everyday and get home at 7:00 p.m., but I love it. You have to have the passion.

THE NEWTONIAN PRINCIPLES

* Nothing is more common than losers with talent.

* Success is never final and failure is never fatal.

* When we lose, we all lose.

* Wherever we go to dwell, our character goes with us.