Needham resident John Normant, boys indoor and outdoor track coach at Boston College High School, was inducted into the MSTCA Coaches Hall of Fame on Sunday, May 2 in a ceremony at the Lantana Restaurant in Randolph. A successful track athlete in his own right as a student at BC High and Boston College, Normant returned to his alma mater to coach in 1968. In his four-plus decades at the helm of the team, he has led the Eagles to consistent success, including a Division 1 state indoor championship in 2009. He was also named the Boston Globe’s Division I Coach of the Year last season. “Being recognized and honored in this way by your peers is among the highest compliments one can receive,” said Normant. “It is a validation of the time and effort put into trying to develop whatever level of talent our student athletes possessed.” As a BC High graduate (class of 1964), a teacher, and coach at BC High for so many years allows Normant to look back on a long line of legendary BC High coaches who mentored him as an athlete and a coach. “It gives me a unique perspective,” he said. “It allows me to attempt to pass on my enthusiasm for track and the lessons learned in sportsmanship, competition, and self discipline that I acquired from role models such as my high school coaches Fr. Don Barry (’52) and Bill MacNeil, and my mentor as young coach, Fr. Larry Corcoran (’50). The realization that I will be grouped with so many coaches whom I admired, respected, and learned from over the years is truly very special to me.”
Inducted: 2010