Born in Finland in 1927, Erkki Koutonen came to Fitchburg at the age of 11 and eventually left a lasting impression on the area as a 1948 U.S. Olympian in track and field and later a Hall of Fame high school coach. Koutonen was drafted into the military his senior year and became of member of the U.S. Marine Corps. He received his high school diploma and citizenship papers while serving his country, and later enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1947. As a legitimate athlete in Michigan, Koutonen finished in the national championships in Illinois to qualify for the United States Olympic team in 1948 in London. Koutonen competed in the event called the hop, step and jump, which would later be known as the triple jump. He didn’t medal in the London Games, but Koutonen did become the first Fitchburg Olympian. Koutonen later finished his degree at the Fitchburg State Teachers College, graduating in 1948. His son, John Koutonen, remembers his father not only as a great athlete, but as an outstanding man. “He was very humble,” John Koutonen said. “He was young when he went to the Olympics, so I think he was a bit overwhelmed with it all. But he’d never bring up what he accomplished in conversation unless someone asked about it. He was proud of what he had done, but never wanted to hold it over anyone’s head.” The Olympian got into coaching and was an assistant outdoor track coach from 1957-59 at Fitchburg High. He became the head coach in 1960. In the 1960s, Koutonen had built Fitchburg’s track programs into perennial contenders. The cross country squad was 65-27 during this span, and the 1961 team seized the Class B championship. His squads also won nine consecutive Class A Lunenburg Invitational titles. “He was very patient, a very easygoing guy,” said 1965 FHS graduate Warren Muir. “He had a lot of good instructional qualities that he passed on to the participants. He knew techniques and he got us in shape. He was a great coach and the most kind, patient man I’ve ever met.” The outdoor track teams, under Koutonen’s guidance, completely dominated with a mind-blowing 70-19 record in dual meet competitions. The Red Raiders also won seven North Central Mass. Conference championships and five district titles. Koutonen served as industrial arts and track coach at FHS for 30 years. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Track & Field Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 1977. He was inducted into the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2001. “My father always wanted the athletes he coached to just be the best they could be,” John Koutonen said. “He was just as proud of what they did as he was of what he was able to do.
Inducted: 1977