There may be no name more synonymous with track and field excellence than Bob Ehrhart. A true icon of the running world, Ehrhart coached, directed and facilitated the sport in inimitable and revolutionary ways, propelling track and field in the United States to a preeminent place on the world stage.Before he became a master of the track, Ehrhart found a powerful starting line in his time at Naperville Community High School. While a Redskin, he was the archetypal athlete, excelling in football, basketball and track. He earned All-State honors as a quarterback and as a pole vaulter, finishing 4th at the state track meet in 1949 and 1950. Though multi-talented, Ehrhart was especially gifted in track, winning meets and setting countless records at every level. Papers of the time buzzed with young Ehrhart’s high flying achievements and his legend-in-his-own-right coach, John Harshbarger, called him “remarkable,” applauding his consistent performance and calm focus, no matter what the weather, venue or public expectation was. The general, awed consensus from fans and experts alike: Ehrhardt, who began vaulting with the high school squad in the North Central fieldhouse while still in 8th grade, was special.Ehrhart’s skill only grew as he vaulted into life as a Northwestern Wildcat, where he was a four-time Big Ten pole vault Champion. In his senior year, he tied for a Drake Relays title in the event and was named Northwestern’s “Athlete of the Year,” the highest honor bestowed upon a Northwestern athlete. Upon graduation, Ehrhart sought to give back to the alma mater and sport he loved so much, becoming a coach for the program. In his nine seasons with the Wildcats, his cross country teams won the 1965 Big Ten title and placed second in the NCAA national meet.In 1969, the track world changed forever when Ehrhart became the track and cross country coach at Drake University. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs won nine Missouri Valley titles: six in indoor track, one in outdoor track, and two in cross country. The program flourished in his capable, enthusiastic hands, as he coached 77 Missouri Valley Conference indoor track and field champions, the most from any coach in the history of Valley indoor track and field, and 43 individual conference outdoor track and field champions. By the time Ehrhart retired from coaching in 1992, he had coached 23 All-Americans, 12 at Northwestern and 11 at Drake, including 1970 NCAA decathlon champion Rick Wanamaker and standout sprinter Kevin Little, a two-time All-American. Ehrhart’s coaching influence extended beyond the collegiate ranks, as he served as coach for the United States track team that competed in the 1989 World Cup Track championships in Barcelona, Spain, and helped lead the United States Track Coaches Association in both vice-president and president capacities in the early 1980s.While his coaching achievements were legendary and celebrated by distinctions that included inductions into the Iowa Association of Track Coaches, Drake Relays Coaches, and Missouri Valley Conference Coaches Halls of Fame, Ehrhart’s most distinctive legacy came as director of the Drake Relays, a position he held from 1969 until 2000, the longest tenure of any director in the event’s history. Ehrhart built the Drake Relays into one of the nation’s premier track meets, attracting Olympians such as decathlete Bruce Jenner, distance runners Steve Scott and Suzy Favor-Hamilton, and sprinters Carl Lewis, Gwen Torrence and Michael Johnson. Under his direction, the Relays grew from 49 events to more than 100, with participation almost tripling between 1970 and 2000, showcasing a record 9,185 athletes in 2000. Because of Ehrhart’s energy and passion, the Drake Relays had a string of 41 consecutive sellout crowds for the Saturday session, the longest string for any track meet in the world. A tremendous administrator and ambassador for both the Drake Relays and track and field in general, Ehrhart’s larger than life presence touched all who were fortunate to share in his world. As Duffy Mahoney, former St. John’s coach and representative of USA Track and Field noted, “[The Drake Relays] flourished under him. You came to Drake because it was athlete-and coach-centered, and Bob was at the heart of it. He was the constant in the sport.” Respected and adored for his personal touch, Ehrhart forged relationships with college athletes that lasted their entire careers. “Bob was like a father figure to me,” shared Favor-Hamilton in a tribute captured in The Des Moines Register. “When you met him, you fell in love with him because he was a coach. He was part of us.” Kip Janvrin, a decathlete on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, echoed Favor-Hamilton’s sentiments, saying, “He cared about everyone involved in the Relays. He paid attention to the small college kids, the high school kids, and the elementary school kids, not just the elite athletes.”If the cliché reads correctly and the true measure of a person’s worth lies in the number of lives they touch, there will never be another Bob Ehrhart, for even the word “icon” doesn’t seem like enough.