Ed Styrna

“I never give up on a boy who shows a lot of desire.”

Ed Styrna was known by most as a successful college coach who first coached at Dartmouth in the late 1940s and then coached at the University of Maine from 1956 though his retirement in 1986. Yet, Styrna could easily have been inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame on his athletic accomplishments alone. During the 1940s he was the best collegiate hammer thrower in the nation and one of the top three hammer throwers in national AAU competition. And he accomplished something that no other collegiate field event man ever did: He won the IC4A title in both the hammer and javelin.

Styrna was born in Nashua, N. H., and went to Nashua High graduating in 1939. Although neither of his immigrant parents were active in athletics, Styrna was originally attracted to baseball. But he had an older brother who was an athlete too and, one day, that brother brought home a hammer. Before long Ed Styrna was throwing it around, and pretty soon he was hooked on the sport. Styrna devised his own technique, a heel and toe movement, which he used with success; in later years, this technique was used with success by other throwers. He won the state title in both the hammer and javelin throw and was named to the All-American High School Track Team in the hammer throw. In those days "All America" meant the best in the U.S.

His decision to become a track coach came quite early in life. "Way back in high school I wanted to be a track coach, and I learned everything I could about it," said Styrna in a 1982 interview.
After high school he went on to Seton Hall Prep in South Orange, New Jersey, where his success continued. He set a national scholastic record in the 12-pound hammer throw and was named to the All-American Preparatory Track Team.

In 1940, he entered the University of New Hampshire. His college years were split up due to military service. After two years at UNH, he entered the Army in 1946, and after three years and two months of service time, he returned to UNH to graduate in 1948.

At UNH he set a freshman record in the 12 pound hammer as well as the javelin throw.

His best career throw in the 12-pound hammer was 202 feet. Styrna, who was 6-foot-2
and weighed 180 pounds, won the hammer and javelin at both the Yankee Conference meet and at the New England’s. In fact, he won the hammer at the Yankee Conference outdoor meet five years in a row. Styrna also became the only track athlete to ever win both the hammer and javelin at the IC4A meet in New York. He also won the hammer in the highly competitive Penn Relays.

Perhaps his best performance on a national level was his 3rd place showing in the 16-pound hammer at the National AAU meet. His best career throw in the 16-pound hammer was 177 feet. Again, as a collegiate athlete, he was named to the All-American Track Team and had the best throws of those named to All-America status.

In 1948, Styrna qualified for the six-man final in the hammer for the Olympic team. The meet was to be held in the Midwest, but Styrna, who'd just got out of college, didn't have the money to be able to make the trip. Yet his 3rd place showing in the national AAU meet clearly showed that he was an Olympic caliber thrower.

Although today's throwers are throwing much further distances than did Styrna, that improvement, many ardent observers believe, has been the result of weight training. In Styrna’s day weight training was not part of training in his events.

Styrna's first coaching experience was at Dartmouth where he served as assistant track coach for nine years starting in 1948. Then in 1956, long-time UMaine coach Chester Jenkins retired, and Styrna was asked to take the job. His success was almost instant. In his first three years at Maine his track teams won 17 dual meets against two losses and one tie. In cross country his overall record in his first three years was 24 wins, 4 losses, and one tie.

Maine had been a powerhouse in running under former coach Jenkins, whose 1955 cross country team won the New England’s. Styrna would continue the trend. In cross country from 1956 to 1973, his teams won 58 duel meets while losing 40. His teams won five Yankee Conference titles and three New England championships (1956, 1957, 1959). Styrna's first truly great runner was Dan Rearick who won the New England’s in 1957. Styrna's teams also took second in the New England’s in 1958 and 1963. His 1962 team won the IC4A championship, one of his greatest moments as a coach.

For five straight years starting in 1961, his indoor track teams won the Yankee Conference Championship. In 1964, Maine took part in the first indoor Yankee Conference meet ever held, winning it with 69 points, overpowering even its nearest rival Rhode Island who tallied a distant 39 points.

By 1985, his teams had won 19 state outdoor track titles, and from 1972 through 1986 his teams won 11 state indoor titles.

Over his years of coaching track at UMaine, Styrna won 130 duel meets, losing 52, with five ties. His teams won 30 state championships and six Yankee Conference championships. Not surprisingly, he was selected as New England Coach of the Year in 1959.

Although an athlete's performance comes down to "natural talent, dedication, and hard work," said Styrna. He adds, "I never give up on a boy that shows a lot of desire."

Styrna was always proud of the academic achievements of his track and cross country members and he routinely posted their grades on the fieldhouse bulletin board. "We're proud of our teams academically," he said. He believed that his athletes were students first, and consequently he shunned the idea of athletic scholarships when they first came on to the scene in the 1970s. "Are we in the business of entertainment or are we in the business of education?" he once asked rhetorically.

His service to his sport includes many years as meet director at high school track and cross country meets. He also sponsored many track clinics over the years.

During his professional life, Styrna held many offices including president of the Maine AAU, president of the New England Track Coaches Association, and vice president of the IC4A. He was also a member of the executive committee of the IC4A and of the NCAA Track Coaches Association.

He was inducted into the University of New Hampshire Sports Hall of Fame in 1982, into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, and into the Nashua Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Upon his retirement in 1986, he was awarded a plaque by the New England Track Coaches Association in recognition of contributions to track in New England. On Feb. 19, 1986, the State Legislature of Maine passed a resolution to recognize "a lifetime of contributions to the State of Maine."

Retired UMO athletic director Harold Westerman said of Styrna in 1982, "During the past 25 years that Ed Styrna has been coaching the University of Maine track teams, hundreds of students have had the privilege to experience his excellent coaching. Ed's ability to coach all events in an expert manner has led to the fine record achieved by his teams and the individuals involved."

One of his runners of the early 1960s, Bernd Heinrich, went on to earn his Ph.D., teach at the University of Vermont, and become a world-renown author. In his 40s Heinrich set American and world records at the ultra distances. Heinrich remembers his coach with fondness. "He meant so much to so many of us. I'll never forget ‘Coach.’ He was my biggest inspiration. He was there all day, every day, and he kept me going for all my stay at UMO. Steady as a rock, always a friend, always encouraging, he really cared for us. I could not even begin to imagine my college experience without him," said Heinrich.