Greeno to receive 1999 Dan Lennon Award
Synonymous with track and field for more than four decades, Rich Greeno was the 1999 Dan Lennon Award recipient. He was the ninth award honoree since the Lennon Award was established in 1991. Green coached at the University of Sioux Falls since 1991. A 1946 graduate of Langford High School and a 1950 graduate of Northern State, his first coaching stint was with Philip High School from 1950-54. He taught and coached at Yankton High from 1954-68 and later coached at Sioux Falls Lincoln from 1968-90. Greeno's resume is filled with many honors. During his outstanding coaching tenure, his teams won 36 conference championships in the Badlands Conference, the Eastern S.D. Conference and the Sioux Interstate Conference. He led his teams to 31 regional track and field titles. Since the formation of the SIC, Greeno directed his teams to 28-of-the-33 SIC championships in cross-country and track. He coached 19 team championships at the state level in cross country and track as well as 76 individual and relay state champions and 13 individual cross country state champions. In 1969 and 1974, he was named the National High School Athletic Coaches Association District 7 Track Coach of the Year and the S.D. High School Coaches Association Track Coach of the Year. Greene was tabbed the Coach of the Year in 1970 by the S.D. Sportswriters Association. He became the first South Dakotan to be named the National H.S. Athletic Coaches Association Track Coach of the Year. In 1998, Greene was the recipient of the Gary W. McQuaid Hershey Track and Field Meet Volunteer Award which is annually awarded to a person who has contributed to furthering the ideals and goals of the Hershey Track and Field Program. Some of Greeno's other honors include serving as the assistant team manager for the USA Track and Field team tour to Europe and Durham, N.C., in 1976. He was selected for the Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd in 1976. Other honors included induction to the Northern State University Hall of Fame in 1976 and the South Dakota Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1979. He was named to the Runner's World Magazine High School Coaches All Star team in 1984. In 1990, he became the first coach selected to the Yankton High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He was named National High School Athletic Coaches Association District 6 Coach of the Year in 1990; National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year for cross-country in 1990; District 12 NAIA College Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1993; South Dakota Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1995; South Dakota Iowa Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year from 1995-98; South Dakota-Iowa Conference Women's Indoor Track Coach of the Year in 1998; South Dakota-Iowa Conference Men's Outdoor Track Coach of the Year in 1998; and the South Dakota-Iowa Conference Men's Indoor Track Coach of the Year in 1999.