Norman L. Witek :::
Norman L. Witek
Graduated in 1963
Inducted in 2008
Norman Witek, a 1963 graduate, attended the University of Tennessee on a full athletic scholarship, where he earned his bachelor and master degrees. He began his career as head cross-country and track coach at Brevard College in North Carolina in 1968. He quickly brought great success to the college during his 19-year coaching tenure. His teams won a record four consecutive National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Cross-Country Championships, as well as the NJCAA Marathon Championship. Additionally, he coached 116 All-Americans. Witek is a three-time National Coach of the Year, member of the NJCAA Hall of Fame and a recent inductee to the Brevard College Hall of Fame. Witek has served students as a professor, athletic director, division chair for physical education, and dean of students. He continues to teach Exercise Science and is the coordinator for Physical Education Teacher Licensure. For his years of service, Brevard College awarded him the Brevard Medallion of Honor in May 2008. He also directs the nation’s largest summer distance running camp at the college. Each year, the camp hosts more than 1500 participants arriving individually and as teams to learn from Witek. He also volunteers his time coaching in the community. His knowledge and motivational skills are legendary, and the numerous All-Americans and individual National Champions he has coached pay tribute to his success. In 1999, Adidas World Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany released the “Brevard” model women’s running shoe in the United States after visiting the summer camp and receiving valuable feedback from Witek and the runners. After several more visits to the camp, Adidas named an updated model of the shoe the “Witek” to show their appreciation for his contributions to the sport of running. The shoe was released in Europe in 2004.