THROWING IN WITH BRUINS

Art Venegas played baseball and soccer growing up, but he got hooked on track and field after watching his first meet.

Three years after immigrating from Tepic, Mexico, a 14-year-old Venegas attended the Sunkist Invitational track meet at the Sports Arena and was impressed by the spectacle.

The event sparked a lifelong passion for Venegas, 47, who has soared from an above-average college thrower to one of the premier throwing coaches in the world. His career reached a pinnacle two weeks ago when he was selected head men’s track coach at UCLA.

“I’ve always told people I’ve been retired for 20 years,” said Venegas, who lives in Northridge. “It’s like people that collect stamps or coins or baseball cards or love motorcycles, that’s the way I am with track.”

His dedication, especially to the throwing events, has helped develop several All-American and Olympic athletes. Whether coaching at Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State or UCLA in the last 23 years, Venegas always had a winning program.

“I think if [UCLA] would have gone with somebody else, it would have been a big mistake,” said John Godina, a silver medalist in the shot put at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and an NCAA champion at UCLA in 1995 and ’97.

“He’s really a great motivator. He’s all about competing and winning, and he really instills that in his athletes. It’s pretty impressive, considering he does it year in and year out.”

Venegas spent 18 seasons as an assistant at UCLA--establishing one of the top throwing programs in the country--before replacing longtime coach Bob Larsen, who retired in July.

Venegas coached Bruin throwers to 26 individual NCAA indoor and outdoor titles. In the 1990s, UCLA throwers won 35 Pacific 10 Conference titles.

“I think he speaks their language,” Larsen said. “His being a thrower, he really identifies with them. He can be a disciplinarian, but at the same time, they enjoy being around him.”

Venegas, known for his no-nonsense approach, said he wants his athletes to expect a lot from him, and in return, he demands a great deal from them.

“He’s not going to deal with people that don’t want to work and don’t want to compete well,” Godina said. “He can have all the fun in the world, but you definitely need to be ready to compete and be prepared to show up when it’s time.”

Venegas went from spectator to participant in high school. Because of his large build, he participated in the throwing events at St. Genevieve High.

He enjoyed modest success, winning league titles as a junior and senior, but was never a state-caliber athlete.

He attended Cal State Northridge and improved in the throwing events, winning two conference hammer titles.

It was at Northridge where his passion for coaching was ignited.

In his first two years competing at Northridge, Venegas said the throwing program was not “hard-core.” That changed when Frank Carl, a former All-American discus thrower for Long Beach State, began working with Venegas and other Matador throwers.

“The change in all of us was dramatic,” Venegas said. “I was intrigued by how much he knew and how well he presented it to us.

“More importantly, I really liked his all-encompassing personality. Not just track as being important, but being part of a group and enjoying the labor. He kind of instilled that in me.”

Venegas, who graduated from Northridge in 1974 with degrees in political science and Spanish, began his coaching career with the Matadors in 1976.

Venegas took over the throwing program and in three years Northridge athletes won three Division II titles in men’s throwing events.

In 1979, he took over the throwing program at Long Beach State. In two years, he coached five athletes who qualified for Division I finals.

Venegas’ commitment to his athletes does not end with the college season. He spends his summers coaching throwers who compete at the national and international levels.

He recently worked with Godina and Seilala Sua at the Northridge track, helping them prepare for the World Championships in Seville, Spain, on Aug. 21-29. Sua, a senior at UCLA, is the three-time defending NCAA women’s discus champion.

UCLA’s coaching staff will remain intact next season, with Venegas continuing to focus on the throwers. Larsen will coach the cross-country team for a final year and work with the distance runners on a volunteer basis.

The idea of ending his career at UCLA appeals to Venegas.

“I would love to do that but we never know what the future holds,” he said. “I’ve put so much of myself into it, it seems to me as long as I’m creative and productive, I want to stay.”