Just Call Her Coach

As a five-time Olympian, Francie Larrieu Smith never lacked endurance and confidence.

It’s her latest challenge--as men’s and women’s cross country coach for Southwestern University--that unnerves her.

Setting American and world records didn’t prepare her for the rather mundane tasks of scheduling meets or learning to use the university’s phone and e-mail system. But it’s not the technical struggles that concern her.

“The more I think about the coaching aspect the more excited I get. The thing that terrifies me is the recruiting aspect, the budgeting and things like that,” said Larrieu Smith, a first-time coach.

“I need to learn how to get out there and make contacts with high school coaches who have kids that are very academically oriented and want to come to a small school.”

One of America’s most prolific distance runners, Larrieu Smith set 36 American records and 12 world bests, all of which have been broken. Her last record came in 1991 when she set an American mark in the 10,000 meters with a time of 31:28.92 in the Texas Relays.

“Mary Decker Slaney wiped me clean out of the record books,” Larrieu Smith said. “I never really developed a rivalry with her because when she was setting her records, there was no question of who was the best.”

Larrieu Smith was 19 when she made her first Olympics in Munich in 1972. Her last came 20 years later in Barcelona. She carried the American flag during the opening ceremonies in Spain, which she calls her proudest Olympic moment.

A fifth-place finish in the 10,000 meters in Seoul in 1988 was her best Olympic performance.

After she ran the Olympic marathon in 1992, Runner’s World magazine called her the most versatile runner of the last quarter century.

Southwestern, a private Division III school, is banking on those credentials to draw athletes to a small program 30 miles north of Austin that offers no athletic scholarships.

“We try to put the pieces in place to make Southwestern a strong Division III program and she’s certainly a huge piece in making that happen,” said Southwestern Athletic Director Glada Munt.

“She brings a wealth of expertise to our runners. It’s her first coaching position and I get amused because she’s a little nervous. I keep reassuring her she’s going to do a super job,” Munt said.

While the 46-year-old Larrieu Smith might appear to be a candidate for a more prestigious program, she said taking the job at Southwestern was an easy decision. She and her husband, who teaches at Southwestern, have lived in Georgetown since 1991. She’s also working on a master’s degree at the University of Texas.

Southwestern plays 14 sports in the Southern Collegiate Conference but doesn’t field a full-fledged track team. In fact, it doesn’t even have a track, although it’s been raising money to build one.

Larrieu Smith said she has no plans to move to a bigger program but won’t rule anything out for the future.

“At a Division III school we can still get some outstanding athletes,” she said. “I competed for UCLA for one year. I would much prefer a small school.”

Proving she can coach will be just as important as having a world-class career, she said.

Coaching long-distance runners requires knowing a runner’s strengths and weaknesses and developing routines to help them achieve maximum performance, she said.

“Having a name gets you in the door, but it doesn’t give you automatic credibility. I have to prove myself,” Larrieu Smith said. “If I don’t get these kids to improve and have a positive experience, they may hate me as a coach and what good am I? ... I think I can get their attention. I need to earn their respect.”

While her name may mean nothing to many of her runners, her career also could scare off recruits, she said.

“They might worry they can’t measure up,” Larrieu Smith said. “I am so far removed from that world. I truly understand that not everybody is as tremendously gifted as I was.”

Larrieu Smith officially starts work Aug. 15. She has yet to meet with all the members of her teams.

“I’ve sent letters out to everybody introducing myself. I hope everybody will be happy campers when they get here,” she said.

Joe Osterkamp, a senior on the men’s team, said he’s looking forward to running for Larrieu Smith.

“It’s just exciting to have a coach of her accomplishments,” he said. “When I first heard her name, I had somewhat of an idea who she was. I hang out in the athletic department and I hear people talking about her all the time. I know they’re excited, too.”

For Larrieu Smith, coaching is a logical next step in a long running career.

“I got sidetracked with my own athletic career that kept me down that path for many, many years,” she said. “This is the latest challenge as a I try to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.”