Chuck Lynch
Born: 1955 in Elyria, Ohio
Residence: Sheffield Lake, Ohio
Family: Wife: Sharon. Children: Eric, Jerry, Jessica, Ben and Ryan. 10 grandchildren
Athletic highlights
Elyria Catholic High School (1969-73)
Ran track for four years but didn’t run cross country until his senior year. His presence on the 1972 EC cross country team was pivotal. He helped the Panthers as their No. 7 runner during the season and the team’s No. 5 runner at the state meet where EC finished a close second to Chardon, 105-115, in its state tournament debut
Lorain County Community College (1973)
Ran for legendary coach Jack Wilhelm. Recorded third fastest time in LCCC history, later set school record on LCCC course at 21:43 (four miles)
Tied the 5-mile school record at 27:00 at a meet in Ashland
Qualified for the 1973 NJCAA National Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, finishing 183rd in 20:55
Coaching highlights
Elyria Catholic High School (1976-2020)
1976-86: Cross country assistant, including for 1977 and ’78 Class AA (now Division II) state championships teams during this era. Track assistant
1987-2019: Cross country coach, track assistant
2020: Cross country assistant
Longest tenured boys cross country coach in Lorain County history
1998-99, 2001: North Coast League Coach of the Year
7-time NCL boys cross country league champions
Had 9 runners earn All-Ohio (top 25)
23 teams qualified for regional competition in either Division II or III
5 teams advanced to the state tournament, finishing 11th in 1999, 10th in 2001, 9th in 2008, 2nd in 2009, and 4th in 2010
Halls of fame, special awards
2008: Elyria Sports Hall of Fame
2011: Bob Cline Coach Longevity Award, presented by the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches
Professional experience
1977-96: York International, quality control and as a training specialist, mostly for ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
1998-2018: ALCO Manufacturing in Elyria, quality manager
Also noteworthy
2001-present: Chair for Lorain County Cross Country All-Stars teams
One son, Ben, coached briefly at Keystone, getting his girls team to the 2012 Tiffin regional, and at Midview. Another son, Ryan, is cross country coach in Xenia, Ohio, and also coaches track there. Both ran at college, at Wilmington and Ashland, respectively.
Education
1986: Lorain County Community College, associate of arts degree
1991: Baldwin Wallace College (now BW University), certificate in human resource management
1992: Capital University, bachelor of arts degree in industrial relations
Post graduate studies at Cleveland State University