“You gotta be snotty nose tough!” was so frequently used by Griak during his 33 years as head coach of the University of Minnesota men’s track and cross country programs that it bore the name of the annual team fundraiser, the Roy Griak Snotty Nose Tough Golf Open. The event celebrated it’s 18th year last month in Dellwood, Minnesota, and like always Coach Griak was there, talking to his former athletes, remembering stories that most had long since forgotten. 

“He was remembering stuff from 1950,” former Minnesota women’s coach Gary Wilson said of the icon. “He hadn’t stood up for two minutes in the past month, but he stood there for a half hour and talked to people.”

 

Griak’s storied career at the University of Minnesota stretches back even further than the 1950s. After serving his country during World War II as a part of the U.S. Army, Griak attended the university as an undergraduate, while also earning letters as a member of the track and cross country teams. He graduated with a degree in education in 1949, earning his master’s degree a year later. 

 

After great success at the high school level as a teacher and coach, including two State titles at St. Louis Park High, Griak returned to Minnesota in 1963 to become the head coach at his alma mater. He would remain at his post until 1996, during which he coached 60 Big Ten champions, 49 All-Americans, and three national champions. Upon his retirement from coaching (he stayed on as an administrative assistant), the Minnesota Invitational officially became the Roy Griak Invitational, which today is the largest cross country meet in the nation. 

Roy Griak being carried off after the 1968 Gophers won the Big 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships ©University of Minnesota

The man was a legend at Minnesota, and not just because of his success as a coach, but because he cared. He cared enough to write personal letters to hundreds of alums each Christmas, and on this day, he cared when his declining health was giving him every reason not to.  

 

The 91-year-old’s body was frail and his breathing was assisted by an oxygen tank, but amongst his former Gophers, Griak was doing the same thing he had done for more than 50 years. There he was, supporting the University of Minnesota, being snotty nose tough. 

 

“He loved people and people loved him back,” Wilson said.

 

Last Thursday, Roy Griak passed away at his home in Plymouth, Minnesota surrounded by his family. His death leaves a tremendous void in the University of Minnesota community, due in large part to the incredible character the man had, and his unique ability to draw out the best in those around him. 

 

Perhaps no one at the University of Minnesota knew that better than Wilson, who coached the women’s cross country and track teams from 1985 to 2013. Wilson, a Hall of Fame coach himself, credits Griak for teaching him the right way to do things. 

 

“I wouldn’t have been at Minnesota if it wasn’t for him. He taught me how to do it,” Wilson said. 

 

Griak led by example, and Wilson grew to consider him as a father figure. “He would do anything for you and he loved that. He loved helping people.”

 

The famous cross country meet named after Griak only served to highlight the man’s passion for people even more. Wilson related a story from back in 2010 when he decided to have 1500 Roy Griak bobble heads made for that year’s meet, an idea that Griak himself wasn’t in love with. Even so, Griak’s character shone through. “He sat down at 10 o’clock in the morning and he signed freakin’ bobble heads until 5 that afternoon,” Wilson laughed. “He was revered by everybody.”

 

Wilson cherished the day each year when he and Griak would set up the course for the Roy Griak Invitational, putting up signage all around, making adjustments when needed. Seemingly minor details like the positioning of a sign mattered to Griak, who made a career of attention to detail. But people mattered most, and that’s why Wilson looked forward to this day every year. “That was probably the coolest time of the year for me. We were like a father and son out there,” Wilson recalled. 

 

The meet has grown enormously since the two started it back in 1986, from 17 teams the first year to now thousands of athletes between high school and college divisions. It was Wilson’s idea to change the name of the meet to honor the longtime coach upon his retirement, a small token of gratitude to thank a man who was always there, who “never asked for anything,” according to Wilson.  

 

“The Griak” will charge on this September for its 30th running, but certainly this year will feel much different without the man himself there in attendance. What remains though, is his legacy, the one that made you want to be better. 

 

“We’ve all lost a part of our soul,” Wilson said. “People will honor his legacy by trying to please him. They’ll think, ’what would Roy think of me doing this?’”

 

Here’s to being a little nicer, doing things the right way, being snotty nose tough. After all, it’s what Roy would do.