Former Spanish River cross country coach Rick Rothman spent more than three decades building championship teams and developing runners who would carry the sport long after their high school careers ended.
Now, his impact on South Florida running has been memorialized with a permanent honor.
During the 44th annual Spanish River Invitational on Saturday at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park in Boca Raton, officials dedicated the Rick Rothman Cross Country Course, recognizing the longtime Sharks coach whose influence helped shape generations of athletes and one of the region's premier racing venues.
"It was a great honor to cap off a very long and rewarding career," Rothman said. "It's nice to leave a legacy behind."
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Rothman, who was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2006, coached for 31 years at Spanish River.
During his time at the helm of the Sharks program, the veteran coach led his programs to seven Florida high school girls state championships, multiple state runner-up finishes across his boys and girls programs, and over 150 major championships.
The Spanish River Invitational also would not exist without Rothman.
The coach designed and created the course at Boca Raton's South County Regional Park in 2004, and it has since become one of the premier courses in South Florida across multiple levels of competition. The course hosts high school, college, and USA Track and Field (USATF) meets, as well as various regional and national competitions in partnership with the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Among a number of success stories for Rothman, Cassie Henkiel qualified for the Olympic Trials and Melissa Perlman is currently seeking the qualifying mark as an active runner.
"Exciting to see they've carried on their running," Rothman said. "I wanted something to leave behind, but I'm pretty positive that I've left a legacy with my athletes, that some people remember who I was and what I did. It's going to be carried on through the sport of cross country."
When he coached high school, Rothman opened the stage for his seniors to give speeches. So it was a small sense of déjà vu when Perlman stood up to deliver another speech on Saturday morning.
"She gave one of the longest speeches that anybody has ever given," Rothman said about her high-school speech. "She got up and she said, 'Well, I'm not going to give as long a speech as I did my senior year.'"
Perlman was one of many former athletes who returned to honor Rothman. The dedication ceremony doubled as a reunion, drawing former runners, coaching colleagues and friends from across the country. Four athletes from Rothman's first season at Spanish River attended, including Chris Renne from Jacksonville, Will Hart from Delaware, Matt Marks and Brett Basinski.
Rothman might have become a legendary coach, but his first foray into the sport was actually quite pedestrian when he ran at Miami Coral Park High School.
"I actually wasn't that great," Rothman joked. "Being a runner gave me a nice identity and it gave me a sense of belonging. I always joke that I personally, as an athlete, I don't know if I'd make my own team that I coached."
Rothman still plans on staying involved with the Sharks cross country program. Every year, he's the starter for the Spanish River Invitational, and he once again pulled the trigger to send the athletes on their way Saturday morning.
He is also on the executive council of USA Track and Field and the chairman of the Track and Field Hall of Fame, among a number of other responsibilities within the sport. He coached the U.S. men's team at the 2000 International Chiba Ekiden in Japan.
"I'm still involved, I'm just at a point in my life where I tell people, 'I don't want to have to be the same place every day at the same time,'" Rothman said. "I enjoy life, but I'm still involved in the sport that I love."
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Rick Rothman built XC course in Boca Raton. Now it bears his name.
