Ohio track and field has lost one of its staples.

The Buckeye State track and field community is mourning the loss of track and field historian Craig Whitmore who passed away last weekend in his suburban Columbus home after a lengthy bout with cancer.

Whitmore, 71, has been involved with the sport since he was an athlete at Shadyside High and became the first Tiger to advance to the Ohio State track meet in 1955 in 880.

Since that time, Whitmore and the sport of track and field have become synonomous.

Whether it’s through coaching, watching, cheering or through record-keeping, Whitmore and track and field have been a part of each others lives.

Whitmore is probably best known for his work with the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country coaches where he served as the state historian.

According to ex-Shadyside High head coach Donna Joseph there would be Saturdays during the season where Whitmore caught as many as seven meets.

“The sport of track and field has lost a true friend,” Joseph said. “There wasn’t anyone who knew more about the records both at the state and national level than Craig.”

Whitmore still tried to make it back to the Ohio Valley on a regular basis when his health wasn’t a factor to see long-time buddy Dick “Bulldog” Polinsky. The two were good friends through school and their days with the Shadyside track team.

“Craig was one of those guys you could ask him who won the 100 in 1960 and he’d give you the name,” Polinsky said during a phone interview last week. “He knew records right and left.”

Most of the time when Whitmore came into the Ohio Valley, it was at Polinsky’s where he stayed during his visit.

“We didn’t talk all that often, probably a couple of times a month,” Polinsky said.

Whitmore spent a lot of time with ex-Shadyside teacher George Vucelich who now resides in the Columbus area.

While it’s track and field that Whitmore is most revered for, Vucelich points out that Whitmore was knowledgeable about all sports.

“I used to call him Mr. Rules because he knew them all whether it was football, basketball or anything,” Vucelich said. “He’s been interested in all kinds of sports since the time I first met him.”

The Shadyside Relays honored Whitmore at last year’s annual running and it was Vucelich who brought him back to Belmont County from his home in German Village.

While Whitmore was up on all sports, Vucelich never had a problem figuring out where Whitmore’s true loyalties lied.

“Track and field was (Craig’s) whole life,” Vucelich said. “Out of all of the sports, track and field was definitely his favorite.”

When Whitmore punched his ticket to the state meet, he wasn’t alone that year. Dave Marsh – who now resides in Hocking County after a lengthy career in facilities planning at The Ohio State University – qualified to the state meet in the 440 that year as an underclassmen.

“Craig was a real character,” Marsh said. “He always wanted to train and really kept people on task for the most part. He was a real leader in that regard.”

Marsh and Whitmore kept in touch regularly since both resided near Columbus.

“He would visit on a fairly regular basis,” Marsh said. “He would always tell me about all of these track stories and everything he was working on keeping track of. It was just amazing what he knew about Ohio track and field. I really kept up with the sport through talking to him.”

Whitmore’s resume could fill up pages and pages. However, to tell you just what kind of coach he was, not many coaches in the state of Ohio can claim an Olympic gold medalist. Well, Whitmore can. During his stint at Warren Howland, Whitmore showed the high hurdling ropes to Willie Davenport.

All Davenport went on to do was claim Olympic gold in the 110-meter high hurdles at the 1968 Mexico City games.

Before getting into prep coaching Whitmore cut his teeth at the collegiate level as a graduate assistant. He originally went to Miami, Ohio to continue his running career, but opted to transfer to West Liberty State College where he ran and earned his bachelor’s degree. He was also a graduate assistant at Bowling Green, while he earned his Masters Degree.

Whitmore got his first coaching job at Trotwood-Madison High School out of college. He later returned to the Ohio Valley and served on staffs at Bellaire and Martins Ferry.

Whitmore will be shown today in Shadyside with funeral proceedings set for Monday morning.