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Whitaker leads Savannah State Cross Country/ Track & Field through unprecedented times

By: By Joshua Peacock
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SSU Photo/Stephen B. Morton

Women's Cross Country | 8/31/2020 12:21:00 PM

Into his 22 year of coaching at Savannah State, Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach Ted Whitaker is adapting to the unprecedented fall season.
 
Cross country, along with volleyball and football, were suspended this fall due to the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The suspension included all practices.
 
Whitaker is hoping the suspension for practice is lifted soon. In the place of cross country events, he will simply have inter-squad scrimmages this fall, if allowed. Each week, a captain will be chosen and then the teams picked. They will run against each other for bragging rights.
 
"I can do what we do without anybody else," Whitaker said. "We do time trails all through the year. I decided to just make it a team thing. I figured one day we might show up and play a half-court soccer tournament. I've had a good recruiting season. It's the largest team I've had here in 22 years."
 
In a typical year, men's and women's cross country would run in the fall while indoor track and field would run in the winter season, January through February, with outdoor track and field opening the season in February and running through April.  
 
For years, he's worked to build and maintain the budget for his program through a steady income of fees from track meets that Savannah State hosts. His tight fiscal stewardship over the years has helped his program maintain a budget that currently has a surplus even with the recent cuts.
 
Whitaker not only maintains a healthy budget, but has continually produced champions.
 
He intentionally travels Savannah State cross country and track and field to major events like the Florida Relays, Penn Relays and University of South Carolina Invite in order for them to face the best competition in the nation. Those events often feature some of the world's best runners, many of whom go on to compete in the Olympics.
 
"We make an effort financially to go to every meet where people are better than we are," Whitaker said. "Winning isn't anything in my sport. It's running numbers. My kids got to learn how to deal with heavy weights.
 
"I used to tell my high school kids, if Carl Lewis is sitting next to you in the 100 meter dash, touch him on the shoulder and say 'I know you're better than me, but you better not make any mistakes.' That was the way I tried to get my kids to think."
 
Year in and year out, Whitaker has produced top runners including the only HBCU team to repeat a win at the Penn Relays—the Shuttle Hurdle team of Cameron Hall, Felton Chinn, Lemaar Shakir and Randy Thomas won in 2013 and 2014. Hall, a three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Champion, ran with the best at multiple appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship Finals. He later competed in the 110 meter hurdle Olympics Trials after graduating from Savannah State.
 
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Cameron Hall

 
Amara Jones, who graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2012, was a member of the 2012 London Olympics with her native Bahamian squad and later she competed in the International Association of Athletic Federation World Championship in Moscow, Russia.
 
Most recently, Abbas Abbkar ran in the 800 meter run at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Abbkar graduated in 2019 from Savannah State and is now enrolled at North Carolina A&T for graduate school.
 
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Amara Jones

 
Finding a way for his student-athletes to compete is just part of Whitaker's overall approach to the job. Throughout his over five decades of coaching, Whitaker's primary drive is to educate young men and women and push them to be better—to succeed in life as well as on the track.
 
Championships are a goal, but the student-athletes themselves are more important and have always been his focus. At 77, Whitaker will find a way for his team through these unprecedented times following his convictions and with the same drive he has had for his entire life and coaching career.
 
"I've been coaching for 55 years and I feel as good today as I did then," Whitaker said with a laugh. "I weigh less actually! For me, I like what I do. I like coaching. I like working with kids. I like challenges. I've had a pretty good life."
 
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Players Mentioned

Felton Chinn

Felton Chinn

5' 8"
Junior
Amara Jones

Amara Jones

5' 10"
Senior
Cameron Hall

Cameron Hall

6' 3"
Freshman
Lemaar Shakir

Lemaar Shakir

6' 2"
Freshman
Randy Thomas

Randy Thomas

Hurdles
6' 2"
Senior
Abbas Abbkar

Abbas Abbkar

6' 1"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Felton Chinn

Felton Chinn

5' 8"
Junior
Amara Jones

Amara Jones

5' 10"
Senior
Cameron Hall

Cameron Hall

6' 3"
Freshman
Lemaar Shakir

Lemaar Shakir

6' 2"
Freshman
Randy Thomas

Randy Thomas

6' 2"
Senior
Hurdles
Abbas Abbkar

Abbas Abbkar

6' 1"
Senior