Tim Cook could have been selected to the inaugural class of inductees for the new Chambersburg Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete, or as a coach.
Put those two sides together, and add in that he was the first Trojan to win a PIAA state championship as an athlete and as a coach, and Cook had a very strong case for inclusion.
As an athlete at Chambersburg, Cook became a high-caliber distance runner. In his senior season, 1970, the Trojans had a strong cross-country team under coach Paul Kaiser, and Cook led the way by winning the District 3 title that fall and was the runner-up at the PIAA championships.
He also made his mark in track & field for CASHS, winning District 3 gold in the 1-mile race in 1970 and the 2-mile race in 1971. In PIAA meets, Cook placed third in the 1-mile in 1970 and then became a PIAA champion in the 2-mile event in 1971.
Cook competed for four years in track & field and cross country at The College of William & Mary, and was eventually inducted into the Tribe’s Hall of Fame for helping their team place fourth at the NCAA Division I Championships.
He continued to run following graduation, and in 1997, won the John B. Kelly Cup as the state’s outstanding athlete at the Keystone Games.
Cook, who was named to the South-Central PA Sports Hall of Fame, began his coaching career at Chambersburg in the fall 1976.
He coached the girls cross country team for 26 years and compiled a sterling record of 225-31 (.879), with 12 league titles and 9 District 3 championships. Trojan teams collected PIAA team championships in 1977 and 1989.
Cook also was the head coach for the girls track & field team, and in 25 years, his teams put up 194 wins and 34 defeats (.851), with 10 league crowns and one district title. In 1990, the Trojans’ 4 x 400 relay team were state champions, and in 1997, Marvarine Campbell earned the PIAA title in the javelin throw.
As the distance coach, he was also the mentor for Doug Walter, who won PIAA gold in 1986 in the 800.
Unfortunately, Cook’s coaching career came to an end when he and his wife Sue were killed in an auto accident in late 2002.
By Ed Gotwals
