SENECA -- SENECA -- This time of year, you can usually find Tom Jordan either fishing on one of South Carolina's Upstate lakes or working at Tom Bass Field on the Seneca High campus.
Jordan "retired" a few years ago after a 42-year career as track, football coach and teacher. The final 17 years of his career he coached track and field and football for the Seneca Bobcats. Prior to that, he was head football coach at the old Westminster High, now West-Oak High.
Now, with track season well underway, Jordan is back at Sam Bass Field serving as starter for Seneca's home meet track events.
Seneca managers show dedication
"I live about a mile from the track, so I'm here all the time," Jordan told scrunners.com between track events at a recent Seneca meet. He works out several days a week, which helps him stay in remarkable shape for a 68-year-old.
Jordan is probably best known -- at least among Georgia residents -- as the man who coached Herschel Walker when the future University of Georgia, Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star running back was a sprinter/thrower and football phenom at Johnson County High, which at the time was a Class A school in Wrightsville, Ga., a small town about an hour east of Macon.
"Herschel was my running back and shot-putter," Jordan said. In college, Walker excelled on the track as a sprinter and at shot.
Jordan was a vaulter and high-jumper at Belton High and college. He would go on to teach weightlifting and driver's ed and coach football and track at the high school level.
"You can't coach and not teach at the school," he said. "It's like wearing handcuffs. You get to know the kids through teaching."
Jordan said he has served as a track official throughout his coaching career.
In addition to his work as a starter at the Seneca meets, Jordan serves as a USATF official at collegiate meets, working the vault at Clemson's home meets during the indoor season.
In addition to starting track events at Seneca home meets, the SCTCCCA Hall of Famer also serves as a referee.
"I quote the rule book when a question comes up," he said. "After 40-some years, I've seen most of the rules.
It's also not unusual to find Jordan assisting with between-event track duties during meets -- helping move and set up hurdles, for example.
He said fairness is the toughest part of being a starter. The Seneca athletes know Jordan, he said; they know the protocol he uses at the start line for each event, whereas the visiting athletes may not.
"You try to make it a fair start every time," he said.
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SENECA --