Chesnee coach Eric Luedeman announced his retirement Friday from cross country and track and field.
His retirement will go into effect following today's Class AA state meet.
Luedeman said he will stay on as a teacher at the school after starting cross country for the Eagles 16 years ago and serving as head track and field coach for the past 17 seasons.
"Eric has been one of the most dedicated hard working coaches I have ever met," said Chesnee athletic director Billy Parris. "He works with his kids from seventh or eighth grade through their senior year, and that is why he has produced so many great individual runners."
Luedeman attended Seneca from 1981 to 1985 where he was a distance runner under Fred Golden.
Luedeman then went on to compete for Winthrop University in cross country and track and field.
"Eric is giving up coaching to spend more time with his to young sons, while I hate to lose him in our program I admire what he is doing as a father," said Parris. "He founded our cross country team and revived a lack luster track program and I think it is tremendous honor for his players to give him a state championship in his last meet."
"I have been blessed with great kids throughout the years," said Luedeman. "I can remember each runner that I have coached for a full season and I would like to thank every athlete that I have coached. I am very proud of what Chesnee cross country and track and field has accomplished in my career especially with what we have to train with. Our girls team placed second at the Spartanburg County Championships with no track at all. That was my proudest moment of my track career and the proudest moments of my cross country career were the years Aimee Goen, Carey Phillips and Austin High won the individual XC title and in 1998 when my boys team placed second at the state meet. I would like to thank all the coaches that I have had the pleasure to coach against and S.C. has a lot of incredible coaches. I learned a lot for many of them. To name a few, Skip Frye, Brian Murray, Brian White, Mike Foley. These region coaches pushed me and my program to become better and have provided me and my teams with a lot of praise and encouragement."
"He will be greatly missed in athletics, I am glad he will be remaining as a teacher because he is a top-notch teacher as well as a coach," Parris concluded.
Parris told scrunners.com assistant coach Greg Moore will serve as head coach for cross country and the track and field position has not been filled at this time.
scrunners.com is developing this news.