JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gwendolyn Maxwell, one of the most successful girls’ track and field coaches in the history of Florida, passed away Tuesday morning. She was 86 years old.
Maxwell coached at Ribault High School for 20 years, and her accomplishments just keep going and going. But it’s the lessons she taught her runners that are part of her legacy.
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Among the stars she coached: A pair of Olympians -- Chandra Cheeseborough and Danette Young -- and a total of four runners who have been enshrined in their college halls of fame, including Angela Harris, who is now the president of U.S. Track and Field Florida.
“It impacted me very much. Still, to this day, I have my own track club, the Epitome of Excellence, and she taught us you can have your athletes participate, and it makes it fun for them as well,” Harris said.
Harris remembers the enthusiasm that Maxwell had for the sport of track and field and the high standards she set for her athletes at Ribault.
“She was supportive,” Harris said. “She was a role model.”
That high standard paid off in an impressive resume.
- Maxwell’s teams won 269 track meets
- Under Maxwell’s guidance, Ribault won 15 conference meets, 13 district meets and 12 regional championships
- Maxwell directed teams to five state titles and was named state coach of the year five times, the first in 1976, the last in 1993
- Three times she was the Florida representative for national track coach of the year (1983, 1986 and 1992)
- In 1992, she was the Region 3 coach of the year for the southeastern United States
It wasn’t just on the track. As an educator for 36 years, Maxwell stressed academics as well, expecting her runners to be an example for the rest of the school.
“She always stressed the importance of running, always stressed the importance of your education. That she did not play about,” Harris said. “And our grades had to be higher than the norm, so if your grades are just average than you are not participating.”
It’s clear that Maxwell influenced her runners and her legacy continues. She was inducted into the Ribault Hall of Fame as well as the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.