Wichita Eagle News Story (Sunday, April 29, 2007)

WEST COACH EAGERLY AWAITS REUNION
DUANE FRAZIER, The Wichita Eagle

Ray Graham is ready to re-live a little history with his former West High runners.

And the reunion should generate some awfully interesting stories. Graham, West's boys cross country and track coach from 1965 to 1978, never was much of a conventional coach.

He liked to take chances, and he liked his athletes to have some fun. They biked. They went to the mountains.

"We did a lot of crazy things," Graham admits. "I guess I was a bit of a maverick."

Graham is reuniting his athletes May 5. The reunion is an opportunity to share some stories, but it also will allow Graham to give something back.

Graham, who now lives in Edmond, Okla., said he has a large collection of photographs and slides he would like to give to former runners.

"It's pictures of them, so I'd like them have all of them," he said. "And it's a way to see some kids I haven't seen in years."

The stories should be especially interesting. West won City League cross country titles in 1968, 1971, 1972 and 1973 along with a track title in 1972. The Pioneers won a state cross country title in 1971 and a state track title in 1972.

The interesting part, however, is how the team trained.

"We would ride bikes all over the country," Graham said. "We would do anything to be a little different."

One year, the West runners even ran a 24-hour relay.

"It was a real popular thing with Runner's World magazine back then," Graham said. "My AD (athletic director) and principal said it was OK. The KSHSAA didn't like the idea, though. It wasn't against the rules, they just said don't do it."

Graham decided to do it anyway.

"We set a national record," he said. "We had six or seven runners, and we ran something like 244 miles. And we didn't tell anybody about it."

Graham got out of coaching in 1978, but he looks forward to his return to West.

The runners will meet in the school's cafeteria on May 5 at 1 p.m. The event will include a potluck lunch and a lot of memorable tales.