Charlie Kern may have only spent one season as cross country coach at Morton College, but he displayed the traits of a future great coach in the making.

Kern, who guided the Panthers to an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference men's cross country championship in 1994, was named co-coach at one of the country's most successful prep cross country programs August 3^rd. He will serve as co-coach with the legendary Joe Newton at York High School in Elmhurst.

Newton's son, Thomas, announced in a statement that his father will retire at the end of the season. The 87-year-old Newton is known world-wide in running circles, developing a reputation for excellence during his 60 years at York. Starting as head boys head cross country at York in 1960, Newton's Duke teams have won 28 state titles and placed second 12 times.

Needless to say, Kern, an assistant to Newton, is stepping into some big shoes. But the Newton family wouldn't want it any other way.

"What has made this decision possible is the thought that my dad's successor would be none other than Mr. Charlie Kern," said Newton's son in the statement. "He will always be very special to our family because we believe that he will keep the legacy of the long green line going for many years to come. Personally, I couldn't think of a more deserving, talented, dedicated and committed young man to lead the Dukes."

Those at Morton College recognized Kern's potential as a coach.

"The first thing that comes to mind is that Charlie Kern was an outstanding person and a tremendous role model," said Morton College academic advisor George Fejt, the coordinator of athletics at the time. "He's a great role model for young people and displayed a commitment to excellence both in the classroom and on the cross-country field."

"To have someone like a Charlie Kern as a coach with his abundance of knowledge was great," said current Morton College cross country coach Gus Coronado, an assistant to Kern. "The kids always listened to him. He's been someone who has been very influential in my career. He did great things at Morton College and only has accomplished a lot of more since then."

The native of Amherst, New York, Kern held the state high school record in the metric mile (1,600 meters) for 27 years with a time of 4:13.07 in 1987. Kern was a nine-time all-state runner in high school and a five-time all-SEC choice at Kentucky.