Nearly 100, Irwin Goldberg continues coaching after decades of inspiring young athletes

Irwin Goldberg has coached young athletes toward the finish line for more than seven decades. Just shy of his 100th birthday, he has no plans to stop.

On Nov. 7, more than 60 former high school athletes gathered in City Island to celebrate his upcoming birthday, including those he coached decades earlier at John F. Kennedy High School in Marble Hill. Goldberg, now based in Florida, dedicated his career to helping students succeed beyond athletics, guiding generations of young runners toward college scholarships and professional opportunities.

Among them was Carlos Garcia, a former Kennedy student who ran track under Goldberg from 1976 to 1979. Garcia spent six months organizing the birthday celebration, reconnecting with former teammates scattered across the country through Facebook and personal connections, and flying in from Florida himself.

“The whole thing is not him being a track coach. He’s been a human coach,” Garcia said, describing Goldberg as an inspiration to a long list of students.

Goldberg’s coaching career began in 1951, although track was not his starting point.

Born in the Bronx on Dec. 21, 1926, he grew up in the borough, near University Avenue, and attended DeWitt Clinton High School in Bedford Park. In 1944, however, he left school during his senior year to enlist in the Navy during World War II, serving as a radioman aboard military aircraft.

He remained with the Navy until spring 1946 before returning to New York. Although he had received a wartime diploma, he learned it did not meet college admission requirements. As he settled back into civilian life, he had to return to school to complete additional coursework and Regents exams. After earning a degree at New York University, he joined the city’s department of education as a physical education teacher.

His newfound career kicked off in Harlem, at P.S. 83, known as Galvani Junior High School, where he coached basketball and track, before transferring to Benjamin Franklin High School in Queens in 1959. There, he had expected to become the basketball coach but instead accepted an opportunity to lead the cross-country team, eventually winning a city championship.

“I was lucky. I always had kids who wanted to run and were willing to work hard,” Goldberg said, reflecting on his career.

When Kennedy opened at 99 Terrace View Ave. in 1972, Goldberg joined the administration as an assistant principal while continuing to coach.

The school was established as an experiment in integration, he said, bringing together students from neighborhoods across the Bronx and Manhattan. Goldberg saw athletics as a pathway to higher education, particularly for students who might otherwise struggle to afford it.

“When I started coaching, I realized that as a coach, I had an opportunity to do something that no teacher has,” Goldberg said. “I had the opportunity to influence kids to go to college, and because they were good runners, I could get them scholarships.”

That philosophy became the foundation of his coaching career, with Goldberg encouraging students to prioritize education over athletic accomplishments.

Garcia recalled Kennedy’s track program as a close-knit community, with teams sometimes numbering 50 or 60 athletes. Despite lacking dedicated track facilities, runners practiced year-round, frequently traveling from Kennedy to Van Cortlandt Park for workouts.

“We did everything together.” Garcia said, describing the friendships that developed among teammates.

The team also sold pretzels at school to raise money for uniforms and competitions, while Goldberg sometimes covered additional expenses himself, Garcia added, noting the coach’s generosity often served as a lifeline for students facing instability in their home lives.

Goldberg recalled a young runner whose guardian died during a holiday break, leaving him without family. After learning the student had been placed in a residential facility, Goldberg arranged for him to spend Christmas and Easter at his home.

“He was almost like an adopted son,” Goldberg said. “Every once in a while there would be somebody who needed a little help,” he added, recalling occasionally bringing students home for weekends to help them with schoolwork.

Garcia also remembered spending weekends at Goldberg’s home alongside other runners, helping with household chores and enjoying barbecues. Goldberg’s wife, he said, welcomed the students and made sure they were well fed.

“She loved us. She could not wait for us to feed us,” Garcia said.

After retiring from New York City’s public school system in 1984, Goldberg continued coaching at the college level, including at Queensborough Community College. When he eventually moved to Florida, he expected to leave the sport behind.

However, an unexpected request from Piper High School to assist a local teacher who had little experience coaching track brought Goldberg back to athletics. Although he initially intended to help only briefly, he has since worked at several southern Florida high schools and continues volunteering as an assistant coach at Piper.

For Goldberg, the greatest reward of his career is not the championships his athletes won but the lives they built afterward.

“The thing that makes me the happiest about what happened is not the kids that I coached and went to college,” Goldberg said. “It’s the fact that all of these kids, it’s like almost 100% of them, their children, are all college graduates.”

Garcia, who served in the Army and worked in ironwork, said many former teammates pursued careers in education, law enforcement and the military. He credited Goldberg with instilling the discipline and commitment that helped shape their lives.

As Goldberg approaches his 100th birthday, he remains proud of what his athletes have accomplished and continues to find fulfillment in coaching the next generation.

“I appreciate what the results were,” Goldberg said. “If people would understand what can happen, if we would do a better job educating kids, and take more interest in what’s happening with the young people, it would be a better place for everybody.”