Kevin Curran is a coach. More specifically, Kevin Curran is the track & field and cross-country coach at one of the premier athletic high schools in the state. However, to bill Curran as just a coach would be an injustice to the great amount of effort and passion he puts into his work. Curran is a teacher, a runner, a fan, a leader, and above all, he is an inspiration.
“First and foremost, fall in love with the sport. If you are having fun and love what you do, you will never regret running,” said Curran.
Coach Kevin Curran was only 7 years old when he fell in love with running. Since 1988, there has only been one year during which a member of his family was not involved at Bishop Kenny (either running or coaching). His older brothers ran at BK, and Curran watched race after race until it was finally his time to run for the Crusaders. Curran began running in 1997 and was a key part of the 2000 state championship team, while his coach, Brian Devine, left a lasting impression on him.
“Being Devine’s first four year class, he was always open and communicative about the different things he wanted to try with our training, and I picked up my first sense of what it meant to be a coach from him,” said Curran.
College found Curran running a bit more sparingly, but as so many do, he eventually found his way back to the sport. Shortly after graduating from Florida State University, Bolles coach, Tony Ryan, came to him in need of some coaching help.
"I loved coaching from the start. Every workday, I looked forward to getting out of the office and connecting with the runners and seeing the athlete’s progress,” Curran said.
Coaching cross-country and track full time seemed to be Curran’s calling, so in 2009 he took a teaching position at Bishop Kenny and became a coach of Bishop Kenny’s boys cross-country team.
Fast forward to now: Curran is in his 4th year coaching (3rd as head coach) Bishop Kenny, and he is on a quest to restore their dominance both regionally and nationally. Along the way, he has coached the likes of Colin Barker, Michael Wallace, Patrick Maher, and Michael Barr. But even with so many talented runners at his disposal, Curran never lost sight of the true importance of coaching.
“My main philosophy is that everyone, no matter the level of talent, deserves the attention and opportunity to run and improve. If an athlete wants to get better, I want to coach them,” commented Curran.
Kenny’s boys’ team is routinely large (anywhere from 50-70 runners a season), and Curran admits it can get in the way of his philosophy, but he finds a way to make it work.
“The main reason for the success I have had coaching such a large program, is from fostering the mindset that we care as coaches and that every athlete is important to the team.”
“Even with the varying amounts of ability, I make sure that we start every run together and that they do strides, drills, core, and stretch together each day,” said Curran.
His individual attention to each and every runner is best highlighted by his coaching contributions at the 2009 state meet. The formerly mentioned duo of Barker and Wallace lead the team throughout the meet, but it was Kenny’s number 5 runner that needed a little extra motivation towards the end of the race. Eric Portalatin had a mile left and was 15 places behind an Estero runner, when Curran yelled at him to advance his position. Portalatin took off, finished 9 places ahead of the runner, and Bishop Kenny beat Estero by 3 points and won the state championship.
In addition to his passion for coaching, Curran still finds himself as a huge fan of the sport. A recent running pilgrimage to Eugene, Oregon had him visiting Pre’s rock to pay homage to the late great Steve Prefontaine, running Pre’s trail (he recently ran a 16:48 5k), and watching Galen Rupp win one of the most memorable 5000m finals in Olympic trials history.
“Visiting the sites I have read about and seen in films was amazing, and it is an experience I take back as a coach and use to inspire my runners,” said Curran.
Aside from being one of the state’s best coaches, most importantly, Curran’s positive influence can also be found outside of running. Under Curran, the team has held a study hall twice a week after school so students can finish labs and attend to other studies.
“I also foster respect for everyone on the team. No matter what differences they have had before BK, or have outside of the team, when they are running they are one.”
For all of Curran’s success as a coach, leader, and teacher, there have been several mentors that have helped him through it all.
“I would just like to thank all of the veteran coaches that have lent me guidance and support over my first few years. Including Tony Ryan for giving me my first chance to coach, Paul Nowicki for his years of experience and undying cynicism, and most of all, Brian Devine for making me love cross-country and putting up with my phone call whenever I need advice.”