Princeton University Athletics
Men's Track Coach Fred Samara Inducted Into PSAL Wingate Hall of Fame
November 05, 2003 | Men's Track and Field
Nov. 5, 2003
New York, N.Y. - Princeton men's track and field head coach Fred Samara is one of 26 New York City athletes that will be inducted into the Public Schools Athletic League Wingate Hall of Fame at a luncheon on Nov. 22 in Brooklyn.
Samara was a star athlete at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn. He was a three-time PSAL champion in both the pole vault and the long jump (1967, 1968 and 1969) and ranked No. 1 in the nation in the decathlon in 1969. He also earned High School All-America honors in the decathlon and high jump prior to his graduation in 1969.
Among those being honored along with Samara are Bobbie Bonilla, Lee Mazzilli, Rico Petrocelli, Frank Torre, Other inductees to be honored include Jack "Dutch" Garfinkel, Marsha Harris, Thomas Hemans, Andrew "Fuzzy" Levane, Ray Lumpp, Cal Ramsey, John Salley and Rhonda Windham for basketball; Johnny Petraglia for bowling; Tony Corbisiero and Erica Carroll, swimming; John Carlos, Diane Dixon, Byron Dyce, Bill Jankunis, Halcyon "Tudy" MacKnight, Cathalina Staye and Lorraine Tummings, Track and Field; Dino Mangiero, William Shakespeare and Sal Somma, football. Samara is currently in 27th year with Princeton track and field as one of the most decorated track coaches in America. Samara is well-known for his coaching excellence on the national and international levels, and he was recently named the 2001 and 2002 Mid-Atlantic Region Outdoor Male Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track Coaches Association.
An Olympian himself, Samara has coached fellow Americans to international success. Samara was the second U.S. finisher in the decathlon behind Bruce Jenner at the 1976 Olympic Games. He coached former Princeton shot-putter Augie Wolf '83 at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and was selected as the assistant coach responsible for decathletes and field events at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. He worked extensively with Mike Stulce and Jim Doehring, the first Americans to sweep the gold and silver in the shot put since 1968. In 1998, Samara worked as a coordinator for the Goodwill Games. In 1995 he was head coach of the victorious U.S. Pan American team that competed in Argentina.
Samara also coached the 1982 U.S. decathlon team, which competed in Leningrad. He was named national decathlon chairman for The Athletics Congress (now USA Track & Field), the national governing body of track and field.
A 1975 national AAU decathlon champion, Samara was a five-time Penn Relays champion. While attending the University of Pennsylvania, he was a two-time All-America, receiving honors in the sprints, long jump, pole vault and his specialty-the decathlon. He also captured the decathlon title at the World University Games trials and later placed fifth at the World Championships in Moscow. In 1974 he established a world record in the indoor pentathlon.