Hall of Fame
Jim Crakes is the retired coach of PLNC cross country and track. He was already known by Pasadena when the school made the move to San Diego . He was working as the head coach of USIU, formerly Cal Western, and naturally had a deep attachment to the campus. Crakes had helped out with track before when an athlete named Bill Waters needed his assistance in 1974. Waters had qualified for the NAIA National Championships in the decathlon, and Crakes, who was coaching several USIU athletes at the meet, agreed to be his mentor and coach. Later on, as the PLC coach, Crakes led Waters to two consecutive national championships as a decathlete.
Crakes virtually became a living legend during the time he was an active coach. His numerical achievements lend to his lofty status. Crakes has won many championships, worked with nearly 100 All-Americans and 17 Academic All-Americans in addition to winning Coach of the Year and receiving international coaching assignments. It was his vision and pursuit to have the British Olympic track and field team train at PLNC preceding the 1984 Olympics that led to the installation of the synthetic track.
Some of the passions of this driven man were his belief that athletes should be self-motivated and responsible and that they should accept his challenge as a mentor who believed in their potential. Crakes was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame of Track and Field in 1990. He was honored by PLNC as the first ever Professor Emeritus in physical education a year before his retirement.
The award for Outstanding Achievement by a Coach was presented to Crakes by Jim Bond.
