Lober Begins 50th Year On Track at TC Central
March 29, 2019
By Chris Dobrowolski
Special for Second Half
Traverse City Central boys track & field coach John Lober has a seemingly endless number of stories about athletes he convinced to come out for the sport.
The collection of pictures from teams of the past and championship trophies that adorn his office deep in the recesses of Central High School are just as impressive as the anecdotes. All are the byproduct of a legendary career coaching track that has spanned 55 years.
Lober is adding yet another milestone to his legacy this spring as he has started his 50th season of coaching at Central — a half-century of impacting runners and churning out successful teams at the school.
“If you would’ve told me I was going to be some place for 50 years when I started out here (I wouldn’t have believed it),” said Lober. “Nobody does that. I just feel very blessed that I’ve been able to do now what I’ve been doing all these years.”
Lober has maintained the same formula for coaching his teams — work hard, be responsible, do the right thing and treat others with kindness — principles he learned at a young age and the basic tenets for how he’s lived his life.
“I told the kids, ‘We don’t have any rules,’” he explains. “We could have 10 pages of rules, but I’m not going to do that, so we don’t have any rules. We have expectations, though. If you can’t meet those expectations this is the wrong place to spend your afternoons.
“Everything is a choice in life. You choose to be here, you choose how hard you work, you choose your attitude when you get up in the morning.”
The results have been unmistakable. One MHSAA Finals championship in 1992, 10 times finishing in the top 10, 11 Regional championships, 15 Big North Conference titles — including a current streak of 10 in a row — and five Lake Michigan Athletic Conference crowns. He has coached 54 athletes who reached an all-state level and 10 who were state champions. Six state record holders have come from Lober’s program.
Lober joined Joe Neihardt’s staff in 1969 at Traverse City High School after stints at Bellaire and in Sylvania, Ohio. He took over as head coach in 1977 and has been a fixture in the position. His focus has always been on the track & field teams at Central, but he’s been a major proponent for the sport no matter the school. He takes pride in the running successes of the athletes and coaches at the other high schools in Traverse City — Lober was right there when Central and West split into two schools in 1997 — and around the northern Michigan region.
“I’ve advocated for the sport and the student,” said Lober. “This isn’t about me. It’s about kids walking off that stage with an experience. It’s a positive experience, and we’re using our sport to educate.”
Lober has certainly done his share of work to generate increased participation in track & field. The Trojans regularly have 100-plus members, a reflection of the time he spends recruiting students to the team.
Traverse City Central junior Nathan Hullman had never run track before this season, but he had friends on the team and elected to join the program after Lober showed up in the weight room one day and started detailing all the benefits of the sport. Hullman will be a sprinter for the Trojans.
“He’s been doing it for 50 years. He seems like he knows a lot. He sounds like he’s coached a lot of good teams. I have faith in him,” said Hullman. “I hope to just learn how to run better, to get faster.”
Lober retired from teaching in 2000, but he is a familiar face around school and at sporting events. His affable personality and longevity as a coach have made him a popular icon in the community.
“He was the first person to call me when I took the job,” said Central athletic director Zac Stevenson, who came to the school in October from Battle Creek Lakeview and is the ninth AD since Lober started at Central. “The principal asked if she could share my information with everyone. Then within minutes he reached out to me via text message and welcomed me to the community, introducing himself. He is so super supportive. I have seen him at home games — boys basketball, girls basketball, wrestling meets. He’s there supporting kids and supporting staff all the time. It’s so exciting to watch.”
Lober coached cross country at Central for 28 years, too, but retired from that position two years ago. That freed him up to spend more time golfing, or watch his grandsons play football. He thought he was going to hang it up as a track & field coach last season as well, even telling then-athletic director Mark Mattson that 2018 was going to be his last year. But one day in his office, as he watched his veteran coaching staff of Don Lukens, Chris Ludka, Konrad Visser, Tim Donahey, John Piatek, Bryan Burns and Tony Moreno get ready for practice, he realized he wasn’t ready to give it up.
“I was sitting down here and the coaches are all down here and I’m seeing them talking back and forth and I thought, ‘I’m not ready to give this up,’” said Lober. “I can’t get that anywhere else in my life. If I didn’t have these guys, who are all veteran coaches, it would be hard for me to come back. We’ve had a lot of talks about that. They know what to expect from me. I know what my expectations are for them.”
The students also brought Lober back. He likes the group he has, and he looks forward to seeing how the 2019 season transpires. He likens this time of year to holding a ball of clay, then molding it into a cohesive unit that comes together and competes at a high level at meets.
Last year’s finished the season tied for seventh at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals, with then-senior Cassidy Henshaw winning the high jump.
“I really like taking a group of guys, bringing them together, teaching them all something and they all have their jobs, so to speak,” said Lober. “You go into a meet, and when it’s all done, we’ll see how we did. As we get into the championship part of the schedule, the first three weeks of May, let’s see where we are. Let’s see where the chips fall.”
Chris Dobrowolski has covered northern Lower Peninsula sports since 1999 at the Ogemaw County Herald, Alpena News, Traverse City Record-Eagle and currently as sports editor at the Antrim Kalkaska Review since 2016. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Traverse City Central boys track & field coach John Lober talks things over during a practice last spring. (Middle) Lober keeps an eye on his watch during a race. (Photos courtesy of WPBN.)
McCarey Caps Niles Career Among School's All-Time Track Greats
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2025
NILES – For such a decorated athlete, Niles track & field star Ayden McCarey is as humble as they come.
That one trait is what makes him such a joy to coach, says Tony Todd, the Vikings' longtime leader of the boys program.
Todd, a Flint Kearsley graduate and former participant himself in the oval sport, has seen many great performers during his 27 years directing Niles' program. But he contends that McCarey is one of the best he's ever coached.
McCarey, who has signed to run track at the Division II level at Grand Valley State University, capped off a glorious high school career during Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals in Hamilton.
McCarey returned home with all-state honors in two events, finishing second in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.43) and third-place in the 400-meter dash (49.27). His time in the 110s broke the school record. He has the second-fastest time at the school in the 400 dash, less than a second behind 2018 Niles grad Jordan Brown, currently the Vikings' sprint coach, who owns the record at 48.50.
McCarey also qualified in the 300 intermediate hurdles and ran anchor leg for the Vikings' 1,600 relay on Saturday.
"Ayden relishes the competition. The bigger the meet, the more he seems to rise to the occasion and perform well. When someone has a faster time, he can't wait to race against them. He gets excited over the chance to compete against someone faster," Todd said.
Also a standout defender for the Niles boys soccer team, McCarey finished runners-up in both the 110 highs and 400 his junior year. As a sophomore he placed sixth in the 110 and 10th in the 300. He began competing in the 400 midway through his sophomore season.
"It's just nice to know that all your hard work you put in got you to state. There's a lot of competition there. I am just happy to represent my school for a third time," McCarey said.
He credits an increase in distance workouts and his increased focus on the 400 as big reasons for his improvement in that event this season.
"I try and focus on all my events, but it just so happened I spent the most time focusing on the 400 this season,” McCarey said. “You need a lot of stamina to run that event, and it also helps me in the longer hurdle race as well. I've been successful in the 110 highs because I concentrate on attacking it whereas most people sometimes hop over them and that slows them down and hurts their time. I get a good start, and I'm able to maintain my speed throughout the race."
McCarey owned the fastest time in the 400 among Lower Peninsula Division 2 competitors after the Regional meet. He was ranked second in the 110 highs and fourth in the 300 entering the Finals.
"Ayden goes non-stop and never complains. He's one of those kids that will run through a wall for you,” Todd said. “Sometimes I take advantage of that to get that extra effort out of him. He is very humble, and if you try and compliment him he just smiles and puts his head down and keeps going. I worry more than he does if he doesn't get the accolades that he should. He is a quiet kid who leads by example. His form in the hurdles has improved all four years."
McCarey went through his entire high school track career without an injury.
"That's a big thing. Coaches have to learn when to pull back. He's never had a serious injury that left him having to sit out a practice. You can attribute that to his extraordinary work ethic because if you slack off, that's one of the easiest ways to get hurt,” Todd said. “He stays in shape year round with his participation in soccer and track. He is very versatile and can compete at the state level in any event from the 100 up to the 400, along with the hurdles and relays.
"His conditioning and running that he does during his soccer practice builds his endurance for track. In turn, the speed he's developed in track helps him out on the soccer field."
McCarey is looking forward to competing in college.
"I decided to go to Grand Valley because they have a solid track program, and it’s not that far from home. I liked their business program there too," McCarey said.
Todd is looking forward to seeing what McCarey can do at the next level.
"The biggest thing that will make Ayden a valuable competitor in college is that he is a natural athlete. There is only so much you can coach,” Todd said. “It takes a good coach and a good athlete to make a champion. But 90 percent of that is the athlete. If they listen and do the workouts, they will succeed.
"I couldn't be more proud of his four-year high school career. He had the most outstanding track career ever at Niles High School, and he's a great human being and student. This young man is going to do great things at Grand Valley and in life. I'm proud to have been his coach for his entire high school career."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Niles senior Ayden McCarey leaves the starting block during the 1600-meter relay at his team’s Regional. (Middle) Niles coach Tony Todd, left, takes a photo with McCarey before the start of a practice last week. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)