Lockridge Inducted Into Hall of Honor

Allan Lockridge, Pojoaque Valley High School cross country coach, was inducted into the New Mexico Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Honor on Saturday, January 23, at the associations’ award banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Albuquerque.

This is not the first honor awarded Lockridge, 66, who has coached cross country for 23 years and track for over 30 years.

He was twice named Coach of the Year for boys’ AAA cross country and received the honor once for the girls’ AAA cross country Coach of the Year.

His resume as a cross country coach ranks him as one of the premier coaches in the state.  He has coached six state championships cross country teams and 17 teams that finished in the top three at state.

Although his coaching credentials are impressive, it’s a teacher and mentor that distinguish him from run of the mill coaches.

“My function as a coach and teacher is to give kids the opportunity to excel,” he said. “Success in the classroom and athletics translates to success in life.”

He also made it clear that it’s not just about coaching winners, it’s also about teaching discipline and character.

“Coaching has been an evolving thing,” he said. “It isn’t that I’m that good of a coach, rather I give the kids the opportunity to learn in the classroom and in sports. They call me The Legend, but that’s a joke. In the end, it’s not about records; it’s about being a teacher.”

Many people, including his ex student-athletes would disagree with Lockridge’s conservative assessment of his career, because, as evidenced by his awards, he is a Legend.

What also stands out in his illustrious career is how he and his students maintain friendships after they graduate.

A facebook networker, Lockridge keeps in touch with over 400 former students. Reading his facebook page, its impressive how many former runners have congratulated him on his latest honor.

Myrriah Gomez, a former Elkettes’ runner, now earning a PhD, sent  him a congratulatory message that read, “The best years of my life were running cross country for Pojoaque…..They don’t give these awards because you’ve been around so long. They give them to you because you deserve them. Pojoaque is lucky to have The Legend.”

“I’m in awe to have former students write and congratulate me,” he said. “To receive this award and be in the company of outstanding coaches, I don’t want to say it’s awesome, rather I’m in awe to be considered their equal.”

An award winning coach, teacher and mentor, Lockridge expressed the essence of his and his students’ success with a simple, soulful sentence, when he said, “I love my kids.”

And, his kids love him.