By Jason Kornwitz
A fixture at Northeastern since the early ’70s as a flanker for Husky football, track coach Sherman Hart calls Huntington Avenue his home. It’s where he’s coached the women’s team since 1988 and the men’s team since 1999. His women’s program has won a combined 15 indoor and outdoor conference titles since 1991. Along the way, Hart has racked up 11 Conference Coach of the Year awards while at the head of the women’s team. After taking over the men’s program, his squads have accumulated five conference championships.
Even as a teenager, Sherman Hart turned struggling programs into winners.
At 15, he managed his local 12-and-under baseball team. Taking over a squad that posted only one victory the previous three seasons, his first attempt at coaching yielded an 11-1 record and a league championship. And in 1974, he founded the Boston International Track Club. Today, he remains the director on top of keeping tabs on his athletes.
Hart, who grew up in Washington, D.C., credits his success and motivation to his parents, also avid community volunteers.
“My parents helped me strive for excellence,” Hart said. “They were very supportive in the things I did.”
Aside from parental influence, Hart’s involvement in social work allows him to interact with his athletes in a more effective manner. His players handle him well, he said, and his open-door policy welcomes conversation with his players about on-field performance, academics and life.
“I have people first and athletes second,” he said. “I deal with them as people first. I bring them in and try to find out what makes them tick. The women handle me better when I’m fired up and ready to go. My guys sometimes get reserved and get pissed off [when I’m fired up].
“For the most part, my athletes really like me. You always know which office is mine because you’ll hear a lot of noise.”
Hart instills in his athletes a drive to compete and be the best at whatever they choose. And he emphasizes the importance of attacking a challenge, rather than laying dormant in hopes success will come without hard work.
Derek Anderson, NU’s All-American senior thrower, said Hart’s success is reflective of his intensity and focus. On a personal level, Hart has helped Anderson handle situations in a calm, relaxed manner.
“I’m a pretty hot-wired person,” Anderson said. “I was a little worse when I first came to NU. [Hart’s] taught me to be more objective, take a deep breath and go about things the easy way.”
But that doesn’t mean Hart takes losing lightly or lets his athletes off the hook after sub-par performances.
“He likes people who work hard,” Anderson said. “He recruits and he trains those types of people. He’s got a good control of his personality. He’s easy to talk to and he’s always there for his athletes. But, when it comes down to business, when he is coaching, he does have intensity.”
Zara Northover, a junior thrower for the women’s squad, placed 12th in the shot put at the NCAA Championship during the 2005 outdoor season and broke the NU shot put record in the preliminaries at the NCAA Championship.
She said Hart teaches his female players to regard themselves with high honor. This, Northover said, allows her and the rest of her teammates to understand that aside from sports competition, there’s a lot to be expected of them as they make the transition from the playing field to real-world situations.
“To [Hart] everything is one step at a time,” Northover said. “You need to look at the big picture before you just go into something. He helps us with communication and setting goals and achieving them. With a team of 40 girls, there’s a lot of petty problems.”
Northover said Hart’s confidence and drive to win championships rests with his players’ talent.
“He did the recruiting. He knew what he was getting even before we got to college. He’s able to read people’s personalities and he’s like a second father. If I ever have a problem, I consult with him. He’s behind me 100 percent,” Northover said.
Lettering in NU football, Hart recalled using his speedy frame to fake out an All-American safety, disregarding his coach’s suggestion of using sheer strength to barrel through the middle of the offensive line. Despite serving as captain of his high school’s record-setting mile relay team, Hart reveled in the team aspect of football and coaches today with team-oriented goals in mind.
“My real goal right now is more outdoor-driven. My goal is to win the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and get as many All-Americans as we can,” Hart said.
Hart admitted he’s a pretty laid-back guy, aside from the championship stretch run. He said the “big dance fires him up” and jokingly remembers throwing bandages at his players.
“If anyone is hurt, go put a Band-Aid on,” he said with a laugh. “I just have a drive. I like to win. There’s always a time to step up and a time to stop all this fooling around. All through my life as an athlete, I’ve always been part of a good team.”
