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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 75 'Inspirational' BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com T wenty-five years ago, Lonnie Greene took a position as a grad- uate assistant coach, his first track and field job after graduating college. The meager pay of the entry-level coaching gig led him to a second job, probably of equally minimal wage. It was at Kraft Foods in Springfield, Mo., working the graveyard shift in the san- itation department. He got to work in the cream cheese department, clean- ing up the leftovers from the previous day's production. Sounds pleasant. Yet, those days were, in many ways, a lifestyle upgrade. Greene, Purdue's third-year track and field coach, spent the first 18 years of his life in the Ba- hamas, which might sound like a par- adise to most. "You think of palm trees and re- sorts. In reality, Bahamas is a third- world nation," said the 48-year-old Greene, who came to the U.S. in the mid-80s on a track scholarship to Mur- ray State. "I came up with a single par- ent, eight children. I knew who my dad was but to tell you he was an influence in my life I couldn't. I understand what hardship is, and when I talk to some athletes about it, they are taken back by it." They're also inspired. It's Greene's humble beginnings, his drive, his work ethic, his char- acter, his leadership, his faith, his honesty that have helped turn the Boilermaker track and field pro- grams from Big Ten also-rans into conference contenders. And he's done so in only two-and-a-half years. "He definitely has power to him," junior sprinter Aarin Jones said. "He's inspirational, that's the best way to put it. He has a statement that goes 'I can believe that you can do this, this and this, but I can't believe it more than you can.' "… He tries to instill a lot of faith and belief and a correct mindset in us. Knowing that we have that sup- port and he believes in us, it gives us the strength to go out and do what we need to do." Greene takes a direct approach to handle a deep roster of men's and women's athletes, leaving over-sweet- ened assessments of their perfor- Greene's approach sparks track programs Tom Campbell Lonnie Greene has brought a new attitude to Purdue. "Wherever Lonnie goes, that work ethic, that passion for athletics and trying to help athletes to realize their dreams, it's contagious, in- fectious," said Arkansas women's track and field coach Lance Harter, Greene's former boss in Fayetteville.