Cross country meet to be named in honor of Geraghty

Harry Geraghty

A new high school cross country invitational meet at Rockville High in Vernon on Saturday, Sept. 29, will be named in honor of the late Harry Geraghty, a long-time boys basketball, cross country and track and field coach at Rockville High.

Geraghty also coached boys basketball at Canton High from 1967-73 and started the cross country program at Canton in 1968. Geraghty died in November 2011 at the age of 78.

His 1970 basketball team in Canton went 16-4 in the regular season, which tied a school record for most wins in a season at that time.

Geraghty coached high school sports for 40 years at Lyman Hall in Wallingford, Rockville, South Windsor and Wethersfield. He was named coach of the year three times by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association in 1986 (girls cross country), 1991 (boys cross country) and 1993 (girls track). In 2002, he was inducted in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Geraghty spent most of his coaching career at Rockville where his girls cross country teams won two Class L state titles and one State Open crown. His team’s won numerous league championships.

“What is less noticeable is the place of honor Geraghty holds in the hearts and minds of those who knew him, taught with him, and coached with and against him, and is absolutely in the hearts of his athletes,” wrote Dave Smith, a friend and colleague. “His ability to reach and motivate teenagers who came out for the sports he coached was special. The irony of this teacher/coach and his career lies in the fact that no one could teach to others what came naturally to Geraghty. The rest of us could only stand and observe him at work, and only hope to copy, sort of, what he did so well for so long.”

2012 Harry Geraghty Cross Country Invitational

Harry Geraghty obituary