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Just heard that Ed Sayre passed away last night. What a huge loss for RVHS Cross Country!

It is awful to hear that!

Details?

That's sad. Is he the current coach, and if so what will the children do this season?

I'm terribly sorry to hear this. Ed has always been great to me in the eight years I have been coaching. If anyone has any information concerning any arrangements, please post it.

I will post everything that I hear. I am at college right now so I can't get a lot of info right now. He will be greatly missed.

Ed Sayre is the reason for my love for this great sport/lifestyle. He was a heck of a guy and cared so much for all of his athletes. He was known for his Adidas bucket hats and he was always placed at the 300m mark on the track no matter what track meet he was at. I think all of his current and former athletes appreciated all the hard work he put into our teams and developing each one of us as runners and individuals.

As far as the athletes, I'm not sure what they will do. I would try to take it on but I'm running still in this being my senior year here at Shawnee State. Good luck to whoever takes over this program because you have huge shoes to fill. He's put in more time up there than any other coach up there at that school since the doors have been opened. Something needs to be done in his honor.

Talked with him Sunday at Church, this is a shock. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the young men and ladies that Ed has had a positive affect on over his many years of coaching!

Ed Sayre was a great man and loved the sport of running. Most people don't know how much he cared for the kids that he coached and how much he wanted them to run good. This will be a great loss for River Valley. Hopefully somebody that cares about running takes his place, thats how he would want it.

My thoughts and prayers go out to him and the people that were close to Coach Sayre.

A fine man and friend to all. He will be greatly missed. RIP Ed!

Prayers from Jackson.

Anyone know the cause? I rememeber Ed from my days at Rio back in the early-mid 90's.......he was always around the Lyne Center.

He will be greatly missed and I'll pull extra for his teams this year at the districts.

I think he'll still be at that 300m mark during meets. The athletic stadium at River Valley should undergo some sort of name change in his honor. There has never been a coach I've met who has put in the time and effort for a high school team that coach did. He was always the first to arrive and the last to leave home events, and he attended school even when he wasnt substituting just to go over goals and training plans with the athletes during study hall and breaks. Someone will pick up the mantle and continue this tradition, but it couldnt have happened without his trailblazing and it wont be quite the same. I would also love to take over in his stead for this kids this season, but Im also competing at the college level thanks in large part to his tutelage.

Know that he truly loved the sport of running and hoped for success in the area. He helped other athletes like they were his own, and had a genuine unselfish interest in promoting the sport. He will be there with all of us on our runs.

Should have more info tomorrow morning. I heard mention of a heart attack. Don't quote me on that yet.
This news came as quite a shock. Ed will definitely be missed.
Thoughts and prayers.

Bob Willey from Rio Grande, who was a teammate of Ed's in college and also his coaching colleague, seemed to think it was a heart attack.

Bob told me that Ed had gotten home from reffing volleyball the other night, started having chest pains, and called 911 himself.

I know a lot of people in the world didn't like Ed; I loved him, but he could certainly drive you up the wall. You either loved Ed or you hated Ed. I could be in the Gallipolis Wal-Mart an extra hour sometimes because I would run into Coach Sayre, and we would talk track and cross country.

What I loved about Ed was his passion for the sport of running. He tried to share that passion with the kids, and I know that there are several of them out there who would have given anything in this world to have Ed around a bit longer.

Ed and I connected because Ed was a competitive runner well past his collegiate days, almost qualifying for the Olympic Trials at 10K at one point. Of course, Ed didn't tell me that; other people told me about that. Ed didn't brag about it. Since I last played college football, I have played seven seasons of semi-pro football, not for glory, but for love of the sport. Like myself, Ed understood that love of competition, and he tried to share that love with young runners.

Coach Willey told me that Ed, who had had various health issues in recent years, had just started to train again.

If anybody hears about the arrangements, please post them here.

If you are the praying type, say one for Ed Sayre's soul today. If you love running and track, pause for a minute today; use your stopwatch. If you still run at all, throw your hand up in the air after an interval or a lap for Coach Sayre.

Ed should be buried with Adidas shoes, a bucket hat, a stopwatch and his clipboard like any proper warrior.

-- Dan Polcyn

Our family was deeply saddened to hear of Coach Sayre's passing. Ed has been a fixture at track and cross country meets since our daughters began running. He was always quick to offer encouragement to them during their races and praise afterwards. Coach Sayre will be missed not only at River Valley but by the entire running community.

We will all miss Ed, the Wheelersburg CC and Track Teams always enjoyed being around him. He loved the kids, all the kids, not just the ones on his teams.

We will all miss him.

Not only do i give Ed all credit for RV cross country, but also South Gallia Cross Country. He has been one of the biggest influences in my life the past three years. Without him i never would of dicovered the sport i love most or how to participate well at it. For my first two years of the sport i would travel three days a week to RV from SG for practice. Now i am the lone runner from south gallia, sticking with it to make Ed proud. R.I.P. ED.

Jake Watson.

I just talked to Ed at the Gallipolis Inv. last week. It is sad to hear this. What a great loss for the running community. My heart goes out to family, team members and those associated with him. He certainly loved cc and track and will be missed.

A tragic loss for the school and entire tri-county area. Ed always had a smile and was always willing to help anybody.