You might not know who Sandra Petway is but you should. She started the women’s track and field program at Rutgers in 1973 and was the first head coach to lead the team. In doing so, Petway became the first black head coach in Rutgers history. Her story was beautifully profiled by Keith Sargeant of NJ Advance Media over the summer.
In summarizing her career, Sargeant wrote, “Petway mentored a half-dozen runners to record-setting performances nationally during the program’s first four years of existence, coached her first cross country team to an 8-0 record in 1976, and became a full-time coach for Rutgers in September 1977.