The Manitowoc Lincoln boys track and field team hosted 14th Annual Earl Herbert Manitowoc Indoor Invitational on Thursday, and also honored a team coached by the namesake of the meet.
In 1980, the Ships track and field team competed for and won a state championship under the leadership of the late Earl Herbert.
Twelve of the fourteen members of the squad were on hand for a celebration of their title, including runner Dave Uhrich.
He tells SeehaferNews.com that it was wonderful to see his teammates again.
“We had such a close team,” he explained. “Some of these guys I haven’t seen in 40-45 years, so this is awesome.”
Uhrich also reminisced of the feeling of watching a relay team secure the state title for the Ships.
“That 4×400 relay, we knew if they won it, we were going to win the meet,” he recalled. “Those guys are all four great friends of mine. They put their heart and soul into it. Brad Jergenson, 6’ 8” battling it out with the 5’ 8” Racine Case guy and they came across the finish and we were so excited about that.”
Earl passed away in 2020 at the age of 91.
His coaching career spanned 27 years, eleven of which were with the Ships.
He earned a litany of honors over his years of coaching, including state championships in 1969 at Sauk Prairie and two at Manitowoc Lincoln, the aforementioned 1980 season, as well as in 1976.
Earl also secured twelve regional championships, eight sectional championships, and was inducted into the Manitowoc Lincoln Wall of Fame in 2016.
