During his career of almost 30 years at N.C. State, Rollie Geiger has coached a combined 32 ACC championship teams, 154 All-ACC runners and 46 All-Americans.

Nonetheless, coach Geiger still attributes all of this success to others.

“Coaches don’t win championships. Players do,” Geiger said. “I’ve been fortunate to have outstanding runners.”

Coach Geiger also has received 31 ACC Coach of the Year awards for track and cross country.

“I’ve often said that coaches receive too much credit, and sometimes they receive too much criticism,” he said. “The players are the ones that play the game. We do the best we can as coaches to prepare them for that game.”

Many of his runners note his commitment to the team and his past success as aids for him in building such successful programs.

“Coach is 100 percent dedicated to us and to the team. He loves being a part of this program,” redshirt junior Fredy Torres said.

In 1987, Geiger went to the national level, coaching the U.S. team for the World Cross Country Championships.

“Representing your country as a coach, it gives you a pause when you put on that USA sweat, but I also found that you spend too much time away from your program,” Geiger said. “When you’re in New Zealand spending a week with the USA team, you’re not at home with the athletes from N.C. State. I found that to be difficult at times.”

Geiger said he would probably not do it again if he were given the chance.

“It takes time away from your program,” he said. “I’ve done that once, but again, I’d rather be home with the outstanding athletes we have here.”

In the spring of 2007, Geiger was promoted to the position of assistant director of athletics.

“I feel very fortunate to work at N.C. State,” Geiger said. “The chancellor here is just a terrific person that’s such a pleasure to be around. Lee Fowler is also a great person to work for.”

Coach Geiger’s strong support for his runners is reflected by their success on the field. Looking back, 1995 All-American Pat Joyce said he realizes just how instrumental Geiger was in his success.

“He was not only a coach that cared what you did on the field or on the track, but he also cared about what was going on in your personal life and how you were developing as a person,” Joyce said. “Without a doubt, he is one of the most upstanding guys I’ve ever met.”

One of Joyce’s most memorable experiences during his career with Geiger was at the NCAA Championships his senior year.

“After being All-American my sophomore year, I finished dead-last in the national championships in 1997,” Joyce said. “Right after the meet I had been ejected. I threw my spikes down and began to walk away when he came right up to me and gave me a great big hug, not saying one word. This reassurance showed how much he cared for me, not just as an athlete, but as if I were his own kid.”

Chris Kollar, a redshirt senior, who finished 10th at the NCAA Southeast Regional competition, also said his coach is very supportive.

“He has such a big heart,” Kollar said. “He really cares about us, and that’s important. He really helps athletes with their lives and doesn’t just see us as another statistic.”

When they come for recruiting, the athletes immediately begin to notice his personality and openness.

“He’s pretty down-to-earth,” redshirt senior Bobby Mack said. “During the recruiting process, you realize that he is a guy you can talk to, whether it is academically, running-wise or any other area that you need it.”

Geiger said the Wolfpack athletes are indeed like a family to him. One thing he regrets though, is not being able to be more involved with all the athletes on campus.

“My door isn’t just open to distance-runners. It’s open to every athlete,” Geiger said. “I think everyone feels comfortable coming in here talking to me — and that’s really important. Unfortunately in college sports, everyone is spread out now, and it gets hard to know all the athletes.”

During training and practice, the runners notice his lighthearted and jovial nature.

“He’s just all-around a funny guy,” Torres said with a laugh. “I thoroughly enjoy being with him. He’s full of jokes. He’s got a very dry sense of humor, but he’s as youthful as us inside.”

Geiger’s cross country program embodies the seriousness of academics. His team earned Academic All-America status last season. The program also boasts Park Scholars, national scholarship recipients and even a Jeopardy participant.

“Cross country lends itself to outstanding students,” Geiger said. “The commitment they make as runners leads to a strong academic commitment. There is something to be said about the correlation between distance running and academics.”

Mack said his coach emphasizes academics because he cares about seeing his athletes excel.

“He points out that some of our upperclassmen are doing so well academically to motivate the younger guys to do well. You look at our running accomplishments, and a lot of times you don’t look at the academic accomplishments,” Mack said. “We were top 10 in the nation for cross country GPAs, and that’s going against all universities. When you finish top 10 at the national meet and top 10 academically, that’s very impressive.”

In addition to having an influence on the runners’ academic careers, Geiger also makes a long-lasting impression on their entire lives.

“I would not be where I am today without coach Geiger,” Joyce said. “When I put on that uniform, I was running for myself. I was running for N.C. State, but I was also running for coach. I think anybody can attest that we wanted to win for ourselves, but we also wanted to win for coach Geiger.”

He also said his former coach’s legacy at State is impressive.

“He put his heart into this program at N.C. State. He’s probably the most successful coach there has ever been at N.C. State. You talk to any runner that was under coach Geiger 10 to 15 years later, and they’ve gone on to do some wonderful things,” Joyce said. “I think he’s had an influence on all of their lives.”

Geiger has established a sense of respect and appreciation among his runners.

“He’s a great mentor, a great role model and a great friend, not just to me, but to all those that run for him,” Joyce said.