Earlier this year, Jason Vigilante was talking to Fred Samara, just like he had done countless times before.
This time, though, was different.
Samara had been Princeton's head men's track and field coach since 1979, but he told Vigilante that he was thinking about retiring. The news surprised Vigilante, Princeton's head men's cross country coach since 2012.
After all, Samara was synonymous with the Tigers' track program. He was also energetic and fit to do the job. Samara, who competed in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics, works out an hour a day and still bench presses 180 pounds. Not bad for a 73-year-old.
But Samara wasn't joking. In late June, he announced his retirement after 46 seasons at Princeton, including 44 as head track coach. Six weeks later, Princeton na...
