Hall of Fame
Kipkoech Titus Korir, Class of 1974, was put in touch with Coe by a Coe alumnus Peace Corps volunteer in his hometown of Kericho, Kenya. How fortunate that was, both for Kip and for Coe. Kip had been a runner in Kenya, practicing perhaps three times a week. At Coe, his marvelous raw talent soon began to produce, through daily practices and coaching, an awesome list of outstanding performances. For Kip Korir records became standards to be shattered and then reshattered a week later. While other Kohawks have won world attention in single events, in multiple events Kip surely stands as Coe's greatest all-around track man. A look at his performance at the Midwest Conference Meet in 1974 puts perspective on his track and field greatness. On the day before his graduation, in a single meet, Kip won Conference titles in the 440 yard dash, the 200 yard dash, the javelin, and the triple jump. On that day he anchored the Coe mile relay team, which won four straight league titles from 1971 through 1974. He also ran a leg on the championship 44 yard relay team for a total of six Conference championships in a day. In his four Conference meets, Kip never lost in the 440 or the triple jump. In all, he won 10 individual Midwest Conference titles in four years and ran on six conference-winning relay squads. He achieved Little All-American recognition as a senior at the NCAA Division III national meet, where he won the national 440 yard title, placed third in the triple jump, and seventh in the javelin. Now, 13 years after his graduation, three of Kip Korir's individual school records stand; namely, those in the 440 yard dash, the triple jump, and the javelin. He was on the 1972 two- mile relay team, whose record of 7:52 still is a school mark. In his senior year, Kip ventured onto the football field for the first time. He proceeded to kick several prodigious field goals, one of which was a school record until recently. But, Kip will be remembered by teammates, faculty and students, not just for his athletic skills. Friends knew and respected Kip as a calm, good-natured personality who stood out quietly in an era of unrest and tension. He was a hard worker in the classroom and for the Afro-American Self-Education Organization. Having grown up with soccer, he volunteered both to play on and to coach Coe's first soccer team. In 1975, he began work in Kericho for the African Highlands Produce Company, a Scottish- based company. In 1979, he became a manager of one of their seventeen tea estates and, in 1982, he was promoted to be a field superintendent in charge of all seventeen estates, covering 15,000 acres of tea. It's an exciting moment for Coe College to be able to recognize Kip Korir for his record-breaking athletic skills, his strong academic ability, and his commendable personal character. Placing his name in the Kohawk Athletic Hall of Fame is the best way the college can say congratulations and thank you.
