Trimble, who passed away last spring at the age of 81, enjoyed a string of success coaching Cornell’s cross country and track and field teams from 1982-97. During that period, the Rams claimed nine Midwest Conference team championships and crowned 19 all-Americans.
Cornell men’s track and field was the class of the conference in the late 1980s. The Rams won the indoor meet in 1984 and 1987, while sweeping both indoor and outdoor championships in 1988 and 1989. Trimble coached 16 all-Americans on the track, headlined by NCAA indoor 55-meter champion Ronnie Hendred in 1985.
Trimble led the women’s cross country program to conference titles in 1982, 1987 and 1988. The Rams fielded the individual women’s champion four times at conference, and the men’s winner three times, including his son Matt in 1983. Trimble coached three all-Americans in men’s cross country.
Trimble volunteered countless hours at Ash Park in refurbishing Cornell’s track, which was deemed unusable by even the casual jogger. Trimble constructed the ‘CORNELL’ letters on the grass berm at the west end of Ash Park that still stand today. The majority of this work was done single-handedly by Trimble and without fanfare.
In the fall of 1998, Cornell recognized the retired coach by its annual home cross country meet the Ocie Trimble Invitational.
Trimble, a 1979 graduate of Cedar Rapids Roosevelt, was never defeated in his prep years, winning consecutive state titles in track and cross country. He went on to run at the University of Illinois, where he was a member of three Big Ten outdoor track and field championship teams. Trimble was also one of the nation’s finest speed skaters, qualifying for the 1964 Olympic Trials.
