It’s difficult to know where to start regarding Ben Hovis.
The lauded, long-time Providence Day coach has crossed so many finish lines, leading boys and girls teams and individuals to scores of state titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and even titles in Australia.
So where do you start with Coach Hovis? Gil Murdock, another legendary Providence Day coach, of course.
“I developed a love of the sport of running as a student at Providence Day with Coach Murdock,” says Coach Hovis of his former coach, who served as athletic director for 11 years at Providence Day and was responsible for starting most sports teams on campus. “He was my cross-country coach, and he was kind of like a second father to me.
“What he taught me about coaching is that if you care about your athletes and get them to trust in you, then they will want to compete for you.”
Coach Hovis’ 34 state titles since taking over Providence Day’s program in 2002, including boys and girls cross country titles in 2023, have led to another honor: he will be inducted into the North Carolina High School Track & Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame. The hall honors athletes, coaches and officials who have significantly impacted the sports on the high school level and beyond.
Coach Hovis, along with the rest of the fifth Hall of Fame class, will be formally inducted during a ceremony on February 3 in Winston-Salem during the Mondo Elite High School Invitational at the JDL Fast Track, which will house the Hall of Fame.
“[Students] wanted to run well for Gil because he connected with people and cared,” Coach Hovis says. “I’ve tried to continue what I learned from him.”
“I love watching the moments of joy.”
Coach Hovis, who has also taught fourth grade at Providence Day for 23 years, received the call on Christmas Day he was going into the hall of fame.
He decided then, and there he wasn’t going to spread the news - his induction results from great coaching staffs and passionate students, he says.
“I like watching kids become successful, and I like watching them have those moments of joy of running a personal best,” he says. “I tell the parents, and I tell the kids every year our goal is for them to reflect on the season and feel like they’re successful. Running is not easy. Training is not easy.”
Coach Hovis has been a part of the Providence Day track program since 1991, when he began running in the seventh grade. He was part of the 1996 state champion boys’ team - the first for the school.
As a coach, he’s led teams to 17 state championships in boys and girls cross country, eight in indoor track and nine in outdoor track. He’s led Providence Day to 10 girls conference cross country titles, 16 boys and nine girls individual conference titles, and more than a dozen individual boys and girls cross country state champions.
“Ben Hovis is truly a living legend,” Nancy Beatty, Director of Athletics, says. “He not only had a positive impact as a student at [Providence Day], but he has also had an exceptional career as a teacher and a coach. I am amazed with his unique ability to motivate our student-athletes to run and get better each day. His 34 state championships, plus numerous individual state champion titles is what other coaches dream about achieving.”
He coached two-time national qualifier Ben Huffman and North Carolina athletes in Australia as part of Down Under Sports, where he won Down Under Cross Country team titles.
He founded NCRunners.com in 2005 and ran it for six years bringing videos, pictures, articles, and interviews to North Carolina cross country and track and field student-athletes, parents, and fans of the sport.
But for Coach Hovis, the championships aren’t the best times he remembers.
“I think about the different kids who have come through the program daily,” he says. “There’s so many. I remember their times. I remember the kids who shaved their time and ended up winning championships. I remember the ups and downs of each season, even this last season. Our boys were third in the conference championship, and they turned around a week later and won the state championship.”
He continues: “I can tell so many stories. I don’t believe in making any cuts for running. If kids dedicate themselves, they can be successful.”
Coach Hovis attended the University of North Carolina Charlotte and ran cross country and track and field. He was the captain of the cross-country team when he was a sophomore at Charlotte. He is also a member of the Charger Hall of Fame.
“I feel like I have at least 20 more years of coaching,” he says. “I have a lot of time left. In teaching the fourth grade, I get to see several of them become athletes. I’ve had fourth-graders I’ve taught become captains of my teams. It makes this place a neat place to be.”
About The Hall
A statewide committee of 22 track and field and cross country coaches, officials, and media representatives who cover the sport extensively nominated and elected the class.
“High school track and field has existed in North Carolina for more than 100 years, and North Carolinas has a strong history of national success,” Brett Honeycutt, the founder of the hall of fame, said in a news release. “Our goal is to honor those who have helped make this sport so great in our state.”