'Quietly did great things': Legendary Perkins cross country coach John Hinton dies at 75

John Hinton was an accomplished running coach who led some of the best teams in Perkins High School history. But he didn't act like a big shot. "Probably the most striking thing was how humble he was," said Chris Parthemore, the executive director of the Sandusky State Theatre and a 1998 Perkins graduate. "He had all these accolades, and he cared whether we won or lost. But he cared how we won or lost. "If somebody beat us he wanted us to be able to shake their hands. He just did it the right way." The Pirates didn't lose often with Hinton in charge. Hinton, who coached Perkins High School's boys cross country teams to state championships in 1987, 1988 and 1989, died Sunday at age 75. The former counselor at Perkins High School coached cross country teams and track distance runners from 1971 to 2001. He is a member of the Perkins Hall of Fame and in 1994 was elected to the Ohio Association of Track & Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. "He cared about students in general and he cared about every runner no matter how fast you were," said Parthemore, who was an All-Ohio track athlete for the Pirates who later coached the team for five years. Edison cross country coach Cyndy Carrier-Vajda said Hinton was a coach any parent would want to mentor their child. "Humble, kind, he would not want any attention at all," she said. "Quietly did great things." Hinton, who lived in Huron, coached Perkins' state cross country runner-up team in 1990 and was an assistant track coach for Perkins' 1984 state championship team and 1997 state runner-up. He also coached Scott Fry, a national champion who still holds state records in cross country and the 2-mile run. "He was just an awesome guy," said Perkins track coach Shane Burrows. "He'd always come back in the spring and talk to our team. It's sad and he'll be missed. "That's the kind of coach I'd love to be. He and coach (Jim) Hauser showed me what a head coach should be about. One of the best coaches I've seen in my life. He was great at what he did." Hinton's three Division II state championship teams were inducted into the Perkins Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022. The coach spoke about the team at the induction ceremony. The 1987 team, led by Larry Sparks, scored 47 points, which at the time was a state record and now stands as the second-lowest score in Division II history. The 1989 team was led by individual state runner-up Matt Smith. Hinton's passing drew an outpouring of gratitude on social media. "I couldn't possibly write enough about his impact on me and my teammates. As a coach now, a week doesn't go by that I don't think what would Coach Hinton have done or said about this or that," wrote Scott Smith. Brian Martin wrote: "I never met anyone as humble and motivated as Coach. Of all the 'hats' he wore, the greatest one was that of a true friend." Michael Hudson wrote: "Coach was the very best and touched so many. I owe much of who I became to the man, mentor, coach and friend he was. Prayers of sympathy to his family and friends. Rest easy, Coach." Mike Strohl, the principal at EHOVE Career Center, called Hinton "one of the finest human beings I've ever met." "He was one of the foundation pieces of a successful Perkins Athletic Dept.," Strohl wrote on Twitter. Carrier-Vajda, who has been Edison's cross country coach for 33 years, wrote a heartfelt letter to the Register on Sunday after hearing of Hinton's passing. She ran cross country at Perkins one year, as a senior, but Hilton taught her a lifetime of lessons. "Throughout my years coaching at Edison, he has always been my role model and I cannot count how many times I have asked myself how Coach Hinton would handle certain situations," wrote Carrier-Vajda, a 1984 Perkins graduate. "I have run hundreds of miles at practice with my teams, because that is what Coach Hinton would do. I have written individual notes to runners, because that is what Coach Hinton would do. I have waited patiently for the last runner to cross the finish line with a cheer from me, because that is what Coach Hinton would do. "And at the end of a season, nothing pleased me more than having Coach Hinton shake my hand and tell me I was doing a great job at Edison. As was always the case, he was a champion for his alumni, his sport, and his competition." Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday at Foster Funeral Home in Huron. A funeral service will follow at United Methodist Church.