John Grim enters his second year on the track & field coaching staff for the 2015-16 season.
A 1973 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the New Castle, Pa. native majored in Education and was a member of the football team being named to All-Conference in 1972. After earning his bachelors degree, Grim went on to earn his masters degree in Education at Slippery Rock University in 1975.
Grim had 41 years of coaching experience before joining the staff at Messiah. He started coaching football at Slippery Rock University in 1974 while earning his master’s degree. Shortly after, Grim started coaching at Frederick High School located in Frederick, MD for five years before he switched to Linganore High School, also located in Frederick, MD. During his time at Linganore High School, Grim led the Lancers to 14 track & field state championships in a 31-year time frame. After his tenure at Linganore, Grim went on to coach at Hagerstown Community College in 2012 and Hood College in 2013 before coming to Messiah.
Other than his abundance of coaching experience, Grim was also an Olympic official for the weightlifting competition in the 1984 Olympic games located in Los Angeles, CA. Another interesting experience that Grim has accomplished was coaching team USA-Maryland track team when they took on team Russia-Moscow in 1992 and 1995.
Grim looks at athletics as “a great opportunity for young people to fulfill their potential – spiritually, physically, intellectually, and emotionally.” He currently resides in Thurmont, MD with his wife Valerie and his four children John, Jason, Ashley, and Whitney.
