Oak Lawn's Cappos Credits Coach for Directing Him to Shot Put State Title

Involved in four sports growing up, Scott Cappos was beginning to believe that his best was throwing the shot put. When he entered Oak Lawn High School, he discovered there still was a long way to go.

“The fall of my freshman year, I got third in shot in my P.E. class. And that was just one out of 10 P.E. classes,” Cappos said. “It didn’t start out as well as it turned out to be.”

By the time Cappos graduated, he was the 1987 Class AA state champion under legendary coach George Dunn. Cappos also earned a partial athletic scholarship to Indiana University and competed for Canada, his birth nation, internationally.

In May, Cappos marked his 20th season of coaching track by helping the University of Iowa men’s outdoor team win its first Big Ten Conference meet since 1967. Cappos also contributes to a new website (www.ovaltraining.com) that provides training and fitness instruction for track and field coaches.

“I had a great mentor," Cappos said. "George Dunn was always like a father figure and encouraged me to go into the education field. I started (coaching) at Iowa 15 years ago and found a home."

Cappos’ state title was a culmination of hard work, Dunn’s insight, and key training decisions. About the only disappointment was his 63-4 1/2 throw missed the then-state finals record of 63-9 3/4.

“I really focused in on doing what it took to win that state championship. Whatever distance it was going to take, that’s what I was going to do,” Cappos said. “I wasn’t really focused on breaking any records. That’s the same way I coach, focus on yourself executing.”

How it Began for Cappos

As a seventh-grader, Cappos was busy with wrestling, baseball and football, but when he threw the shot from the half-court line of the basketball court, it hit the gymnasium wall. His older brothers, who played baseball and football, encouraged him to focus on track at Oak Lawn.

“They knew Coach Dunn was one of the premier coaches in the state and could guide me, whereas I was a pretty average baseball player,” Cappos said. “Coach Dunn said I had the potential of making myself a state champion if I worked hard and improved.”

Cappos played football and focused on indoor and outdoor track. He remembers training unofficially beginning the day after he turned in his football pads. Semi-retired but still coaching in Florida, Dunn counts coaching 11 high-school state champions.

“He did a lot of research on the sport and had extremely different training methods,” Cappos said. “I think I trained harder in high school than any other point of my career, even college and the professional level.”

Cappos, Dunn Shared a Special Relationship

Dunn became more than a coach. By the time Dunn met Cappos, his father had died and his mother was supporting the family as a police officer.

“He was always a good athlete," Dunn said. "He picked up things and everything went pretty well. He was very dedicated and he was good.

“He was throwing shot maybe 32, 34 feet as a freshman and not real good, but then he matured a lot and worked very, very hard in the weight room. Even as a freshman, there was something. Even though he wasn’t that strong, he still had that natural speed. If you have that, you’re going to be good if you work.”

Cappos improved to 49 feet as a sophomore and added another 10 feet as a junior. One big reason was Dunn deciding that Cappos switch from the then-predominant glide to the spin method of throwing. With Cappos standing at 5-11 and weighing about 215 or 220 pounds, Dunn believed the spin could take better advantage of his athleticism against bigger opponents.

Cappos improved so much as a junior that he was among the favorites at the 1986 state meet. He entered with the top mark but ended up fifth.

“I was disappointed with my performance, and I tried to harness all of my energy to do well senior year. It gave me a lot of motivation,” Cappos said.

During the summer of 1986, Cappos and Dunn traveled to Indiana to visit renowned coach John Smith for advice and drills on the spin method. With improved distance and consistency as a senior, Cappos captured his state title and was fifth in discus (165-7).

Cappos then became the first from his father’s side of the family to attend a four-year college when he accepted Indiana’s 75-percent scholarship offer. Cappos was a three-time All-America selection for the Hoosiers. He won 1990 and 1991 Big Ten outdoor titles and was fifth at the 1991 outdoor nationals.

“The spin really enables the smaller, faster athlete to get a lot of momentum on the shot,” Cappos said. “It not only changed my performance but changed my life, gave me an opportunity to go to college. It gave me a whole career.”

COMING THURSDAY: What's he doing now? Log on at 6 a.m. Thursday to catch up with former Oak Lawn shot put state champion Scott Cappos. You'll learn he is still dreaming big.