When I think of Coach Weir, I think of him peering down at me and saying, “Hello bag lady!”. Ever since I left my backpack in the athletic training room my first year at Stanford and Coach Weir had to unlock it for me after hours, I was forever branded with this nickname. And although it is possible for us to have hardly interacted since we were part of completely separate spheres of the track team (Me being a female distance runner, and him being the head men’s track coach and coaching throws) he always found ways to encourage me and make me feel welcome on the team. As a team captain later on in my career, I saw first hand the long hours and all the behind-the-scenes work that went into being a Stanford track coach, in addition to the hands on coaching out at practice everyday. Even now when I return to Stanford, the sight of Coach Weir reminds me of an exciting time when I was encouraged at Stanford to take my running ability to its highest, because he was such an integral part of that, not because I was one of “his athletes”, but because it was his nature to find a way to connect with even the little freshman distance girls. Even if it was by calling me “bag lady” 
Thanks Coach!
Sara Bei Hall, Former Stanford runner
