Fred Rosenfeld was a heralded track coach who, in his long career, won the astounding total of 51 Philadelphia Public League Championships (40 as a head coach, and 11 as a co-head coach or assistant coach). His teams at Overbrook and Central High Schools won a total of 17 public league track and field and 23 cross country titles. Additionally, he coached four Championship seasons of cross-country at Akiba Hebrew Academy.
An Overbrook graduate, and resident of Wynnewood, Rosenfeld taught and coached at “The Brook” for 24 years, then at Central High School for 11 more, where his Lancer teams were dominant. He was honored as the Pennsylvania Track Coach of the Year in 1989, 1998 and 2004. In 1991, he was named an Honorary Referee for the Penn Relays, and he coached in the 1993 Maccabiah Games in Israel. For years he served as boys coach for the Pennsylvania Cross Country All Star teams at the Mideast Championships. Rosenfeld was inducted into both the Overbrook High School Hall of Fame, and the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame.
At Overbrook, he helped coach an unprecedented string of 14 consecutive Public League Track Championships from 1972-1985. In Cross-Country, his 1979 team won the last ever City Championship, while his 1988 team recorded the only perfect score in Public League Championship history. Rosenfeld helped develop many outstanding athletes including Jon Drummond, a silver and gold medalist in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics; Paul Jordan, a triple jumper who was a member of the 1980 Olympic team; Jason Grimes, the former Tennessee star who was the 2nd ranked long jumper in the world; and David Moore, an 800 meter star and four time All-American at the University of Pittsburgh.
Since retiring seven years ago, the coach who is known by his athletes as “Mr. Rose” has kept in close contact with his sport by serving as a PIAA Cross-Country and Track and Field Official, as well as an official at the Penn Relays.
Married to Wendy for 43 years, they have two children (Rachel & Josh) and three grandchildren.
