Judson “Jud” Logan, BA ’82
July 19, 1959–January 3, 2022
Light Giver
Jud Logan, four-time Olympian and Varsity “K” Hall of Famer, left a great legacy when he passed away from COVID-19–related pneumonia in January 2022.
He came to Kent State on a divided athletic scholarship, part football, part track. A four-year letter winner in track and field (1978-81) and one-year letter winner in football (1978), Logan qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Championships in 1980 after being selected as the Mid-American Conference Outstanding Athlete. He also captured three individual MAC titles, winning the hammer throw in 1979 and 1980 and the discus throw in 1980.
He had trained in the hammer throw with Kent State’s track coach, Al Schoterman, BS ’73, who was a five-time All-American in the hammer throw for the Golden Flashes and had competed in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. At the end of his senior year, when Logan went to Schoterman’s home to thank him, Schoterman asked if he wanted to be in the upcoming 1984 Olympics. He promised to help turn Logan into an Olympian over the next two years. Instead of an ending, it was a new beginning.
Logan earned a spot on four US Olympic teams (in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2000), serving as captain of the 1992 team in Barcelona, Spain. He also represented the US as a competitor in the Pan American Games, Goodwill Games and World Championships. Logan won a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. He was the US record-holder in the hammer throw for several years and currently holds the record for the third-longest throw of all time.
“Al Schoterman changed the course of Jud’s life,” says Logan’s youngest brother, Andy. “Al saw more light in him than Jud saw for himself. Just this past August, Jud talked to the Kent State football team about being a light giver. He’s been that for thousands of people.”
Logan was sought after as a speaker. He often discussed overcoming obstacles and encouraged listeners to find a light giver—someone who sees more in you and helps light the path that you may have never seen or believed you could take—and then to become one for others.
At the time of his passing, Logan (who was treated for leukemia for two years prior to his death) was in his 17th season as head track and field coach at Ashland University where, among other accomplishments, he led the men’s team to three consecutive NCAA Division II national championships and was a five-time US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. A 1990 inductee into the Kent State Varsity “K” Hall of Fame, he also was a 2002 inductee of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame and a 2015 inductee of the National Throws Coaches Association Thrower's Hall of Fame.
“Jud will be remembered for far more than just coaching, trophies and All-Americans; he was my friend, a mentor and an inspiration to many,” says Nathan Fanger, Kent State track and field associate head coach. “He was always there for me as a young coach when I needed direction or advice. I will miss his energy, his passion and the way he could command a room wherever he went. He will forever have a place in my heart, and he will forever be part of the Kent State track and field family.”
Logan stayed connected to Kent State and returned to the Field House for track and field meets each season. His voice could be heard loud and clear, especially during the final home indoor meet, which was previously named the Kent State Tune Up. Every year at that meet, Logan coached his own student-athletes and offered encouragement to throwers from other schools who were aiming for a big mark to qualify for the national meet.
In February 2022, Kent State renamed this final meet the “Jud Logan Memorial Tune Up.” This name will be used for the final meet each season from now on.
In addition, family and friends have established the Jud Logan-Al Schoterman LIGHT GIVER Scholarship endowment, in memory of Jud Logan and in honor of Al Schoterman. This gift enables Kent State to award scholarships to student-athletes who compete in throwing events. To contribute to the endowment, please contact Brian Grubich, associate director of athletic advancement, at 330-672-8399 or bgrubic2@kent.edu.