Dave Scott-Thomas arrived in Guelph in 1997, sleeping on a friend's floor while he took on a no-name job as the track and field coach at the University of Guelph.
Over the next 22 years he not only built the track and field and cross-country teams into a national powerhouse, he helped define Guelph as a running town when he created and nurtured the Speed River Track and Field Club, bringing high school, university and post-university runners together under one training umbrella.
They won races. They won accolades. They won government funding. They sent people to the Olympics. Elite athletes flocked to Guelph to be coached by Scott-Thomas and run beside other elite athletes.
That all came crashing down in December when the University of Guelph announced it was "reviewing" information from current and former U of G athletes regarding Scott-Thomas. Four days later he was fired for unprofessional conduct.
The exact nature of the complaints are not known and may never be known. The university refused media interviews and Scott-Thomas was asking for privacy, having left on personal leave from the school, and as coach with Speed River TFC, in October.
The situation will likely have a devastating effect on Guelph's elite running scene and reputation. Several athletes have already bolted, including Olympians, and Athletics Canada has withdrawn the school and club's designation (and funding) as a centre of excellence.
It will likely take new blood, and many years, to fix the damage.
