Biography
By Jim Hague
Most times in collegiate athletics, the coach of a certain team recruits the athlete. The coach goes out of his way to pursue the athlete, attending events to see the athlete in action, then using a little bit of guile and charisma to woo the athlete and encourage the athlete to come to the school.
Very rarely is it the other way around, with the athlete recruiting the coach.
But that’s what happened in the case of Harun Saleh. It was Saleh who recruited Rutgers-Newark and track and field coach Juan Edney.
Saleh threw the shot put at East Brunswick High School and wanted to attend Rutgers-Newark’s prestigious business school.
“The Rutgers business school is known all over the world,” Saleh said. “I applied to Rutgers-Newark and got in. I then contacted Coach (Juan) Edney. It didn’t take much convincing.”
Edney agreed to meet Saleh at the NJSIAA Outdoor Track Meet of Champions.
“He had approached me via e-mail,” Edney said. “I was going to the Meet of Champions to see others, so I was there in the stands. I was sitting in the stands, waiting to see a thrower come up to me.”
There was only one problem. Most shot putters are of the large, bulky and husky variety. Saleh stood all of 5-foot-7 and weighed 165 pounds.
“I saw he was a small kid,” Edney said. “I wondered, ‘What in the world is he going to throw?’ I saw he was already at a disadvantage being so small. Everyone knows that prototypical shot putters are 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds. ”
Saleh had already been competing in the shot put and the discus in high school.
“In my freshman year, I started running, but it didn’t take long to realize I wasn’t good,” Saleh said. “However, I was lifting weights a lot and a friend told me about throwing. As it turned out, I really liked it.”
Saleh worked with classmate Samuel Mattis, the New Jersey state record holder in the discus.
“Samuel graduated with me,” Saleh said. “His father knew a lot about throwing and helped me a lot. His father introduced me to the hammer (throw).”
When Saleh decided he wanted to join the track team at R-N, Edney challenged him.
“I told him that if he wanted to be a collegiate thrower, he needed to put on weight,” Edney said. “I didn’t need him to get fatter. He just had to get bigger.”
That wasn’t a problem.
“The kid is religious about being in the weight room,” Edney said. “In fact, he’s there all the time.”
“I hope that Coach Edney saw that from Day One, I was dedicated,” Saleh said. “I was willing to put in the work. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. Coach Edney said that he wouldn’t believe it until he saw it. It meant a lot to me that Coach Edney saw how dedicated I was.”
Edney was amazed with Saleh’s persistence.
“He drives me crazy, but it’s a good crazy,” Edney said. “He comes into my office and talks throwing. He’s looking up Olympic champions. He’s doing research. He’s truly into it. He’s in the weight room, getting stronger.”
Saleh, only a sophomore, is also now a solid 185 pounds.
“I can do anything I want to,” Saleh said. “I’m not the biggest or the strongest. But I am a lot faster in the weight throws. I have the right height to throw the hammer. It helps me stay on balance.”
Edney believes Saleh has the makings to be a very good thrower.
“It’s just as important to be flexible as it is to be big,” Edney said. “I really don’t think he’s scratched the surface yet. He’s smaller and quicker than most, but he’s added strength to that speed.”
Edney believes Saleh’s work ethic is also beneficial.
“He’s working all summer long,” Edney said. “He’s watching throwing videos that tell him to do this and do that. And he’s able to do it.”
“I know I have to throw all year round to take advantage of others who don’t,” Saleh said. “I know I can always get better.”
Saleh works so hard in the hammer throw that he takes lessons from former Olympic thrower and All-American Pat McGrath. Saleh travels to Middletown, N.Y. every Sunday for training.
“It’s two hours every Sunday,” Saleh said. “But it’s working out. I’m definitely committed to it.”
Edney thinks that Saleh’s contributions off the track far exceed his performances in the pit.
“He has great leadership ability,” Edney said. “I told him that he can’t just talk smack. He has to back it up by becoming a better leader. And when you become a better leader, then you’ll become a better thrower. I told him that he had to help lead the other throwers. He’s done that. He’s a coach’s dream. You tell him something and you don’t need to tell him again or hold his hand.”
Edney said that he cannot curtail Saleh’s enthusiasm.
“He’ll still go out and throw in the snow if he was given the chance,” Edney said. “He’s a great part of the team because of his attitude. That’s going to rub off on others. One day, he could be a great coach with the ability he has. I don’t think I ever have to yell at him. He’s a coach’s joy.”
Saleh believes he can be a coach some day.
“I can definitely see that,” Saleh said. “I am already coaching my little brother, Wesam, who is 12. He’s making progress. I’ve also introduced the hammer to others on the team. I’m impressed with how I was able to teach them.”
Saleh is majoring in accounting.
“I’m going to graduate with the best degree and the best education for my money,” Saleh said. “I plan on working for a big accounting firm when I’m done. I hope that works out.”
Again, Saleh is just a sophomore. He has the opportunity to make more noise with the Scarlet Raiders’ track and field program.
“I think track has helped me in real life,” Saleh said. “It definitely translates into better school work. I didn’t have great grades in high school, until I met my coaches. It definitely translates into school, but I think it’s helped me in real life.”
It’s safe to say that Saleh’s life has also carried over to the throwing pits. His performance proves it.
