TAHOE CITY, Calif. – Over the last five decades, Coach Warren Mills has instilled and cultivated a love (or if not love, at least an appreciation) of the sport of cross country running. Countless numbers of his former athletes have continued with the sport, long after they graduated high school.

And as North Tahoe High School’s first, and up until 2021 when he retired, the only Head Cross Country Coach, there can be no doubt that he shaped the Laker program, although he wouldn’t necessarily take credit for that, he’d say it was students and parents who came through the program over the years.

On Thursday, June 13, Mills was recognized for his years of coaching as he, along with 13 others, was inducted into the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the Peppermill Resort and Casino in Reno.

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When asked at the ceremony how he felt about being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Mills said, “embarrassed.”

“I didn’t run one race, I didn’t win one race,” said Mills.

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“It’s kind of awesome to have someone recognize the things you’ve accomplished, which you don’t look at while you’re doing it,” he added. “I’m getting this recognition for things that other people did. But the payback I’ve gotten from my runners is priceless.”

Mills started running in elementary school. In high school, he went out for the track team. He wanted to be a hurdler but the coaches made the athletes try every discipline and he excelled at long distance.

“It wasn’t my choice, it was ‘you’re doing this,'” said Mills. “And that was it, I just ran. I was never the greatest runner, I just loved it.”

When he got his first teaching job at a school in Burbank, California, he wanted to check out the cross country program at the school, and before he had a chance to decide if that’s what he wanted to do, the school gave him the job as coach.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. But he couldn’t have been that bad because 50 years later, five members of that first team flew into Reno to attend Mills’ induction ceremony.

After two years, he took a job at Truckee High School and the next year, in 1974, North Tahoe High School opened its doors. He took a job teaching there and began coaching the cross country program and never looked back.

His accomplishments are endless. His teams have taken 24 boys and 13 girls Class 2A state cross county banners. His girls had a four year streak from 1986-90 and a six year streak from 2014-19. His boys won ten straight state titles from 2012-2021.

His runners took individually took home 25 gold medals, 13 silver medals and posted more than 150 top seven podium finishes.

According to the NIAA, Mills is the, “NIAA’s all-time coaching leader for state team championships won in any sport.”

“I just cared about every kid, all I wanted was for you to do the best you could do,” said Mills, adding that he was never one for the angry and negative coaching style.

That’s not to say he was an easy coach, several of his former athletes told the Sun they still remember him telling them not to walk.

Mills said the thing that makes a good long distance runner is stubbornness, intensity and intelligence.

“You’re on your own, nobody cares, nobody cares at all but you,” Mills said.

Those attributes were not anything he could teach his athletes.

“They just have it. How could you run eight or nine miles a day and not have something inside you, pushing you. Me yelling isn’t doing anything,” said Mills.

While he achieved a lot during his time as a coach, he credits much of his success to his family. His wife, Teresa, was a huge support for him and a personal accomplishment for Mills is that all five of his kids, Jeremy, Jacob, Andy, Tommy and Julianna, all took home at least one individual or team state championship.

Teresa, his five kids, several assistant coaches, and a small group of athletes he coached over the years attended his induction ceremony.

“Everybody always asked, ‘what’s the best team you ever coached,?’ And I would always say, ‘the team I’m coaching today,'” said Mills.

And while he may have hung up his official coaching hat, he holds out hope that one of his six grandchildren will pick up the running mantel.