North Central College Cardinals

North Central has a storied cross country and track and field history because of a special coach and an abundance of special athletes. Jeff Milliman now joins Inaugural Hall of Fame coach Al Carius. Milliman is one of only three North Central cross country runners to garner NCAA III All-America honors all four years of competition. He's also one of only seven Cardinals to earn an individual national championship (25:20.20, 1980). He placed fourth as a junior, third as a sophomore and 15th as a freshman and was a member of the College's 1978 and 1979 national championship teams. 

In track and field, Milliman made his mark in the 10,000 meters, winning the national championship in 1981 by clocking a 30:31.78. He was All-American in the 5,000 meters as a senior and All-American in the 10,000 meters as a junior. His teams were quite successful too, taking sixth, fifth and third in 1979, 1980 and 1981, respectively. Milliman still holds the school record in the marathon with a 2:22.59 set in 1981. He's one of only three North Central runners to win an individual national title in both cross country and track and field. (Inaugural Hall of Fame inductees John Weigel '96 and Dan Mayer '94 were the others.) 

At the conference level, the seven-time All-American was a two-time College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) champion in cross country. In track, he was also a two-time champ in the 10,000 meters and one-time champ in the 5,000 meters. 

After graduating from North Central in 1981 with a degree in biology, Milliman worked in the retail running business for Athletic Attic and for Asics for some nine years. He later acquired an Athletic Attic franchise and changed the name to Personal Best (in honor of one of coach Carius' running mottos).