HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2010

Paul McGovern

2010 Inductee - 1982 Graduate

Paul McGovern was a student athlete with dedication and determination, but more notably, he was a man on the run— literally. A former teammate recalls, “We would often see McGovern run in a track meet at Fitchburg State, finish his event and walk over to the baseball field to pitch, stopping only to change his uniform in the storage shed. He was a great leader and a friend to everyone on the team.” On the same day, after winning three long-distance events to be crowned MASCAC Champion for each, and helping his team to win the MASCAC Championship, he entered the field to pitch in the baseball game. The following day he pitched two games for the baseball team against Framingham State, recording the win in both.  In his four years at Fitchburg State, McGovern was a six-time MASCAC Champion in track, a five-time All-New Englander, three-time New England Champion, and helped his outdoor track and cross country teams to win three championships while playing four years of baseball. 

Following graduation, McGovern continued to run and was coached by fellow alumnus Martin “Marty” Siluva ’72. “The hills of Fitchburg prepared me for the rest of my life,” said McGovern, “Marty told me that the run from Mt. Wachusett to Fitchburg State was similar to the Boston Marathon, so I ran it.” Since 1986, McGovern has run over 25 marathons, including his 22nd place finish in the 1986 Boston Marathon and the 1992 US Olympic trial run, where he placed 16th with a time of 2:19. 

In 2004, after years of running, he decided to give back to the sport by participating in Trek USA, a transcontinental charity relay. The organization raised $300,000 when McGovern and nine other greater Bostonians ran from behind the home plate of PacBell park in San Francisco to home plate in Fenway Park.  

McGovern isn’t always running (though he has run every day for the past 10 years); he has been happily married to his wife Beverly for 14 years. They have two children, son Paul, age 13, and daughter Peyton, age 11. McGovern currently works in a rehabilitation nursing home, helping clients aged 50 to 100 recover from injuries. He also teaches a class in sports massage therapy at North Shore Community College.