Remembering Greg Stull: The personification of youthful energy

Photos courtesy of Theresa Stull and Chapman Athletics

When Greg Stull came home to his wife of 34 years, he would immediately start bragging about the Chapman track and field team.

He often talked about the successful pole vaulters that he worked with, but Greg would sing the praises of anybody on the roster. They could’ve done something as small as get a good grade on a quiz, or something as big as breaking a school record.

It didn’t matter the achievement, he was just excited to see them win.

His joy and love for the sport and the people within it underlined exactly how Greg approached life — by immersing himself in his interests and believing in those around him with boundless youthful enthusiasm.

“When he was in, he was all in on something,” Theresa Stull said. “It was all or nothing.”

Greg passed away on April 13. He was 63 years old.

An Orange County native through and through, Greg was a pole vaulter at Troy High School in Fullerton, California. During his time there he won an astonishing 16 consecutive competitions, which helped him land a spot on the track and field team at the University of California, Los Angeles.

While at UCLA, he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and applied science, and was on the varsity squad all four years. But it wasn’t until 2010 that he fell back in love with the sport.

Greg and Theresa’s oldest son, Kevin, was going to Orange Lutheran High School and had expressed interest in competing in the pole vault. Just like that, Greg was on the staff. 

He didn’t join to relive his glory days or anything like that, though. It was simply because he wanted to bond with his son over his favorite sport.

“He loved being a dad more than anything,” Theresa said.

She recalled when their youngest sons, Cory and Michael, were getting into soccer — Greg knew nothing about the sport. That never stopped him before. If he went into a new venture without any knowledge on the subject, chances are he would know more than everybody else soon enough.

So Greg took classes, became his sons’ coach and started a podcast with his colleague, Joey Hoffman, about the sport called “Billy Big Time and The Brain."

Greg, of course, was the brain. He always was the brain — solving problems with an unparalleled fervor. And yet, it was his considerate nature that made him a great coach, according to Chapman pole vaulter Jesse McMillan, a graduate student studying business administration and accounting.

“He loved everyone on the team, and he wanted to uplift us in any way he could,” McMillan said. “He truly cared about everyone he met, regardless of their achievements on the track.”

Even so, Greg and McMillan accomplished a lot together. Most recently, at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships earlier this year, McMillan finished second in the pole vault. It was the best finish in the event for a Chapman athlete ever.

It was Greg’s words, somehow relaxing and empowering at the same time, that propelled McMillan’s performance.

“He told me, ‘I think that you're a great human being, and I'm really proud of you, regardless of what happens on the track today,’” McMillan said. “And I think that was enough of a calming presence to just get me through the day, and help me with one of my best days on the track ever.”

Head coach Barron Maizland saw Greg apply that same love and care to every athlete. He had faith that they would all succeed.

“He truly believes you can do things that you wouldn't have thought possible,” Maizland said. “It's great to have that person a part of a program, because it just uplifts everyone. The positivity, it's contagious.”

At practices, Maizland would often glance over to the pole vault pit. There Greg was, cheering on every single runner that jogged on by.

“Sometimes you might not think that it matters,” Maizland said. “But those little encouraging words just go so far.”

While his attitude towards the track and field athletes was nothing but nurturing, Greg did impact them at a purely sporting level as well. He had dedicated so much of his life to perfecting the pole vault. After many years away, it had developed back into his biggest passion.

“He could talk for hours on end about pole vault, to a brick wall,” McMillan said.

He also, according to McMillan, Maizland and Theresa, would try to convince anybody and everybody to do the sport. That’s just how he operated — with an unwavering love for the things he did and the people around him.

Since Greg’s passing, the Chapman athletics community has been grappling with the loss. For Maizland, it hasn’t fully set in yet.

“It’s like, ‘Oh, he’s just not (at practice) today,’” Maizland said. “I still think he’s here. I still think I feel his presence.”

McMillan said that, while the team has been missing their coach, they have also had each other’s backs every step of the way.

“You can't fill the void that he's left,” McMillan said. “We've just been trying to help each other in whatever way we can.”

McMillan said that he saw Greg’s energetic side the most when they were at the airport before a competition a few years ago. Their head coach at the time, Neil Houlihan, challenged him to a long jump. Houlihan had been telling Greg all season that he couldn’t jump a full 10 feet. Greg had to prove him wrong.

Right in front of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) line, they set down bags 10 feet apart and he went for it. Did Greg complete the feat? McMillan had the answer.

“I’d say it was close.”

It was never about how well he did it, though. It was just the fact that Greg was always ready to stretch his limits. And he did so with a pep in his step and a smile on his face.

“He never really grew up past 18,” McMillan said. “He said hanging out with us kept him young, which I think is true.”

Theresa first saw her future husband’s dynamic side on their second date. The first date was laid back. They were set up by Greg’s sister, and watched one of Theresa’s favorite plays, Les Misérables.

Relaxed outings didn’t become the norm, though.

“We played tennis, we went miniature golfing and dinner and a movie,” Theresa said. “All on one date.”

Greg also applied that youthful energy to every problem he faced in life. He always wanted to find the answer, never letting life beat him down from his pursuits.

“He had a very innovative, think outside of the box personality,” Theresa said.

She described Greg as a niche man. The type of man that you were lucky to know, and lucky to love. His phone was full of photos of his children and his wife, but also of his athletes at Chapman.

Ultimately, she just wants people to know that Greg always stayed true to who he was: a kid at heart, who tried to live life to the fullest.

“His friends would say, ‘we just throw a rope around Greg and hold on.’”