Hall of Fame
Richard Ocker is a three-time PSAC place-winner and four-year letter winner in track & field for the Raiders who thrived in middle distance with the Raiders.
At the time of his graduation, Ocker held the school record in the mile (4:33) and had the second-fastest times in both the 880 yards and the two-mile run. Ocker served as a co-captain as a junior and senior; and the SU track & field squads coached by Jack Roddick were undefeated in dual meets during his four-year tenure.
As a junior, Ocker anchored a mile relay that finished second at Penn Relays in Pennsylvania-only events. He ran the third leg of the mile relay as a sophomore as Shippensburg also placed second at the Penn Relays.
Ocker was named the team MVP as a senior, finishing fourth at the PSAC Championships in the mile. As a junior, he finished fifth at the PSAC Championships in the mile. As a sophomore, he finished fifth at the PSAC Championships in the 880 yards.
He earned his first of three degrees from Shippensburg in 1959, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Ocker also earned a master’s degree in elementary education in 1964, and later earned a master’s degree in reading supervision in 1973 – all coming from Shippensburg University.
Ocker continued running after graduation and took up coaching. Over time, Ocker began to be known more for his expertise in sprints; he served as a long-time sprints coach at Dickinson College in Carlisle and currently serves as the sprints coach at Messiah College.
Ocker served as a principal for 35 years in the Carlisle Area School District. He is the father of Carlisle High School cross country – having founded the program in 1967 and cultivating its excellence.
Ocker has made a further name for himself as a world-class Masters sprinter. He has qualified for the Master’s 100-meter dash at the Penn Relays for 22 consecutive years, and currently runs in the Masters 75-and-older division. As of 2008, Ocker had won seven consecutive 100-meter dash titles at the Pennsylvania Senior Games, setting meet records for multiple age groups. In 2007, at the age of 68, Ocker was clocked at 13.9 seconds for the 100 meters.
At this year’s Penn Relays, Ocker finished fifth among the 75-and-older division, posting a time of 16.16 seconds. He finished second at the 2014 Penn Relays, running 15.37 seconds. Last year, Ocker was invited to run in the Grand Prix Diamond Meet at Randall's Island in New York, where he placed second in the 100 meters.
Richard has been married to his wife Esther Ocker for 56 years. The couple has three children and three grandchildren. Currently, Ocker is committed to his family and his church, and enjoys traveling with his wife.
