LARRY IVAN
- mercertrackhall
- Sep 20, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 26, 2025
Track and Field Official & Special Contributor
Fiction writers would not have dared to create a character with a legacy like Larry Ivan as no one would have believed it was true. But in roughly a half-century of excellence on the local and state track scene, Ivan’s resume is one of the most remarkable in Mercer County annals.
A graduate of Rahway High School in 1951, Ivan served in the Airborne Division in the Korean Conflict. Think next chapter of Band of Brothers. But his story was only starting as Ivan would return to be a highly respected track official for 46 years, overlapping with a brilliant coaching career.
A teacher and coach within the Princeton Regional School District from 1958-99, Ivan led Princeton High to some of the greatest victories in Mercer annals during a magnificent run in the 1970’s. First he coached the 1973 Little Tigers boys’ cross-country team to a 16-0 dual-meet season and the Central Group II sectional title. The next year, Ivan went one better, taking Princeton to the Group II state title.
How important and rare was this crown? It was the first state title by a Princeton boys’ cross country team in 46 years (since 1928) and one of only four in their history. It was a dominant effort too with Royce Flippin, TIm Anderson and Rob Cobb all cracking the top 20 as Princeton bested second-place Saddle Brook by 40 points.
A basketball official for 51 years and community park pool manager for 50, Ivan also found time to be a church deacon for 25, cementing his legacy as one of the most interesting figures in Mercer County over the last century.
The Larry Ivan Scholarship is named in his honor and presented annually by the Mercer County Track and Field Hall of Fame.
