In this day and age, it seems like we all are in a race.

We race against the clock to reach a deadline or race for greatness.

Huntingdon College head football coach Mike Turk will discuss how to succeed in life, in school and on the athletic field using four words that make up the acronym RACE - respect, attitude, commitment and enthusiasm - on May 4 as keynote speaker of the annual Achiever Award's banquet .

&#8220That is what I have stressed to our players and coaches over the years,” said Turk, who enters his third season as the Hawks' head coach.

Turk took over the relatively new football program at Huntingdon after serving 13 years as an assistant coach on the Troy University football staff.

Turk graduated from Jeff Davis High in Montgomery and walked on as a quarterback in the spring of 1984. In four years at Troy (State), Turk helped guide the Trojans to two Division II national title in 1984 and 87.

After earning his bachelor's and master's degree from Troy, he joined the coaching staff and coached running backs for 12 seasons.

Since he's taken over the Hawks football program, he's helped lead the Division III program from obscurity. Huntingdon used to be a doormat for most opponents, but the Hawks finished the 2005 season with a 7-2 mark.

&#8220The key to any successful story is hard work,” Turk explained. &#8220The assistant coaches we've hired have taken to hart to recruit as good a player to go with what we have here. The players here have taken to heart what we've asked of them during the offsesaon and regular season.”

Turk hopes those attending the banquet

will put use the same formula that his team uses.

&#8220The formula will help them to be successful in any caree r they choose,” he said.