Lewis is arguably the greatest athlete in American sports history, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist who starred in the long jump, sprints and relays.

So you can imagine the thrill he brought to athletes when he mingled with them at Saturday's 36th annual Woodbury Relays.

Lewis, 46, spent most of the day at Woodbury.

"The Willingboro coaches called on Friday to let us know he was coming," Woodbury athletic director Grant Shivers said yesterday, "and he was tremendous. He spent four or five hours here, and he was accessible to everyone. He presented some awards, took pictures with the kids, signed autographs. He was a great addition to our first Relays back home."

Because of track and stadium renovations, the Woodbury Relays had been held at West Deptford the previous four years.

"He said he always had great memories of running at Woodbury," Shivers said. "He knew it was a big event and he just wanted to stop by. He has a Carl Lewis Foundation, and he was back in the area to work on that."

Lewis talked to the athletes about working hard and setting goals - and what was needed to achieve those goals.

"He probably motivated a lot of kids to run even harder because they were in front of him," Shivers said. "We made an announcement that he was here, and there was huge applause. He added a level of excitement to things."

"It really put the kids in awe," said Jim Mohan, who was the meet director for the 28th year. "It was a shock to everybody that he showed up. The kids got to see a legend, and how often do you see that?"

Mohan spent part of the day obliging the athletes' requests for pieces of paper so they could get Lewis' autograph.

"He stood under a tent and must have had his photo taken hundreds of times and signed hundreds of autographs," Mohan said. "One kid asked if he could sign his watchbox [for winning a medal]. Carl politely declined because he's sponsored by another company, but he politely signed a piece of paper for him. He was a perfect gentleman."

The return to Woodbury, which has a new track, could not have gone better. Close to 4,000 athletes participated, and a record crowd of more than 1,500 attended. There were numerous outstanding performances, including a stunning 7-foot leap by Timber Creek junior high-jumper Montez Blair, and first-place finishes in three events by Millville en route to the Group 4 girls' team title.

Those performances, and many others, won't be forgotten.

Neither will the buzz generated by the appearance of South Jersey's native son, Lewis. He is one of the best athletes the world has ever witnessed, and he deserves a gold medal in another category: never forgetting his roots.

A tip of the cap to . . .

Steve Quick

The aptly named former Gateway boys' basketball coach ran in Monday's Boston Marathon, covering the 26.2-mile course in 4 hours, 3 minutes and 31 seconds.

Quick, 53, finished 15,183d out of 25,000 runners.

Just finishing the race makes him my hero.

Tom Curley

The former Haddon Township football coach is the behind-the-scenes person who puts in tireless hours for the South Jersey Football Hall of Fame.

This year's group, which will be honored June 25 at Masso's in Glassboro, is outstanding: Atlantic City coach Bob Weiss; Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Lewis (Delran); former Heisman Trophy winner, Mike Rozier (Woodrow Wilson); retired NFL referee, Bob McElwee (Haddonfield); and former standouts from the '60s - Cherry Hill West's Walt King - and the '70s - Sterling's Ken Kelley.

In addition, Florence coach Joe Frappolli, who is already in the South Jersey Football Hall of Fame, will be honored with an achievement award. Frappolli last year became the winningest coach in South Jersey football history.

For tickets to the banquet, call 856-582-0212.