Ed Nuttycombe is the winningest men's coach in Big Ten Conference history, regardless of sport, so he's had his share of honors over the years. But the retired UW men's track coach will be part of a unique moment Friday when the newly minted Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational cross country meet is run at the Zimmer Championship Course, located in Madison next to University Ridge Golf Course. Now in its eighth year, the event projects to be the toughest in the nation outside of the NCAA meet. According to the national polls, 19 of the top 30 men's teams and 17 of the top 30 women's programs will be on hand. Nuttycombe, a Hall of Famer who retired after 30 seasons in 2014, spoke while on vacation in Europe. He talked about Jesse Owens, his favorite keepsake, and who he'd draft No. 1 if he were starting a track team using all his athletes over the years.

You've had a lot of honors in your life, so what does it mean to have one of the premier cross country meets in the nation bear your name?
Ed Nuttycombe: "It's an incredible honor. When I was told, they'd already done it. I wasn't told they were going to do it. I was told they had done it. It's definitely an honor."

Q: What's the best part about being retired?
EN: "Being in Portugal right now and not having to worry about all the small, petty little headaches."

Q: Is there a downside to retirement?
EN: "Being in Portugal keeps me from practice in the afternoons, which I love. If there's a worst part, it's just feeling like you want to be able to stay in touch with the sport and the program and, in particular, the athletes. Obviously that element of it is diminished."

Q: If you could sit down and pick the brain of any coach in history — you have unlimited time with them — who would you choose?
EN: "Oh, my goodness. That is a very tough question. Wow. I don't know who that would be. I've been fascinated with the success of Doc Councilman (the Indiana men's swimming and diving coach who won 23 Big Ten titles, six NCAA championships and guided two powerhouse U.S. Olympic teams from 1957 to '90). That name would come to the forefront with me. That's a very interesting question. I don't know who that would be … but I would like to sit with John McDonnell (the retired Arkansas men's track and cross country coach whose teams won a record 40 NCAA titles from 1972 to 2008). I've had chances to sit and speak with him and ask questions, but not near enough. If he's not at the top of the list, he's right there near the pinnacle."

Q: You get one mulligan in life. What would you do over?
EN: "I think I would have been, for my career at Wisconsin, more insistent upon facility improvements. I feel like we … need to make some improvements there."

Q: What's your most cherished item of memorabilia?
EN: "The trophy from our first Big Ten championship at Ohio State outdoors (in 1984). That trophy and that process meant so much to me at the time because it kind of made me realize what was possible. The NCAA (indoor title in 2007), that was amazing, but that first Big Ten championship meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to the program because it set a tone."

Q: If you could witness any sporting moment in history, what would it be?
EN: "I would watch the 1936 Olympics in Berlin with Jesse Owens. I think that was an amazing, amazing athletic accomplishment (four gold medals), but also way more than that (because a black man dominated the competition amid Hitler's racist rise to power)."

Q: You're going to start a men's track team at Wisconsin from scratch using athletes from your 30-year tenure. Who would you pick first?
EN: "My first draft pick would be (five-time NCAA champion distance runner) Chris Solinsky. He was the most versatile, durable, reliable athlete I've ever been associated with. I can never remember a time when he wasn't on his game when he was supposed to be and always, always, always got it done. He was such a team player. (NCAA champion and world-class hurdler) Reggie Torian would be a close second. But I believe that Chris Solinsky is the best Wisconsin has had in many, many, many a year."

Q: Is there one thing you haven't done in your life that you'd really like to do?
EN: "Yes, become a virtuoso guitarist."

Q: Your UW teams won a men's record 26 Big Ten championships. You're the winningest men's coach in Big Ten history. Will that record be broken?
EN: "Yes. I don't think it will be broken anytime soon, but one thing I've learned about athletics is every time you think a record will never be broken, people and programs find a way to exceed."