A Winter Springs High School track-and-field coach is hitting the road for a cause to honor his past and build on the future for students at the Seminole County-based high school.

Octavius "Ocky" Clark is better known as coach for his work with the Bears' track-and-field team.

"I'm trying to communicate with them, trying to create a bond and get to know them," Clark said of students as he recently walked around campus.

And sometimes, Clark knows more than the students would like.

"Remember you got caught going out and trying to sneak out of the house that one night? Yeah, OK. And remember, I know your business, Ashley," he said.

But few students know Ocky's history, which includes years of military service, a track standout at Florida State University and a gold medal at the Pan American Games. Even less people know his family history and the grandfather who inspired him.

"He walked from Quincy to Sanford looking for work for the Seaboard Coastline railroad," Clark said.

The year was 1917. It was a very different time for James Isaiah Bradwell and African-Americans.

"He had to do his walk during the night, and he slept during the day," Clark said. “There weren't any hotels, and the few places that were around, well, of course, he wasn't allowed to sleep in."

Ocky is honoring his grandfather and how far the United States has come with a 250-mile walk, from Winter Springs High School to Florida State University.

Each step will raise money for improvements at the high school.

The goal is to replace the hard asphalt on the track with a runner-friendly rubberized surface. He also wants to add artificial turf to the field because the natural grass surface often floods.

If enough money is raised, team lockers and a community room would also be built right underneath the bleachers.

Clark wants to get a $1 pledge for each stride in his 250-mile walk. Doing so would raise about $500,000. The plan is for him to arrive at Doak Campbell Stadium at halftime for the football game vs. the Florida Gators on Saturday, Nov. 29.

For Ocky Clark, this Strides for Students is a challenge he embraces for his school — and his heritage.

"Every now and again in life, you find something that's bigger than yourself; that's larger than yourself," Clark said. "And this cause, I feel, is much larger than me."