Mann Named to Team USA's 2008 Olympic Coaching Staff
March 19, 2008 | Women's Track and Field
March 19, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - University of Louisville track and field head coach Ron Mann has been named as the men's middle distance coach for Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With previous international coaching experience including the 2005 World Championships and the 1993 PanAm Games, this will be Mann's first venture with Team USA at the Olympic Games.
"It's been a lifelong dream and a very humbling experience to represent the United States at the Olympic Games," said Mann. "I want to give a lot of thanks to (U of L athletics director) Tom Jurich, the Cardinal athletics family and especially our track and field and cross country coaching staff for allowing me the time and energy to accept this position. There will definitely be an additional work load on our coaching staff at Louisville while I'm with Team USA in Beijing."
Mann replaces Arkansas head coach John McDonnell, who resigned his Team USA position in order to devote more time to coaching individual athletes at the Games, which are scheduled for Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China. Mann joins a highly talented group of coaches for Team USA, led by head coach Bubba Thornton, head coach of the Texas Longhorns.
"We are disappointed John won't be part of the staff, but we understand his loyalty to the athletes he coaches," said Thornton. "We are extremely excited that Ron Mann has joined us and look forward to the expertise he will bring to our staff and Team USA athletes at the Olympics."
Mann is in fourth season as the Cards' head coach, where he has led the Louisville track and field and cross country programs into the national spotlight. Since his hiring on July 2, 2004, Mann has led the Cards to school record finishes at the NCAA Championships in both track and field and cross country. In 2007, the Cards were one of only two schools in the nation to earn top 10 team finishes at the NCAA indoor (10th), outdoor (seventh) and cross country (ninth) championships and all three were school record finishes for Louisville.
The 2007 season also produced the Cards' first ever event national champions as a pair of Mann's prized recruits, Tone Belt (long jump) and Andre Black (triple jump) won national titles at the NCAA Indoor Championships bringing the first NCAA titles of any kind to the University of Louisville since the men's basketball team championship in 1986.
Since his hiring at U of L in 2004, Mann has coached 11 NCAA All-Americans, while producing two BIG EAST team championships (2007 men's outdoor track; 2007 men's cross country), 36 conference champions (23 men, 13 women) and the program's first ever bids to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Prior to taking over the reins of the Cards' program, Mann spent 24 years as the head coach at his alma mater, Northern Arizona University. While at NAU, Mann guided the Lumberjacks to a combined 58 Big Sky Conference championships in cross country and track and field and 16 top 10 NCAA finishes, while producing 107 All-Americans, five Olympians and four individual national champions.
During his 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Mann has produced six NCAA champions, 118 NCAA All-Americans, 19 NCAA Top 10 team finishes, 60 conference titles, 59 conference coach of the year awards and earned 30 bids to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Players Mentioned
