Bob Larsen (born January 23, 1939) is a Hall of Fame

Track and field athletics Track and field is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of ...

coach, known largely for coaching distance runners, though he has had success coaching across a full range of events. His most notable athlete is

Mebrahtom Keflezighi Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi (; Ge'ez: መብራህቶም ክፍልእዝጊ, ''Mebrāhtōm Kifl'izgī''; born May 5, 1975) is a retired Eritrean-born American long distance runner. He is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon and fin ...

, the 2004

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

silver medalist in the marathon. Building on that success, Keflezighi won the men's division of the 2009

New York Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

, and the 2014 Boston Marathon. Previous to that Larsen coached the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

cross country and then track teams between 1979 and his retirement in 1999.

Career

After graduating from

San Diego State College San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

in 1961, Larsen started in the 1960s at

Grossmont College Grossmont College is a public community college in El Cajon, California. Its name originated with the silent film actor and producer William J. Gross, who was enticed by Ed Fletcher to invest the purchase of land, part of which was called Grossmo ...

, where he led the Griffins (now defunct) team to seven state titles and nine consecutive conference titles. During his tenure, his distance runners set 11 national community college records. Larsen was elected to the California Community College Cross Country and Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996. At the same time, Larsen formed and coached the Jamul Toads running team, which won the AAU National Cross Country Championship in 1976. At Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley, California, Larsen's team went undefeated for three years. Starting with a lackluster UCLA cross country program, his first season in 1979 was the first time UCLA had ever qualified for the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

National Championships. Larsen was selected National Coach of the year 1980, the first of four such selections. Under him, UCLA won two

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

men's cross country titles and made six appearances at the NCAA Championships. In 1984, Larsen succeeded

Jim Bush James Stanley Bush (September 15, 1926 – July 10, 2017) was a National Track and Field Hall of Fame track and field coach. He was known primarily for his coaching tenure at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1964 to 1984. Dur ...

as UCLA Head Track and Field Coach. He perpetuated the UCLA winning ways with two consecutive

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make up ...

s in 1987 and 1988, along with nine conference championships. Among the athletes on those championship teams were Olympic gold medalists Steve Lewis,

Danny Everett Danny Everett (born November 1, 1966) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He won bronze medals in the 400m at the 1988 Olympic Games and at the 1991 World Championship ...

and Kevin Young. Other athletes on Larsen's teams included

Ato Bolden Ato Jabari Boldon (born 30 December 1973) is a Trinidadian former track and field athlete, politician, and four-time Olympic medal winner. He holds the Trinidad and Tobago national record in the 50, 60 and 200 metres events with times of 5.64, ...

John Godina John Carl Godina (born May 31, 1972) is an American shot putter, whose record includes three World Championship wins and two Olympic medals. He also competes in discus. Godina was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. High school years While attendi ...

Henry Thomas Henry Jackson Thomas Jr. (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and had a lead role in the film '' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), for which he won a Young Artist Award and received Golden Globe ...

Michael Granville Michael Granville (born February 14, 1978) is a retired American 800 metres runner. He is known for being the National High School record holder in the race. Running for Bell Gardens High School he set the record of 1:46.45 in the trial round ...

and Keflezighi. UCLA also finished a close second place in 1995. In 1995 he was named the Coach of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association. In 2003 he joined that organization's Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was given the

Bill Bowerman William Jay Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champio ...

Award from the

National Distance Running Hall of Fame The National Distance Running Hall of Fame was established on July 11, 1998, to honor those who have contributed to the sport of distance running. Many of those who are inducted have achieved great success as runners, but some members are enshrined ...

, sponsored by

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

. On December 5, 2009 Larsen was awarded the Robert Giegengack Award, signifying the person who has "made an outstanding contribution to the development and success of USA Track & Field and the larger community of the sport." On August 5, 2010, Larsen was named co-chairman of the USATF Coaches Registry Task Force. Larsen is the subject of a full-length documentary, '' City Slickers Can't Stay With Me: The Coach Bob Larsen Story'', released April 19, 2015. He is currently a coach at the

Mammoth Lakes Mammoth Lakes is a town in Mono County, California, and is the county's only incorporated community. It is located immediately to the east of Mammoth Mountain, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,191, r ...

Mammoth Track Club A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, i ...

high altitude training camp. In 2019, Larsen was awarded the accolade of the USA Track & Field Legend Coach Ward.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen, Bob 1930 births Living people American track and field coaches People from Mammoth Lakes, California San Diego State Aztecs men's track and field athletes Sports coaches from California UCLA Bruins track and field coaches Track and field people from California UCLA Bruins cross country coaches