Joe Vigil is an American track and field coach who specializes in long-distance running. In 2015, he was the recipient of the Legend Coach Award from USA Track & Field.

Early life

Born in

Antonito, Colorado Antonito is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory town, Statutory Town located in Conejos County, Colorado, Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 647 at the 2020 United States Census. History Antonito began ...

, Vigil moved to Alamosa, Colorado, where he attended high school. After high school and a brief spell of two years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, Vigil attended

Adams State College Adams State University is a public university in Alamosa, Colorado. The university's Adams State Grizzlies athletic teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. History Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's college. Billy ...

, as an undergraduate, then

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

for a master's degree before doing his doctorate at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

Coaching career

Vigil started his coaching career at his old high school, Alamosa High School, before becoming coach at his old university, Adams State. There he taught from 1965 to 1993, taking the university to 19 national titles at track and field, and cross-country. In 1997, Vigil was head coach of the United States Pan-American Games Team. In 1998, Vigil was the long-distance running coach for the United States Olympics Team. He was also coach for seven world cross country championships.

Achievements and accolades

Vigil has a statue erected in his honour at Adams State University where he has also been granted the title of Professor Emeritus. In 1991, Vigil was elected to the

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (CSHoF) is a hall of fame and museum that honors — by public acknowledgment or commemoration — individuals who merit recognition and distinction for their exploits, accomplishments, and leadership in spo ...

. Vigil was elected to the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA) Hall of Fame. In 2015, Vigil was awarded the accolade of USA Track & Field's Legend Coach award. This follows on from his achievement of being National Coach of the year fourteen times. Among the many athletes he coached was

Pat Porter Patrick ("Pat") Ralph Porter (May 31, 1959 – July 26, 2012) was an American distance runner. Born in Wadena, Minnesota, he graduated from Adams State in 1982 with a degree in marketing, after which he became one of the most dominant ...

(1959-2012), an American national track and field champion in the 10,000 meters (as well as in cross country), as well as a two-time Olympian on the U.S. track teams in 1984 and 1988. Published in 2020, ''Chasing Excellence'' by Pat Melgares tells the story of Coach Vigil's life, coaching successes, and his ''Vigilosophy.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigil, Joe People from Conejos County, Colorado People from Alamosa, Colorado Adams State University alumni Colorado College alumni University of New Mexico alumni American Olympic coaches American track and field coaches Year of birth missing (living people) Living people