Eastern Michigan Eagles men's cross country is a varsity level sport at

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

. The Eagles compete at the Division I level in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

, but previously have been in the NAIA as well as Division II and III of the NCAA. The team is a member of the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

(MAC), where it has won twenty-five team championships.

Coaching staff

Early years

Michigan Normal College started a four-man cross country team coached by F. G. Beyerman in 1911.http://emueagles.com/documents/2009/9/24/MediaGuide.pdf In 1923, Michigan State Normal College became a varsity level sport. The team was coached by the former club athlete, Lloyd Olds. 1929 was the year that Michigan State Normal College had a national champion in the form of Roger Arnett. He won the National AAU Junior Six Mile Cross Country race with a time of 31:33. Teammates Ed Morcombe, Jim O'Connor and Harold Bauer finished third, fourth and fifth respectively. Head coach Lloyd Olds coached for the 1932 Olympic team. His assistant coach George Marshall filled in, and won Michigan State Normal College's seventh straight championship. In 1938, Tom Quinn became the school's first NCAA Division I All-American. Notre Dame delivered the team's first dual meet loss in 1941. This ended a 65-dual meet win streak. This record stands as NCAA's longest streak. Former assistant coach George Marshall officially became the schools second head coach in 1942. MSNC were National Junior AAU champions in 1954. In 1955 Michigan State Normal College changed its name to Eastern Michigan College, then changed it to Eastern Michigan University in 1959. EMU joins the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, NAIA, in 1966, and won their first NAIA title.

Lloyd Olds (1921–1963)

Olds worked with the Michigan State Normal College track and cross country teams for 25 years. His reputation as an outstanding coach was known throughout the country. Olds developed the Normal School track and field and cross country program into a national power. His cross country squads attained an astounding 926 winning percentage, the highest ever at EMU and one of the highest ever in the country. By the late 1930s, the Michigan State Normal College was known as a track and cross country school. Coach Olds is the sole EMU coach to coach an Olympic team. In 1932 and 1936 Olds was named as assistant track coach to the U. S. Olympic Track and Field Squads. Olds served as chairman of the A.A. U. Track and Field Sections from 1940 to 1943. He was also chairman of the National Track and Field Association from 1946 to 1950. In 1937 he was appointed chairman of the Pan American Athletic Association and later served as manager of the U. S. Pan American Track Squad that competed in Mexico City in 1957, the only EMU coach to serve on an Olympic and Pan American Games teams. While coaching cross country and track and field full-time, Olds taught over thirty different courses in the professional preparation program during his thirty nine years at Eastern. When he retired in 1963 he was still an active member of nineteen professional committees. In addition to the honors already mentioned, Olds received the Eastern Michigan University Distinguished Alumni Award, and was elected to both the N.C.A.A. Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Eastern Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was admitted into the Eastern Michigan University College of Education Hall of Fame.

George W. Marshall (1928–1967)

Served as the track and cross country coach for 35 years. Marshall directed EMU's only national cross country national championship, the 1966 NAIA national cross country title. Also led the team to a runner-up finish in the 1965 NCAA-College Division championships. His teams won 14 Interstate Intercollegiate Conference (CCC) championships, still the highest number of championships ever by an EMU coach. Marshall was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1968. Eastern's outdoor track named in his honor. Marshall was President of the National Cross Country Coaches' Association in 1951. Prior to his passing in 1967, Marshall hired legendary cross country and track and field coach, Bob Parks.

Bob Parks (1967–2000)

Bob Parks took over as head coach in 1967. In the following five years, each of his teams qualified to either an NAIA Championship meet or NCAA Division II Championship meet. During his first ten seasons at EMU, Parks' teams qualified for the National Championship meet nine times at either NCAA Division I, II or NAIA. In 1972 Eastern Michigan joined the Mid-American Conference and NCAA Division I levels, and transformed the program into a national and conference powerhouse. His star runner early in his career, Gordon Minty, garnered three NCAA Division I All-American honors and Minty gave world-renowned running legend, Steven Prefontaine, a run for his money at the NCAA national championships despite Minty slipping at the start of the race. Parks last recruit, Boaz Cheboiywo, won the NCAA Division I national championship title the year following Parks retirement. Coach Parks is the only EMU cross country coach to coach a long distance Olympian, Dave Ellis, who was in the 1968 Olympics, 10,000m, team Canada. Two of Parks athletes were USA Olympic team members, (800 meter Bronze medalist, 1984, Earl Jones and 1996 1500 meter runner, Paul McMullen) though middle distance runners, both were big contributors on EMU cross country teams. From 1972-2000, Parks coached 11 MAC cross country champions, the most ever by an EMU coach. Parks coached in the Mid-American Conference during its most competitive era from 1967-2000 when all the schools in the MAC conference competed year-around in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. He watched the league grow to twelve teams but still managed an incredible nine league championships. By mid-2000-2015, the following Mid American Conference schools had either dropped track and field and cross country completely (Western Michigan University, Ohio, Marshall, Bowling Green, Toledo, Miami, Buffalo and Ball State) either leaving the conference or opting to field only cross teams and dropping the sports of indoor or outdoor track and field teams. This attrition of dropped programs, left the MAC cross country league with only four - five, three season running squads, a shadow of the powerful conference. Bob Parks won nine MAC cross country championships, in an era when 100% of Mac school teams participated year around in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. The combination of Parks nine MAC Conference cross country championships, setting the EMU cross country dual meet record and consistently taking his teams to national championships during the Mac Conference most competitive era, is why Parks s referred to as the EMU coaching legend. Parks has been honored with five different hall of fame inductions...Howell high school, Mid-American Conference, Drake Relays, Eastern Michigan University, and the USTFCCCA.

John Goodridge (2001–2020)

John Goodridge is a track and field and cross country coach from

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He received his undergraduate degree at

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

in 1972, and his graduate degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1975. His coaching career began as the Michigan State women's cross country head coach, where he took them to their first

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championship. In 1984 he became Wake Forest's Head Cross Country Coach. During his stint at Wake Forest, his teams had four

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championships, as well as coaching 19 athletes to 35 All-ACC honors. In 2001, Goodridge took over as head coach at EMU. In 2002, he took the team to NCAA championships where they placed third.

Sue Parks (2020)

In the fall of 2020, Sue Parks took over as Director of Track & Field/Cross Country at Eastern Michigan. She coached the men's team to the 2020 MAC cross country title.

Mark Rinker (2021-2023)

Mark Rinker is a track and field and cross country coach from Virginia. Rinker's 2021 cross country team won the MAC XC title. Rinker's teams have finished 3rd in 2022 and 5th in 2023.

Austin Whitelaw (2024-present)

In August 2024, Austin Whitelaw was tabbed as the Eastern Michigan Head Men's Cross Country Coach, the 8th in program history. During his first season, the program finished 3rd at the MAC Championships.

References

External links

* {{Eastern Michigan University Cross country, men's Eastern Michigan Eagles cross country 1911 establishments in Michigan Sports clubs and teams established in 1911