Eastern Michigan Eagles men's cross country
| Eastern Michigan Eagles Men's Cross Country | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 |
| University | Eastern Michigan University |
| Conference | MAC |
| Location | Ypsilanti, MI |
| Head Coach | John Goodridge |
| Nickname | Eagles |
| Colors | Green and White |
| National Championships | |
| 1970 (NCAA Division II), 1970 (NAIA), 1967 (NAIA), 1966 (NAIA) | |
| NCAA Appearances | |
| 2002 | |
| Conference Champions | |
| 1973, 1974, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 | |
Eastern Michigan Eagles men's cross country is a varsity level sport at Eastern Michigan University. The Eagles compete at the Division I level in the NCAA, 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 (MAC), where it has won twenty team championships. Its current head coach, John Goodridge, has won *ten MAC championships in his fifteen years as head coach. *(limited Mac school team participation 2004-2015 vs.1972-2003) His predecessor Bob Parks holds the other nine MAC championships.* (Parks=all Mac school participation, 1972-2000)
Michigan Normal College started a four-man cross country team coached by F. G. Beyerman in 1911. 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.
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.
...
Wikipedia