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Coaches Jim
Sackett, John Mitchell, and Tom Jones Honored by Doug Speck - Editor DyeStatCal
Honored this week at the USTFCCA Coaches Association Convention in Phoenix, Arizona were James Sackett, recent retiree from Cal Poly Pomona, John Mitchell, who first gained fame as the coach of the great pole vaulters at Warren HS in Downey during the 1960's, and Tom Jones, former Madera HS, Reedley JC, and UCLA star who went on to NCAA Coaching glory. Sackett's 1983 team won an NCAA Division II Cross Country Title, with seven top ten team finishes during his career. Mitchell was famed for having the first great group of fiberglass pole vaulters in Southern California, with Paul Wilson and Bob Steinhoff both 16-footers in the mid-1960's for his Warren HS team before heading east to coach at the college level, at the University of Kansas, University of Alabama, and University of Georgia. Tom Jones, who sadly passed away due to cancer this past year, was Head Coach at North Carolina State, UTEP, Arizona State, and most recently the University of Florida.
Cal Poly Pomona's Sackett Rides into Retirement, Hall of Fame The retirement gifts keep on coming for Jim Sackett. The most recent gift figures to occupy a prominent place on the mantle of his new home in Sun City, Ariz. Sackett retired in June following 27 seasons as the head track and field and cross country coach at Cal Poly Pomona. To commemorate his retirement the runners on Sackett's 1983 NCAA Division II cross country championship team organized a retirement dinner for their beloved coach. There was another reunion this summer with some of his ex-runners in Chicago. But one of the biggest honors of Sackett's career came this month when his peers selected him to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Sackett will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Dec. 18 at the USTFCCCA Annual Convention in Phoenix. Joining Sackett in the Hall of Fame Class of 2007 are Lew Hartzog, Cyrus Jones, Tom Jones, Bev Kearney, John Mitchell, Irv Mondschein and Karl Schlademan. "I never expected anything like this in my lifetime," Sackett said. "It's unbelievable to think I'll be joining such a great group of people in the Hall of Fame. I looked up to so many of them for so many years." During his 38 years as a head coach at the Division II level - 11 seasons at Western Illinois and 27 at Cal Poly Pomona - Sackett coached 12 national champions, 135 outdoor track All-Americans and 24 cross country All-Americans. Cal Poly Pomona's national title in 1983 was one of seven top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. In 1997, Sackett was named the USTFCCCA Division II Coach of the Year in men's cross country and women's track and field. "I liked coaching at the Division II level," Sackett said. "We had great camaraderie among the coaches. I enjoyed taking kids who weren't big names out of high school and watching them develop as athletes and as people. "The special thing about this sport is that they're in it
for the love of the game. I think that's why so many of them are
successful in the world." In 1993, Sackett was inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. His athletes at Western Illinois and Cal Poly Pomona won 13 relays at Drake along with one individual title. "When I was inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame, that was pretty emotional," Sackett said. "I got pretty choked up. This is going to be that way, too."
SEC Warhorse John Mitchell Named to USTFCCCA Hall of Fame For attaining success at two Southeastern Conference schools over a head-coaching career that spanned 30 years, John Mitchell will be inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. Mitchell coached at Alabama from 1969 to 1986 and held the men's and women's head position at Georgia from 1989-99. He won four SEC team titles and was the conference indoor and outdoor coach of the year in 1995. Mitchell coached such collegiate greats as Calvin Smith, Pauline Davis, Jeff Woodward, Thomas McCants and Debbie Ferguson. Joining Mitchell in the Hall of Fame Class of 2007 are Lew Hartzog, Cyrus Jones, Tom Jones, Beverly Kearney, Irv Mondschein, Jim Sackett and Karl Schlademan. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Dec. 18 at the USTFCCCA annual convention in Phoenix, Ariz. Mitchell graduated from Cal State Los Angeles and began his coaching career at Warren High School in Downey (Ca.) in 1958. His first collegiate job was at Kansas, where he served as an assistant specializing in the jumps. After four years in Lawrence, Mitchell was named the head men's coach at Alabama in 1969. At Alabama, Mitchell's men broke Tennessee's stranglehold on the SEC indoor title by capturing the 1972 conference championship. Tennessee had won eight straight SEC indoor titles. Mitchell also led Alabama to the SEC outdoor championship in 1980. In 1986, Mitchell left coaching to accept an assistant athletic director's position at George Mason. After two years at George Mason, he returned to coaching at Georgia. Mitchell led the Georgia men's team to five top-10 finishes in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Mitchell also helped elevate the Georgia women to a new level of excellence, guiding them to a third-place finish at the 1995 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Lady Bulldogs were second at the 1996 NCAA indoor meet. "I'm flattered that people recognize my athletes and my assistants who recruited so well," Mitchell said. "I just sort of stayed out of the way." Mitchell said he's particularly honored to be joining the same Hall of Fame class as the late Florida coach, Tom Jones. Mitchell hired Jones as an assistant coach at Alabama. "If there's anything I do as well as any coach, I could hire great assistants," Mitchell said. Mitchell, who in retirement splits time between residences in Tucson and Show Low, Ariz., attended this year's SEC championship meet. He was thrilled to see several of his former athletes wrestle each other to the ground after not seeing each other for years. "There are so many memories," Mitchell said. "It was a wonderful ride."
Legendary Head Coach Tom Jones Whether it was winning a pair of NCAA titles while at UCLA or successfully coaching four major-college programs, Tom Jones lived and breathed track and field. "Track was Tom's passion and purpose in life," said his wife, Sandy Jones. That life will be celebrated on Dec. 18 in Phoenix when Jones is inducted into the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame dinner will be held in conjunction with the annual USTFCCCA convention. Joining Jones in this year's Hall of Fame class are Lew Hartzog, Cyrus Jones, Beverly Kearney, John Mitchell, Irv Mondschein, Jim Sackett and Karl Schlademan. Tom Jones passed away in March at age 63 following a lengthy battle with cancer. Over three decades, he served as the head track and field coach at North Carolina State (1978-84), UTEP (1984-88), Arizona State (1988-92) and Florida (1992-2007). At North Carolina State, Jones guided the Wolfpack to back-to-back AIAW women's cross country championships in 1979-80. At his four head-coaching stops, his athletes earned 335 All-America honors and won 12 conference team championships. He was named Southeastern Conference coach of the year seven times while at Florida. Jones was named national women's coach of the year three times - twice indoors (1997 and 2002) and once outdoors (1997). The most successful of his athletes was Maicel Malone, the Arizona State standout who won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 relay at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Jones was born in Van Nuys, Ca. He attended Madera High School
and Reedley College before transferring to UCLA. At the 1966 NCAA
Outdoor Championships in Bloomington, Ind., Jones won the 220-yard
dash and ran a leg on the Bruins' first-place sprint relay as UCLA
won the men's team title under Hall of Fame coach Jim Bush. When
he was battling cancer, Jones was drawing up workouts up until
the very end, his wife said. Sandy Jones said she's particularly
happy that her late husband will be inducted into the Hall of Fame
along with Mitchell. Jones served as an Alabama assistant under
Mitchell before getting his first head-coaching position at North
Carolina State. In 2003, Florida was honored as the USTFCCCA All-Academic
Team of the Year. In the first two NCAA Graduation Success Rate
reports, the Florida women's track and field team had perfect scores
in 2005 and 2006. |
