I was curious to see what peoples opinions were but look I look at the Wetmores, The McDonnels, etc. and realize that Ron Mann rarely gets serious credit for what he has done for XC & Track...he gets dsimissed from NAU from the powers that be goes to Louisville anc completely turns the pogram 180 degrees and will one day probably make a bid for a title spot with that program...does anyone else feel that he sometimes goes under the radar for his contributions to the sport?
I agree....who is Ron Mann?? Never heard of him, so he must not be any good.
Anybody can recruit kenyans, and have them take you to Nationals. Develop American kids, and then I'll say he is a good coach.
University of Louisville Head Coach
Ron Mann is in his third season as the men's and women's cross country and track and field head coach at the University of Louisville following a highly successful 24-year stint in the same role at Northern Arizona University.
Mann, who was introduced as U of L's head coach at a press conference on July 2, 2004, at the Cardinal Park Track Stadium, brings an impressive resume and a proven record of success at the national level to the Cardinal track and field program and is leading the way as U of L continues its move into the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06.
A coaching legend at Northern Arizona since his arrival there in 1980, Mann guided the Lumberjacks to a combined 58 Big Sky Conference championships in cross country and track and field and 16 top ten NCAA finishes while producing 107 All-Americans, five Olympians and four individual national champions. He earned 57 league coach of the year awards and won 12 NCAA Regional championships in cross country.
"I think it's a great step for our track and field and cross country programs for both our men and women to be able to attract Ron to this university," said U of L Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich, who previously worked with Mann while serving first as an assistant athletic director and later as director at Northern Arizona from 1984-92. "He will bring this program instant credibility. Ron has a very decorated resume in which only a few could measure themselves against.
"It is incredibly important to me that we can attract a person of Ron's caliber," added Jurich. "We want the best coaches available. This demonstrates our commitment to excellence, confirms our commitment to track and field at U of L, and lays the foundation for us to be competitive as we move into the Big East Conference. I had the opportunity to work with Ron before and while his record and accolades speak for themselves, he is a better person than a coach. I know our community will find that out very soon."
During his first two seasons with the Cardinals' men's cross country team, the program has taken several steps in reaching Mann's goal of being among the nation's elite programs.
In 2005, U of L's first as a member of the BIG EAST Conference, the Cards won two team titles, two individual titles, had two runners (freshman Cory Thorne and sophomore Wesley Korir) earn All-Conference honors while Korir earned All-Region honors as well. The Cardinals finished fourth at the BIG EAST Championships led by Thorne and Korir in 10th and 11th overall respectively. U of L closed the season with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship, four spots better than 2004 and the second straight year the team had its best-ever showing at that event. That's the type of continued improvement that Mann expects of the program.
In 2004, Mann led the U of L men's cross country program to four team titles, four individual titles and a third-place finish at the 2004 Conference USA Champioships, just nine points out of first. The Cardinal men also had three runners earn All-Conference honors (Nurani Sheikh, Wesley Korir and Tim Kaiser), while Korir was named C-USA Freshman Runner of the Year.
On the track and field side of the ledger, Mann's first season at U of L produced three individual conference champions as Wesley Korir won the 10,000m title and Jennifer Hartig won the pole vault title at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships while Jacey Hughes won the pole vault title at the C-USA Indoor Championships. U of L had two athletes, Hartig and Ify Akubeze, compete at the NCAA Mideast Regional while the Cardinal men's and women's programs set 11 new school records. And all of that success came with several of the Cards most talented athletes redshirting the 2005 season to prepare for U of L's 2006 debut in the BIG EAST.
Mann's most recent All-America selections came in the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships where distance runners Travis Laird, Jinny Hanifan and Ida Nilsson -- who won the NCAA title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and set the collegiate record in that event in the NCAA West Regional Championship -- earned national honors. The Lumberjacks had 15 athletes qualify in 22 events (men and women) for the NCAA regionals with seven advancing to the NCAA national meet.
In conference competition in 2004, the NAU men's and women's outdoor teams combined for 43 Big Sky all-conference peformances, including the championship in 14 events, as the women's team claimed the league championship and men's team finished as runner-up. In the fall of 2003, Mann's NAU men's cross country team finished third in the nation while the women placed 15th as six athletes earned All-America honors. Both teams won Big Sky Conference titles.
Following his graduation from NAU in 1972, Mann began his coaching career as an assistant at Mesa (Ariz.) Community College and Phoenix (Ariz.) Sunnyslope High School, his prep alma mater. He returned to NAU in 1980 to lead the women's program and assumed the head coaching reins of both men's and women's programs in 1982. He is a three-time member of the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame as an individual in 1999 and previous as athlete and coach of two championship cross country teams.
Prior to coaching, Mann competed in cross country and track and field at NAU and was a member of the Lumberjacks' 1971 Big Sky champion cross country team.
Besides the success on the track and trail, Mann's programs at NAU were outstanding in the classroom as well. In the 1990's, 60 NAU cross country student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Sky. During the 2002 spring semester, the combined track team posted a 3.04 GPA, which was one of the best in the nation according to the United States Track Association. Individually, the team included 34 student-athletes with a 3.25 GPA or higher.
Mann has extensive international experience as well to go along with his success at the collegiate level. He served as head coach of the U.S. Junior National Team at the 1993 Pan American Games and helped coach the medal-winning West team at the 1991 Olympic Festival.
The U of L head coach continued his work with U.S. Track and Field as an assistant coach for the men's team at the 2005 World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Helsinki Finland. He served as one of five assistants and was specifically involved with the jumping events for the U.S. team.
His success on and off the track has led to many other impressive accolades over the years for Mann, including induction into the Northern Arizona University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999 and induction into the Mt. SAC (Mt. San Antonio College) Relays Hall of Fame in 2001. The Mt. SAC Hall of Fame was created in 1985 to to honor athletes, coaches and friends who have made significant contributions both to the Relays and the sport of track and field. Mann was one of two people to be inducted in 2001 with the other being women's track and field legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Married to the former Charlene Russell who hails from Corydon, Ind., Mann has three grown sons: Steve, Ryun and Brandon.
Apparently you are not a collegiate coach and tried to recruit a foreign runner. 'Nuff said!
Ron's #1 man is an American who he has developed very well. Look at what he did with NAU.
If you look at the bios, you'll see a lot of their roster is local talent as well. Seacat from Indiana, the two freshman are Louisville locals, (they have developed great this year) and Eaton is also from Kentucky.
I remember a thread on here two years ago saying how terrible Ron Mann was and how he was destroying Louisville track, and how his assitant coaches were idiots. Haven't heard much from those guys lately....they must have transferred to UK.
Mann is clearly a solid coach. I'd put him right there with Walt Drenth as relatively under the radar. That said, the good coaches know who the other good coaches are.
I'd put Sean Cleary of WVU on that list of Coaches under the radar too. But like you said, good coaches know who the other good coaches are.
Mann started at NAU in 76, not 80. He succeeded Leo Haberlack.
takes 5 to get to nationals - he has 2 Kenyans and with 2 Kenyans posted a 3rd place team at regions only way to do that is to develop runners number 3,4,5,6, and 7.
WVU coach? when was the last time they were at nationals? They can't even get out of the Mid Atlantic.
UofL came in ranked what...24th? Beat some teams who beat them at BEasts and regionals. Good run.
Alan
10/2 wrote:
I was curious to see what peoples opinions were but look I look at the Wetmores, The McDonnels, etc. and realize that Ron Mann rarely gets serious credit for what he has done for XC & Track...he gets dsimissed from NAU from the powers that be goes to Louisville anc completely turns the pogram 180 degrees and will one day probably make a bid for a title spot with that program...does anyone else feel that he sometimes goes under the radar for his contributions to the sport?
The "powers that be" at NAU did not dismiss him, they tried to keep him. He wanted to leave to be closer to family that reside in the Louisville area. Get your facts straight my man.
Actually my facts are straight...he went to renew his contract and NAU said nada..get your facts straight...NAU wanted to keep him but could not afford him.
Coach Mann did not get dismissed, nor did he try to renew a contract that was too pricy. He Retired. This was announced toward the middle of cross season. He was planning on being resident coach at the High Altitude Training Center in Flagstaff. However, before end of school season old NAU AD, Tom Jurich, offered him UofL job. Which, yes, it was closer to family, so he took the offer.
D Runner wrote:
Coach Mann did not get dismissed, nor did he try to renew a contract that was too pricy. He Retired. This was announced toward the middle of cross season. He was planning on being resident coach at the High Altitude Training Center in Flagstaff. However, before end of school season old NAU AD, Tom Jurich, offered him UofL job. Which, yes, it was closer to family, so he took the offer.
This is guy got it absolutly true, My coach is good friends with Ron Mann, he said Mann was retiring and then after a few months of retirement the old NAU AD now at UofL finally persuaded him to go over to his side. Mann really like the old AD at NAU and had respect for him.