Fetzer resigns at UVA

College Running

4 years ago 07/17/2019 8:25am EDT

Bryan Fetzer Resigns as Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

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Charlottesville, Va. – Virginia director of track and field and cross country and head coach Bryan Fetzer announced today (July 17) he is resigning his position and retiring from coaching. Fetzer has led the Virginia program since December of 2011 and just completed his 25th year as a coach. Jason Dunn, UVA's head men's cross country coach and assistant track and field coach, has been named the program's interim director by Cavalier athletics director Carla Williams.

"After 25 years of coaching (23 in college, two in high school), I am retiring from the profession," Fetzer said. "I have been so blessed over the years in numerous ways. You never accomplish everything you want but my parents have always instilled in me to leave a place better than when I arrived. I truly believe that has been the case at all seven stops along the way."

Under Fetzer's guidance, the Cavaliers have recorded 101 All-America honors, won six individual NCAA titles and 54 individual ACC titles. The men's team made program history at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a program best third-place finish, scoring all 36 points in throwing events, the most by a throwing unit at the outdoor meet since 2002.

The men's team placed in the top five of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Program of the Year standings, awarded to programs that qualified for all three NCAA Championships (cross country, indoor and outdoor), three consecutive seasons (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17).

Under Fetzer's leadership UVA had 17 top-25 NCAA finishes, six in men's cross country, three in women's cross country, four in men's indoor track and field, and four in men's outdoor track and field.

"I am very appreciative of Coach Fetzer and the tremendous success our program experienced under his leadership." Williams said. "He led our program with great enthusiasm while helping our student-athletes achieve their goals, collectively and individually. The program has produced ACC and NCAA champions and is poised to continue its upward trajectory. I am excited for Bryan and we wish him the very best."

Fetzer earned the 2019 Men's ACC Outdoor Coach of the Year award after leading UVA to a 18th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and a second-place showing at the ACC Championships. The men's team had six individuals earn All-America honors and five individuals capture ACC titles, including two conference wins from Jordan Scott (Portmore, Jamaica) in the long jump and triple jump.

The women's team concluded the year with Bridget Guy (Greensburg, Pa.) becoming UVA's first indoor female All-American pole vaulter. Three Cavaliers won titles at the ACC Outdoor Championships, helping the program to a third-place finish. The team also had three athletes earn All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Dunn finished his ninth year of coaching at UVA in 2019 after previously serving as the Virginia head cross country coach from 2004-08 and an assistant from 2000-04. After leaving to coach at Stanford, Kentucky and Oklahoma, he returned to UVA in 2016 as director of operations for the track and field. Dunn was named the Virginia head men's cross country and assistant track and field coach in 2018.

Virginia will begin a national search immediately for Fetzer's replacement.

4 years ago 07/17/2019 11:55am EDT

re: Orange

Chris Fox is down in the area with his pro team could he be looking to get back into the ncaa game while still working with the pro squad? Or what about his reebok assistant Smith taking over at UVA?

4 years ago 07/17/2019 1:00pm EDT

re: Able like

They had some highly recruited girls leave in recent years. Not placing blame but maybe some coaches have seen change and they don't like it.

4 years ago 07/17/2019 2:33pm EDT

re: Able like

Able like wrote:
Chris Fox is down in the area with his pro team could he be looking to get back into the ncaa game while still working with the pro squad? Or what about his reebok assistant Smith taking over at UVA?

Quit trolling. Never gonna happen.

4 years ago 07/17/2019 2:53pm EDT

re: StudenttoMentor

A coach leaving in Mid July is not normal. What's up?

4 years ago 07/17/2019 3:00pm EDT

re: lkmn

lkmn wrote:
A coach leaving in Mid July is not normal. What's up?

This had been in the works for a while and rumored in coaching circles. His house went up for sale mid-spring. No surprise he's leaving, just strange that he waited until late July to do so.

4 years ago 07/18/2019 1:42am EDT

re: in the works

What it should tell you is they know who they are hiring. No need for a search even though they will go througth the guidelines.

4 years ago 07/18/2019 2:44am EDT

re: Lathan

Feels like a Dunn backstabbing?

4 years ago 07/18/2019 4:25am EDT

re: Orange

So what's the real story? I usually don't pay much attention to college coaching shakeups, and don't ordinarily seek out inside information about these kinds of things, but I associate this guy primarily with the Martin Maric matter and (to a lesser extent) a subsequent story about suspensions of team member for unspecified infractions of team rules. I'd be a bit surprised if this coaching change had any direct relationship with the earlier incidents -- particularly the Maric matter, since the university seemed perfectly OK with what I would have regarded as highly inappropriate practices -- but it sounds strange to me that a coach with his resume would announce his retirement from coaching at the age of something like 46.

4 years ago 07/18/2019 6:25am EDT

re: Avocado's Number

Fetzer got tired of coaching. It is a grind and many coaches would do the same if they could. By the time most coaches realize you don’t live a decent balanced life as a coach, it is usually in late 40’s and tough to make changes in career. Kudos to Fetzer for doing it!!

4 years ago 07/18/2019 9:57am EDT

re: Pencil’

Forced or quit, who cares. It is Fetzer's business and now Dunn's job to lose.

4 years ago 07/18/2019 10:45am EDT

re: Pencil’

Pencil’ wrote:
Fetzer got tired of coaching. It is a grind and many coaches would do the same if they could. By the time most coaches realize you don’t live a decent balanced life as a coach, it is usually in late 40’s and tough to make changes in career. Kudos to Fetzer for doing it!!

This ^

Coaching is a grind. It's stressful and it can grate on you. He can enjoy life and do what he wants with his free time now. The funny thing is that Dunne did the same thing at Oklahoma. Wanted to live where he wanted to live and not be on the road recruiting his damn life away. Now he is back in position to be director if he wants it!

4 years ago 07/18/2019 10:48am EDT

re: Hoooooosier

A quick search showed that Fetzer was making around $120,000. That sucks for a head coach in a major conference. Crap, he could go sell real estate and make that with a lot less headaches. All the young coaches who come on here have no idea of what a challenging lifestyle coaching is at the DI level.

4 years ago 07/18/2019 7:41pm EDT

re: Money is the name of the game

Money is the name of the game wrote:
es. All the young coaches who come on here have no idea of what a challenging lifestyle coaching is at the DI level.

Did Fetzer actually coach a group or do any recruiting? It seems like a lot of head coaches are essentially like corporate middle managers who don't do a lot of the on-the-ground type work.

4 years ago 07/18/2019 7:55pm EDT

re: odall bekem

Virginia database shows Fetzer at $128,750, Dunn at $60,000, and Lavoie at $58,500. Smaller salaries than I would’ve expected but shows you how salaries are all over the place.

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Fetzer resigns at UVA

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