Quiller dies of cancer
2000 Team USA Olympic Games assistant coach and long-time University of Colorado and West Point track and field and cross country coach Jerry Quiller died Thursday after a five-year battle with multiple myeloma. He was 69.
A native of Fort Collins, Colo., Quiller's coaching career began in 1970 and spent 14 seasons at the University of Colorado over two stints. His career included stops at Wayne State (Neb.), Colorado State and Idaho State before moving to West Point in 1995. His illness forced his retirement in 1998.
Along with being an Olympic team coach in 2000, Quiller was the U.S. men's team coach for the 1981 World Cross Country Championships and the women's coach for the U.S. at the 1994 World Cross Country Championships.
A long list of accolades, Quiller was one of the more successful coaches at both Colorado and West Point. At Colorado he coached the Buffs to three Big Eight Conference titles and five times was named the league's coach of the year. In that span he coached 19 All-Americans including Olympians Adam Goucher and Alan Culpepper and garnered national coach of the year honors in 1994. At Army Quiller guided the men's and women's cross country teams to 37 Patriot League titles in 13 seasons. In winning a Patriot League title in either cross country or track and field in each of his 13 seasons, he was named the league's coach of the year 22 times. He also coached 2004 Olympians Dan Browne and Anita Allen.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
USATF Foundation announces seventeen 2012 John W. James Endowment Grant recipients
The USA Track & Field Foundation is very pleased to announce the 2012 recipients of the John W. James Endowment grant, USATF Foundation Chairman Bob Greifeld and Executive Director Tom Jackovic announced today
Mark and Lori James & Frias Holding Company made the initial gift of $200,000 to the USATF Foundation in July of 2010 to seed the endowment, which is used to fund elite grants for men and women track athletes in the throwing events, and to promote and highlight the throwing events at major competitions.
"The James family and Frias Holding have gone to extraordinary means to honor John W. James and provide unprecedented support for Olympic throwing hopefuls," said Jackovic.
The seventeen outstanding men and women receiving a $4000 grant include Gwendolyn Berry (hammer throw), Lance Brooks (discus throw), Noah Bryant (shot put), Mike Hazle (javelin throw), Britney Henry (hammer throw), Cyrus Hostetler (javelin throw), Kibwe Johnson (hammer throw), A.G. Kruger (hammer throw), Cory Martin (shot put), Suzy Powell (discus throw), Aretha Thurmond (discus throw), Sarah Walker (shot put/hammer throw), Ian Waltz (discus throw), Corey White (javelin throw), Russ Winger (discus throw/shot put), Jason Young (discus throw) and Rachel Yurkovich (javelin throw).
The Foundation will also be announcing the initial 2012 Elite Athlete Grants in the coming days.
The USATF Foundation provides a means to attract and guide funds to new and innovative track and field programs with an emphasis on providing opportunities for youth athletes, emerging elite athletes, distance training centers and anti-doping education. The Foundation depends upon donations from its Board of Directors and from generous fans of track & field.
For more information or to contribute to the USA Track & Field Foundation, visit USATFFoundation.org.
USATF Foundation announced launch of "Run With Us!"
The USA Track & Field Foundation is proud to announce the launching of "Run With US!" (RWUS!). A program to take place for kids during and after school, RWUS! surrounds fitness and goal setting to promote self-esteem and will be directed by Olympic athletes as teachers, mentors and role models. Foundation Executive Director Tom Jackovic and Chairman Bob Greifeld made the announcement Wednesday.
Working with local non-profit "LA's Promise", the inaugural RWUS! program will be launched on February 8 at the John Muir Middle School in Los Angeles, Calif. Focused upon inner-city youth, the program has the overall goal of fighting the rising tide of childhood obesity and positively impacting kid's views of exercise and nutrition through the guidance of elite track and field athletes. The Gallup Corporation has agreed to work with the Foundation and will serve as the program's measurement partner.
The program will be led by Virginia Crawford and Ryan Wilson. Crawford, a 100-meter hurdler, is a two-time USA champion and four-time World Championships Team USA member. A 110m hurdler, Wilson is the 2003 NCAA Champion and 2008 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist.
"This program is unique in that it supports our elite athletes while giving kids the chance to work directly with our stars of the sport," said Jackovic. "We are also very fortunate to have quality individuals like Ryan and Ginnie to lead our pilot program."
Joining Crawford and Wilson in the program's launch will be 2011 World Outdoor Championships gold medalist and 2011 Jesse Owens Award winner Carmelita Jeter, other elite athletes, members of the USATF Foundation Board of Directors, local media and other dignitaries.
The foundation expects to initiate RWUS! programs in several additional locations in 2012.
The USATF Foundation provides a means to attract and guide funds to new and innovative track and field programs with an emphasis on providing opportunities for youth athletes, emerging elite athletes, distance training centers and anti-doping education. The Foundation depends upon donations from its Board of Directors and from generous fans of track & field.
For more information or to contribute to the USA Track & Field Foundation, visit USATFFoundation.org.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: USATF.org.
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