Head Coach Dennis Craddock
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Head Coach Dennis Craddock 1994, 1995 and 1999. Craddock Close-up Craddock has won a total of 23 ACC coaching honors, with all but four of the awards coming while at Carolina. Coaching Experience Carolina has been successful on the national Head Coach, UNC 1985-present level as well. The men’s team posted back-to- Head Coach, Uof Va, 1975-1984 back top 10 finishes at the outdoor NCAAs in Head Coach, Gretna and Albemarle 1995 and 1996 and the women had successive (Va.), 1967-74 top 10 indoor finishes in 1995, 1996 and 1999. During Craddock’s tenure at North Carolina, Achievements Tar Heel athletes have earned 172 All-America • 1994, 1995 NCAAOutdoor Coach of honors. His 23-year collegiate coaching career Dennis Craddock is in his 16th year as head the Year- (Men &Women) coach of the University of North Carolina track has yielded 267 All-America awards for indi- • 1995 NCAAIndoor Coach of the Year and field program, one which stands as one of vidual athletes. He has coached 11 national the elite in the conference and the nation. champions and several second-place finishers (Men & Women) Carolina has won 22 of the last 26 women’s including Kim Austin in the triple jump in • Six Men’s ACC titles and six men’s conference crowns in the last 1989; Tisha Waller, the 1991 indoor and out- • 22 Women’s ACC titles nine seasons. Under Craddock’s tutelage, door national high jump runner-up; Ly n d a • 1995 National Indoor Coach-of-the Carolina has finished in the top two at the Lipson, second place in the javelin in 1993; Year women’s ACC indoor meet every year and has Reggie Harris, second in the 400 meters in • 23 ACC Coach of the Year Honors, placed first or second at the outdoor meet 12 1992; Allen Johnson, second in both the 55 and including four at Virginia 110 hurdles in 1993; Marion Jones, second in out of the 15 years. The Tar Heels have won • 11 individual NCAANational eight consecutive women’s indoor titles. the outdoor long jump in 1994; and LaTasha Champions Craddock has overseen the development of Colander, second in the 55 hurdles in 1995. some of the most successful athletes, not only Former Carolina athletes coached by • 267 All-America Athletes in the NCAA, but the world. Marion Jones, Craddock also fared extremely well last year. • Five Tar Heel alumni were members of Allen Johnson, Tisha Waller, Nicole Gamble Couch placed third in the long jump at the 1992 the 1996 Olympic Team and Milton Campbell have all competed at U.S. Olympic Trails and sixth in Barcelona in • 11 Tar Heels alumni were members of UNC under Craddock. Gamble and Campbell the 1992 Summer Olympics. She was the first the 2000 Olympic Team both set American collegiate records, with UNC woman to qualify for the Olympics in Gamble setting the record in the indoor triple track and field. Former Tar Heel track and basketball standout Marion Jones won the 100m title at the World jump at 46-1 1/4 and Campbell in the 200m Allen Johnson, 1996 Olmpic Gold Medalist Championships and also ran a leg of the gold with a time of 20.5 in 1998. in the 110 hurdles, was the first men’s trackster medal-winning 4x100m relay team. Jones, The men’s team has also flourished at the con- at UNC to win an NCAA title in nearly 20 ranked number one in the world, captured five ference level, finishing first or second at the years when he won the national crown in the 55 outdoor meet six straight seasons and placing meter hurdles in 1992. gold medals at the 2000 Olympics including three gold. Because of their successes, Jones first or second at the indoor meet in five of the Waller competed in the high jump, former dis- and Johnson were named the 1997 Women’s last six years. Until Craddock came to tance standout and current assistant coach Joan and Men’s Athletes of the Year by Track and Carolina, the Tar Heels had won just one indoor Nesbit competed in the 10,000 meter run, for- Field News, the sports’preeminent publication. and one outdoor ACC title. Craddock brought mer NCAA champion Ken Harnden competed home UNC’s first outdoor title in more than 37 for Zimbabwe and former UNC track athlete Craddock’s athletes have also been successful in the U.S. Championships. Waller placed sec- years in 1992 and then repeated as champion in Eddie Neufville competed for Liberia. ond at the 1995 Championships in the high Carolina Results UnderDennis Craddock jump, Sharon Couch was third in the long Men Women jump, McCall made the 4x100 meter relay Indoor Outdoor Indoor Outdoor team after a seventh place showing in the 100 Year ACC NCAA ACC NCAA ACC NCAA ACC NCAA and Harnden qualified for Zimbabwe in sever- 1986 T-46th 4th T-38th - - 3rd - al events, including the 400 hurdles. 1987 4th - 4th T-66th 2nd - 2nd - Craddock has earned numerous coaching 1988 4th T-21st 2nd T-24th 1st T-18th 1st T-38th awards during his tenure. His highest honor 1989 3rd - 4th - 1st 8th 1st T-29th came in 1995 when Craddock was named the 1990 2nd - 3rd T-68th 1st 24th 1st 14th NCAAIndoor Coach of the Year. The Tar Heel 1991 3rd T-41st 3rd - 1st 8th 2nd T-10th men and women both won the ACC indoor 1992 2nd 7th 1st T-24th 2nd T-26th 1st 12th titles by record margins after compiling the 1993 2nd T-9th 2nd T-34th 1st T-21st 1st T-44th highest one-meet totals in conference history. 1994 4th - 1st T-26th 1st T-39th 1st 6th The men then placed 11th in the NCAAindoor 1995 1st 11th 1st 7th 1st T-8th 1st 16th meet and seventh at the outdoor NCAA 1996 1st T-19th 2nd 4th 1st T-19th 1st 5th Championships, while the women were eighth 1997 2nd T-13th 2nd 13th 1st T-15th 1st 24th indoor and 16th in the spring. 1998 2nd T-14th 2nd T-38th 1st T-19th 1st T-18th Craddock was also named the NCAADistrict 1999 2nd - 1st T-42nd 1st 10th 3rd T-34th III Coach of the Year both indoor and outdoor 2000 2nd 4th 1st 30th 2nd for the men and indoor for the women. He was 2001 Carolina Track & Field/ 27 Head Coach Dennis Craddock named ACC Coach of the Year indoor for men also under Craddock. track as the training site for the USAOlympic and women and outdoor for women. In 1999, Carolina continued its success under Team prior to the 1996 Olympic Games in Other highlights from the 1995 season, Craddock, capturing the ACC women’s indoor Atlanta. included 14 new school records, 27 A l l - Known for his enthusiastic and successful America performances by 21 different athletes, In 1995, the Tar Heels became the first teams, Craddock directed the Vi rg i n i a 30 ACC first-place finishes and 40 NCAAmeet and only program to win the “triple Cavaliers for nine years prior to coming to qualifying performances. In addition to the crown” in one season, capturing the Carolina in 1985. His tenure there included two NCAA crowns, eight other athletes or ACC Women’s cross country champi- four Top 20 finishes at the NCAAmen’s cham- relays posted top five national finishes. pionships and two Top 20 finishes in men’s Colander, the Most Outstanding Performer of onship and men’s and women’s indoor cross country. Craddock also won three ACC the 1995 ACC Indoor Championships, placed and outdoor ACC championships. outdoor championships while the head coach at second at the NCAAChampionships in the 55 the University of Virginia from 1983-85. meter hurdles. and cross country titles and the ACC men’s Craddock’s women’s teams at Virginia placed In 1995, the Tar Heels became the first team outdoor title. titles and finishing second in both in the Top 20 five times in track and field, fin- in ACC history to win all four conference track men’s meets. Several other Tar Heels broke ishing third in the 1981 AIAW Championships titles in the same year. Carolina also won the school records in 1999 including Stefani Dixon and fifth at the 1982 NCAA Championships. ACC women’s cross country title for the first in the indoor pole valult, Allen Bradd in the His women’s cross country teams won the time in school history and became the first pro- indoor and outdoor shot put and Marcus 1981 and 1982 national championships, while gram to win the "triple crown" in one season. O’Neal in the indoor 60m."Someone asked me the 1981 track team won the indoor national The women also were ranked first in the nation if winning the seventh was as sweet as the first, title. in the Coaches’Association national dual meet and yes it is, " said Craddock after his 11th In Craddock’s last season at Virginia, the rankings in both the indoor and outdoor sea- ACC title. "We had a little adversity with some men’s cross country team took the ACC title sons, while the men were rated fourth indoor of our people going down early this year with and earned a fifth-place finish at nationals. His and third outdoor. injuries, so we weren’t at full strength. Our women’s cross country team also won the ACC The 1994-95 seasons was one of the finest in people that were at full strength rose to the meet and the women’s track team won its third school history.