Duane Ross

Duane Ross
Current position
TitleDirector of Track and Field Programs
TeamUniversity of Tennessee
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference (SEC)
Biographical details
BornDecember 5, 1972 (1972-12-05) (age 52)
Shelby, North Carolina, U.S.
Alma materClemson
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2022–presentTennessee
2012–2022North Carolina A&T
2008–2012Methodist University
1996Clemson (assistant)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
MEAC Men's Track and Field Championship Indoor: 1 Outdoor: 1
MEAC Women's Track and Field Championship Indoor: 1 Outdoor: 1
Mason Dixon Conference Track and Field Championship Indoor: 1 Outdoor: 2
Awards
USTFCCCA National Head Coach of the Year 2021 South/Southeast Region Coach of the Year (2011, 2012, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Mason Dixon Conference Indoor Coach of the Year (2011)
Mason Dixon Conference Outdoor Coach of the Year (2011, 2012)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Sevilla 110 m hurdles
United States Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 1999 Atlanta 60 m hurdles
Gold medal – first place 1998 Atlanta 60 m hurdles
Representing Clemson
NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1995 Knoxville 110 m hurdles
NCAA Division I Indoor Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Indianapolis 55 m hurdles

Randolph Duane Ross (born December 5, 1972) is an American collegiate track and field coach, and former athlete, specializing in the 110 meters hurdles. He is currently the Director of Track and Field programs for the University of Tennessee and is best known for winning the bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics and representing the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Ross also won the 1995 NCAA championship in the 110-meter hurdles, and as a 7-time All-American and 5 Time ACC champion is Clemson University's most decorated male hurdler.[1]

Biography

Early life

Ross was born in Shelby, North Carolina, and grew up in Dallas, North Carolina, where he attended North Gaston High School. At the encouragement of his Football coach, Ross took up track and field as a way to rehabilitate an injured ankle.[2] As a junior, Ross went on to become NCHSAA state champion in the 110 metres Hurdles.[3] After receiving a number of scholarships from various collegiate teams, Ross signed with Clemson University.

Athletic career

As a college athlete at Clemson University, he won the 110 m hurdles at the 1995 NCAA championships for the Clemson Tigers. He made his first appearance on the world track stage at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships, where he finished fourth in the 60 meters hurdles competition, just behind compatriot Tony Dees. He returned at the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, but again failed to reach the podium with another fourth-place finish, this time losing out to Falk Balzer. He had greater success outdoors that year, as he won the bronze medal in the 110 m hurdles at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in his career personal best time of 13.12 seconds. An appearance at the 1999 IAAF Grand Prix Final, however, brought yet another fourth-place finish.[4]

He was the runner up at the 2004 United States Olympic Trials and competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. He failed to reach the final after running 13.30 seconds for fifth place in the semi-finals of the men's hurdles competition.[5]

Following the analysis of information received from BALCO in 2010, Ross was called to testify in a case against his coach Trevor Graham. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspended Ross for two years for attempted use, possession, and trafficking of performance-enhancing drugs.[6] As a term of his suspension, all his results from November 2001 onward were nullified.[7]

Coaching career

He returned to Clemson as a volunteer coach and in 1996. After retiring from international competition, Ross was hired by Division III Methodist University as Head Coach of their Track and Field program. While at Methodist, Ross coached the women's team to three Mason–Dixon Conference championships and placed in the top four at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.[8] Ross also earned USTFCCCA South/Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors.[9] In 2012, after five seasons at Methodist, Ross was hired as director of track & field at Division I North Carolina A&T University. Under Ross, the Aggies swept both the men's and women's outdoor and indoor Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships for the first time in program history.[10] Following the success of the 2017 seasons, Ross coached 13 athletes, more than any HBCU in history, who competed in the 2017 NCAA Division I National Championships.[11]

In 2021, after leading North Carolina A&T's men's track and field team to a third place finish at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Ross was named 2021 NCAA co-coach of the year.[12] Four athletes from the team went on to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics, including Ross's son Randolph Ross and Trevor Stewart.[13]

In May 2022, Ross was hired as the new head coach at Tennessee, signing a five-year contract for $450,000 annually.[12]

Statistics

Personal bests

Event Time (sec) Venue Date
50 metres hurdles 6.36 Liévin, France February 21, 1999
60 metres hurdles 7.42 Madrid, Spain February 16, 1999
110 metres hurdles 13.12 Seville, Spain August 25, 1999

[14]

60m Hurdles progression

Year Performance Venue Date World ranking
1997 7.52s Atlanta United States 1 March —
1998 7.43s Atlanta United States 28 February —
1999 7.42s Madrid Spain 16 February —
2001 7.88s Spala Poland 9 February —

110m Hurdles progression

Year Performance Venue Date World ranking
1993 13.74s (+ 0.9) New Orleans United States 4 June —
1994 13.48s Philadelphia United States 30 April —
1995 13.32s (+1.2) Knoxville United States 3 June —
1996 13.45s (+1.8) Atlanta United States 21 June —
1997 13.50s (-0.6) Clemson United States 17 May —
1998 13.24s (-0.5) Dortmund Germany 7 June —
1999 13.12s (+1.0) Seville (La Cartuja) Spain 25 August —
2000 13.53s (+0.2) Chapel Hill United States 18 June —

[14]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event
Representing  United States
1997 World Indoor Championships Paris, France 4th 60 m hurdles
1999 World Indoor Championships Maebashi, Japan 4th 60 m hurdles
World Championships Seville, Spain 3rd 110 m hurdles
IAAF Grand Prix Final Munich, Germany 4th 110 m hurdles
2003 World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco DSQ (6th) 110 m hurdles
2004 Summer Olympics Athens, Greece DSQ (5th (semis)) 110 m hurdles
World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco DSQ (8th) 110 m hurdles

National competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event
1995 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships Knoxville Tennessee 1st 110 m hurdles
1997 United States Indoor Championships Atlanta Georgia 2nd 60 m hurdles
1998 United States Indoor Championships Atlanta Georgia 1st 60 m hurdles
US Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon DNF 110m Hurdles
1999 United States Indoor Championships Atlanta Georgia 2nd 60 m hurdles
US Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon 4th 110m Hurdles
2000 US Olympic Trials Sacramento, California DSQ (semi) 110 m hurdles
2001 US Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon 5th (semi) 110m Hurdles
2002 US Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon DSQ (4th) 110m Hurdles
2003 US Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon DSQ (DNF) 110m Hurdles
2004 US Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon DSQ (2nd) 110m Hurdles
2005 US Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon DSQ (19th) 110m Hurdles

[15]

Coaching record

Season Team Indoor Finish Outdoor Finish Notes
Conference National Conference National
Methodist University Monarchs (Mason–Dixon Conference) 2008-2012
2009 Women's 7th — 6th — [16][17]
2010 Women's 4th — 5th 10th [18][19]
2011 Women's 1st 4th 1st 3rd [20]
2012 Women's 2nd 4th 1st 4th [21][20]
[22]
North Carolina A&T Aggies (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) 2012–present
2013 Men 4th — 5th — [23][24]
Women 8th — 8th —
2014 Men 3rd — 2nd — [25][26]
Women 12th — 7th —
2015 Men 2nd — 2nd — [27][28]
Women 3rd — 5th —
2016 Men 2nd — 2nd — [29]
Women 3rd — 4th —
2017 Men 1st — 1st 14th [30][31]
[32]
Women 1st — 1st —
2019 Men 1st — 1st 15th
Women 1st 7th 15th —
2020 Men 1st Championship not held Championship not held Championship not held
Women 1st Championship not held Championship not held Championship not held
2021 Men Championship not held 5th 1st 3rd
Women Championship not held 45th 1st 4th

References

  1. ^ "Ross Reflects on Hall of Fame Career". ClemsonTigers.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  2. ^ Flagler, Jack. "For Duane Ross, a career in track and field began with a pickup basketball injury". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  3. ^ "NCPrepTrack.com ... Olympians ... North Carolina High School Track & Field and Cross Country". ncpreptrack.org. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Ross Duane. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  5. ^ Duane Ross Archived April 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  6. ^ IAAF Newsletter Edition 112 Archived October 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2010-04-27). Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  7. ^ Ross suspended two years. ESPN/Associated Press (2010-02-05). Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
  8. ^ "Ross Resigns as Methodist Director of Cross Country". USA South. July 13, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "Duane Ross Named MU Coach of the Year". Methodist University. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Mills, Jeff (May 12, 2017). "After sweeping four MEAC titles, N.C. A&T track teams look ahead to NCAAs". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  11. ^ Mills, Jeff (June 6, 2017). "A&T, with 13 at NCAA track and field championships, aims for top 10". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Sparks, Adam (May 24, 2022). "Tennessee tabs Duane Ross, NCAA coach of the year in 2021, to lead track and field program". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  13. ^ "Tennessee hires A&T track and field coach Duane Ross". News & Record. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "IAAF: Duane Ross | Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  15. ^ "Duane Ross USATF Bio". www.usatf.org. USATF.
  16. ^ "2009 Mason Dixon conference Indoor T&F Championship Results". Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  17. ^ "2009 Mason Dixon Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Results". static.frostburgsports.com. Frostburg State University Athletics. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  18. ^ "Mason Dixon conference indoor T&F Championship Results". Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  19. ^ "2010 Mason Dixon Conference Frack & Field Championship Results". www.suseagulls.com. Salisbury University Athletics. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  20. ^ a b "Methodist University Track and Field and Cross Country - Fayetteville, North Carolina - Events". RunnerSpace.com. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  21. ^ "Methodist Women Come From Behind to Win Conference Title". Methodist University. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  22. ^ "2012 Mason Dixon Conference Indoor T&F Championship Results". Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  23. ^ "2013 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Results" (PDF). MEACsports.com. MEAC. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  24. ^ "MEACOutdoorFinalResults - NCATAggies.com - The Official Site of North Carolina A&T Athletics". www.ncataggies.com. NC A&T State University Athletics. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  25. ^ "2014 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Results" (PDF). MEACSports.com. MEAC. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  26. ^ "2014 MEAC Outdoor Frack & Field Championship Results" (PDF). MEACsports.com. MEAC. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  27. ^ "2015 MEAC Indoor T&F Championship Results" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  28. ^ "2015 MEAC Outdoor T&F Championship Results" (PDF). MEACsports.com. Mid-eastern Athletic Conference. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  29. ^ "2016 MEAC Indoor Championship Results". Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  30. ^ "NCAA Outdoor Championships Team Scores". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  31. ^ "All-Time Men's Indoor Champions". MEACSports.com. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  32. ^ "All-Time Women's Indoor Champions". MEACSports.com. Retrieved August 1, 2017.