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Clemson men's track and field has enjoyed unparalleled success under the guidance of Bob Pollock, who completed his 19th season as the Tigers' head coach in 2006-07. The Tigers have won 21 ACC Championships since 1988, including 11 indoor, nine outdoor, and one cross country crown. In the last 19 years, Clemson has earned 190 All-America certificates and 68 school records have been established or broken.
Pollock will be the first to admit his success would not be possible without the help of great assistant coaches. His current staff helped pave the way for an outstanding all-around season in 2007. Charles Foster, who coaches sprints and hurdles, led his student-athletes to All-America honors in three events (60m, 100m, 4x100m). Josh Langley was named East Region Assistant Coach-of-the-Year for jumps and combined events after a successful debut with Pollock's staff.
Clemson was runner-up at both the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2007. Pollock also led the Tigers to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA East Region Championships. Clemson finished 15th at the national indoor meet and 25th outdoors, giving the program its first top-25 finish for both seasons in the same year since 2002. Pollock coached the Tigers to 10 All-America honors, which included a national championship for sophomore Travis Padgett in the 60m dash. He coached a total of five ACC champions in 2007, including Jacoby Ford who posted a league meet record time of 6.52 seconds in the 60m dash. In cross country, he led Itay Magidi to the individual crown at the ACC Championships. Magidi was the first individual champion for Pollock's team since 1994. Pollock also oversaw the four-year sweep at the ACC Outdoor Championships for Adam Linkenauger in the high jump.
The 2006 season saw the Tigers finish runner-up at the ACC Championships both indoor and outdoor. Clemson claimed three event titles at both events, including five by field event athletes alone. Pollock coached Padgett to All-America honors in the 100m dash as a freshman. He also coached Mitch Greeley to the school's first-ever pole vault All-America honor and Brent Hobbs to Clemson's first heptathlon All-America certificate. Pollock also coached Matt Clark to All-Region honors in cross country and Magidi to All-Region honors in the steeplechase. Clemson finished fourth at the East Regional in 2006 and advanced nine student-athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ryan Koontz and Jason Bell also earned All-America status during the outdoor season. Koontz finished seventh at NCAAs in the decathlon, while Bell placed sixth in the triple jump.
Under Pollock's direction, four Tigers received All-America honors in 2005. Indoor, long jumper George Kitchens earned the honor with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Clemson athletes earned three All-America certificates in the outdoor competition, led by Ronald Richards' fifth-place showing in the 100m final. Scott Kautz earned honors in the 400m hurdles as one of the top eight Americans in the event. Magidi also earned All-America honors, finishing seventh in the 3000m steeplechase. Pollock also produced five ACC champions in 2005, with Linkenauger claiming a sweep of the indoor and outdoor high jump.
One of Pollock's former athletes, Shawn Crawford, scored Olympic gold in 2004 after capturing the 200m dash in Athens, Greece. He became the fourth former Tiger to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, and three of the four medalists were coached at Clemson by Pollock.
Pollock guided the Tigers to the 2004 outdoor ACC title with a conference-record 224 points, behind nine ACC Champions and 19 all-conference performers. The Tigers won conference titles in the 100m, 400m hurdles, 4x100m relay, high jump, long jump and decathlon. Rick Hill won the decathlon for the second consecutive year, and the Tigers' 400m relay team won its fifth consecutive conference title in that event. Michael Bolling, Tye Hill, Kitchens and Linkenauger were all first-time outdoor ACC event winners. Clemson followed its ACC performance with a fourth-place finish at the East Region Championships, with nine Tigers advancing to the NCAA Championships. At the national meet, senior George Kitchens earned All-America honors outdoor for the second time. Indoor, Clemson earned runner-up honors at the ACC Championships, and four Tigers won conference championships. Rick Hill won the inaugural heptathlon, two-sport standout Tye Hill captured the 60m dash title, Linkenauger won the high jump, and Derek Gilson was the conference champion in the shot put. Linkenauger, Kitchens, Cheney and Rick Hill advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships, where Kitchens finished seventh in the long jump and Cheney was ninth in the 60m hurdles.
In 2003, Clemson's six indoor All-Americans were the most for the Tigers since the 1999 season in which the Tigers also had six indoor honorees. The Tigers posted their 13th top-30 indoor finish under Pollock at the NCAA Championships, and Clemson was the ACC runner-up both indoor and outdoor. The Tigers' 4x400m relay team of Harper, Bolling, Cheney and Spain, as well as Larry Griffin in the 60m dash and Terrance McDaniel in the high jump, earned All-America accolades indoor. At the inaugural East Region Championships, Clemson finished fourth, with 13 Tigers advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Magidi earned All-America honors in the 3000m steeplechase and Kitchens was an All-American in the long jump at the outdoor national meet in Sacramento.
The 2002 Clemson men's track and field team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons as the Tigers posted top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Clemson finished seventh indoors, behind fourth-place finishes from Doug Ameigh in the high jump and Todd Matthews in the 60m hurdles. Ato Modibo placed fifth in the 400m dash, and Dwight Thomas scored in the 60m dash with a fifth-place finish.
Outdoors, Clemson athletes recorded four runner-up finishes to lead the team to a fourth-place finish, the highest national ranking in school history. Thomas finished second in the 100m and 200m, while Matthews was the runner-up in the 110m hurdles. The Tigers' 4x100m relay team of Airese Currie, Jacey Harper, Otto Spain and Dwight Thomas set an ACC and Clemson record in that event en route to another second-place finish. All five Tigers earned All-America honors.
The Tigers also gave Pollock his 20th ACC title with the 2002 ACC Indoor Championship, a sixth consecutive championship title. Thomas was a dual winner, claiming the 60m dash and 60m hurdles. Jacey Harper won the 200m dash, and Modibo won the 400m dash. Overall, 14 Tigers earned indoor all-conference honors.
Clemson finished second at the 2002 ACC Outdoor Championships. Thomas was named the ACC Performer-of-the-Year after winning the 100m, 200m and 110m hurdles. Kitchens was voted the 2002 Rookie-of-the-Year with his second-place finish in the long jump. The Tigers' 4x100m relay claimed the conference title in that event for the third consecutive year. Thirteen members of Pollock's team earned All-ACC recognition.
With those accolades, he can now boast of 18 conference Coach-of-the-Year honors in only 19 years at Clemson, more than any other coach in Clemson history. He has been named a conference coach-of-the-year a total of 30 times during his coaching career. In his 33 years of coaching, he has now led teams to 31 conference titles (10 Southern Conference Championships at Appalachian State, 21 ACC titles at Clemson). In 2005, Pollock was named the Southeast Region Indoor Coach-of-the-Year for the ninth time in his decorated coaching career.
The Tigers swept the conference honors at the 2001 ACC Indoor Championships, and 11 Tigers were named to the All-ACC team as Clemson won its fifth-consecutive indoor title. Harper was named the meet's Most Valuable Performer, while Griffin was named Freshman-of-the-Year and Pollock was voted Coach-of-the-Year. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Clemson finished tied for 20th, as Sultan Tucker and Matthews garnered All-American honors in the 60m hurdles.
Clemson placed 10 athletes on the 2001 Outdoor All-ACC team, won seven ACC titles, and claimed its 10th outdoor title, defeating Florida State 189-183. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Andy Giesler and Modibo earned All-America honors in the decathlon and 400m, respectively.
The 1990s truly were a decade of champions. During the 1999-2000 season, Pollock coached the program's most decorated track athlete ever in Shawn Crawford, who won the NCAA Championship in the 200m indoor and outdoor while earning All-American status in the 60m indoors and the 100m outdoors. Crawford was one of four All-Americans and 17 All-ACC honorees for the Tigers in 2000.
In 1999, Clemson won the indoor ACC title for the third consecutive season. The Tigers finished third nationally, behind the national championships of Modibo in the 400m and the 4x400m relay team of Charles Allen, Kenny Franklin, Davidson Gill and Modibo.
Clemson placed second at the 1999 ACC outdoor meet, then finished 19th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Tigers brought home a record 12 All-America certificates at the meet.
At the 1998 ACC indoor meet, Clemson scored 144 points to win by 9.5 points over North Carolina, and eight Tigers were honored as All-ACC. At the NCAA indoor meet, Clemson tied for third place with Washington State. The Tigers had seven All-Americans, including 200m national champion Shawn Crawford.
During the 1998 outdoor season Clemson won the ACC Championship with 194 points and had six ACC Champions. At the NCAA outdoor meet Clemson tied for 11th place and brought home 10 All-American certificates.
During the 1996-97 season the Tigers, led by seven All-ACC selections, won the ACC Indoor title. Although the Tigers claimed only two event titles, they did most of their damage with depth and balance. The team scored in every event and had multiple scorers in 10 of the 14 individual events.
The Tigers excelled during the outdoor season as well, winning the ACC Outdoor Championships with 216 points to break an 18-year-old record. This was the first time in four years that the Tigers had won an outdoor championship. Scoring in all 19 events, Clemson walked away with nine ACC Champions and 15 All-ACC athletes. Under Pollock's direction, Clemson finished 17th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned seven All-America honors. The 4x100m relay team of Carlton Chambers, Tony Wheeler, Jeremichael Williams, and Charles Allen was the NCAA runner-up with what was then a school record in the event (38.92).
The 1995-96 year was a banner one for Pollock off the track, as he was inducted into the Appalachian State Hall of Fame for his coaching of the Mountaineers' track and field program (1974-1988), capturing 10 Southern Conference titles.
In 1995, Pollock's team finished 11th nationally at the NCAA indoor meet and 10th outdoors. Pollock coached four individuals and a 4x400m relay team to All-America honors in both settings. He also led the Tigers to a pair of ACC indoor titles and three at the league outdoor meet that season.
The 1992-93 season was one of the most successful in Clemson history. The Tigers won both conference track titles, finished second nationally indoors for the second year in a row, and posted a 10th-place finish at the NCAA outdoor meet. Clemson athletes won three individual national championships in 1993, with Michael Green bringing home honors in the 55m indoors and the 100m outdoors, and Wesley Russell winning the national indoor title in the 400m. Pollock was named the ACC Coach-of-the-Year for both the indoor and outdoor track seasons.
Former Clemson athletes James Trapp and Michael Green were 1992 NCAA indoor champions on the way to leading the Tigers to a number-two team finish at the NCAA meet. Pollock was also awarded the National Coach-of-the-Year honors for his team's accomplishments that season. The Tigers repeated that feat in 1993, once again finishing second at the NCAA Indoor Championships, winning three national champion individual titles in 1993.
Trapp won the U.S. and world indoor championships in the 200m in 1992, while three members of the 1991-92 squad (Trapp, Green, and Anthony Knight) and one of Pollock's former Tigers (Terrance Herrington) traveled to Barcelona to compete in the 1992 Olympic games.
During the 1988-89 season, Pollock's first at Clemson, he led his teams to the "Triple Crown" of ACC track. That year, the Tigers won conference titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, a first in Clemson history. The Tigers finished eighth nationally indoors in 1990. Seven individuals were awarded All-America honors and the Clemson squad made national news by running a world-record time in the 4x800 meter relay to win the national championship in that event. Including that first season, the Tigers have won 11 of the last 14 indoor ACC championships and have won eight outdoor titles.
Pollock's athletes have also enjoyed success in the classroom as well. Rick Hill was named a Verizon All-American and All-District III honoree in 2003. In 2002, Doug Ameigh and Hill were named to the 2002 USATF All-America team. Ameigh also earned 2002 Verizon Academic All-District and All-America accolades. Trent Kirk was honored with the 1998 ACC Most Outstanding Senior Scholarship Male Athlete Award after posting a 3.80 GPA. Hurdler Duane Ross was awarded the prestigious IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year honor in 1995 because of his academic and athletic accomplishments. James Trapp received the IPTAY award in 1992, and Olympic sprinter Michael Green received the IPTAY award the following year. Hurdler Anthony Knight was the recipient of the ACC's Jim Weaver Award in 1993, one of the highest academic awards given by the Atlantic Coast Conference, and a NCAA Postgraduate scholarship.
The Jim Weaver Award has also been awarded to two other Pollock protégés, Henrik Skov in 1989 and Dov Kremer in 1991. In 1991, Cormac Finnerty, a four-time All-American for the Tigers in track, was named a cross country Academic All-American, and Mike Kauffman won cross country and track Academic All-America honors during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
In 2006, thrower Danny Alge was named a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American after posting incredible grades in biological sciences. Alge was also an Academic All-ACC selection in 2006.
Success and conference titles were nothing new to Pollock when he came to Clemson. During 14 years as head track and cross country coach at Appalachian State University, Pollock led the Mountaineers to five Southern Conference outdoor titles, four indoor championships and one cross country title. His teams swept the Southern Conference indoor and outdoor meets in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987.
The Rochester, NY, native began his coaching career at The Citadel, where Pollock served as head cross country and assistant track coach from 1972-74. Pollock earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from The Citadel in 1971, and was a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs as a distance runner. His senior year, he was voted the team MVP as well as team captain. He also earned a master's degree in education from the University of Georgia in 1972.
Pollock has three children, John, Kristen, and Kathryn, who have grown up as supporters of Clemson track & field. John (26) is a sales representative at the Briar Rose Resort and Development located in Watkinsville, GA. Kristen (23) is a first-grade teacher at Kingston Elementary School in Conway, SC. Kathryn (19) is a freshman at the College of Charleston, where she is a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.
He married the former Debbie Moore Haydon on April 14, 2007. She has two children, Dickie, a rising junior at the University of Kentucky, and Caroline, a rising sophomore at Dorman High School.
