The Book CC Track & Field 2007-08

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One of the nation's most successful track and field coaches will shoulder the task of bringing UL's program back to prominence. That's not just hyperbole. In Steve Silvey's case, the numbers speak volumes. Silvey, the ultra-successful former track coach at Blinn College who has also served on the staffs at Arkansas, Oregon, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, has been hired as men's and women's track and field coach at UL. Official announcement from the university is expected today. Silvey replaces Lance Veazey, who resigned earlier this month to accept a high school administrative position in Houston. Ironically, Veazey was an assistant under Silvey for two years at Blinn. The 50-year-old Silvey has been part of 28 national championship teams, 13 while on the staff of UL alumnus John McDonnell at Arkansas and 15 in his seven years as head coach at Blinn. Since the Brenham, Texas, junior college discontinued its program, Silvey has been an assistant at some of the nation's top track programs. "I like challenges in life," Silvey said Tuesday. "I told a recruit last night that if he checks my background, every place I've been I've been a winner. We just need a couple of years to get this thing turned around." Silvey served the last three years as sprints and hurdles coach at Texas Tech, helping the Red Raiders win their first Big 12 Conference title in 2005. But that success isn't unique on his resume. In all, he has coached 561 All-Americans, 28 World Championship entrants, 15 World Championship medalists and 34 Olympians. Prior to Texas Tech, he was an assistant for the storied Oregon program for two years and helped the Ducks win the Pac-10 Conference title for the first time in a dozen years. Under McDonnell at Arkansas, Silvey helped the Razorbacks claim 17 SEC team titles, and his athletes won 15 All-America honors and 13 outdoor SEC individual titles. Five times at Blinn, Silvey was the national junior college Coach of the Year, and his 1992 teams set records for most points scored in an indoor (288) and outdoor (263) national meet. He was inducted into the National Junior College Track and Field Hall of Fame two years ago. He takes over a Cajun program that won 17 conference titles in a 12-year period that spanned the 1990s, but one that has struggled to evade the Sun Belt Conference cellar over the past few seasons. Silvey was intimately familiar with UL's earlier run of track success, since Blinn was a regular visitor to Cajun Track during its heyday. That's part of the reason Silvey turned down the Arkansas State head job two weeks ago prior to accepting the UL position. "Just knowing about the tradition of the past, what coach (Bob) Cole and coach (Charles) Lancon did, and knowing it had been a winner, that was important to me," Silvey said. "These people and a lot of others deserve to have a winning track program again." Link to the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

Steve Silvey: A five-time national coach of the year at Blinn College as his squads won 15 national championships in seven years. At the Brenham, Texas institution, Silvey produced 164 All-Americans, 128 individual national champions and 27 relay champions. His 1992 indoor and outdoor squads set the record for most points at the national junior college championships indoor meet (288) and outdoor meet (263). Track and Field News rated his recruiting classes best in the nation from 1989-93, a first for a junior college.

Individually, his resume boasts 561 All-America awards, 28 World Championships competitors, 15 World Championship medalists and 34 Olympians. Among the 11 Olympic medalists he's worked with, Samuel Matete and Calvin Davis won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the 400M hurdles in Atlanta in 1996. Olympic 4x400M relay gold medallists Lamont Smith (400M, 44.30) and Darnell Hall (400M, 44.34) were also under the tutelage of Silvey.

In 2005, Silvey was inducted into the National Junior College Track and Field Hall of Fame after becoming the all-time men's winningest coach with 15 national championships.

At the international level, he served as the Zambian head coach at the 1992 and 1996 Olympiads, and at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

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[GetTheFacts1st]

Doc is really changing speeds. From virtually no support to "Let's get ready to rumble."

This is one of the most monumental hires this univerisity has ever made.

[Cajun Express]

_ Doc is really changing speeds. From virtually no support to "Let's get ready to rumble."

This is one of the most monumental hires this univerisity has ever made. _

I think you see why in todays DA. The state is about to allow a LOT more funding for athletics, plus an inflation clause tied to the growth of funding for the university.

[NewsCopy]

All of a sudden, the folks at UL have to start taking track and field seriously again. That's what happens when you bring in a coach that's been a part of 28 national championships and has coached nearly 600 All-Americans. With Steve Silvey's hiring, the Ragin' Cajuns made the first step toward returning to the days when the biggest challenge at Cajun Track each year was figuring out how to wedge more conference championships into the trophy case. Silvey wasn't here during UL's run that included 17 conference titles in a 12-year period, but he wasn't far away. His legendary Blinn College teams were regular visitors to Lafayette, and he kept tabs on the UL program during stints at Arkansas, Oregon and Texas Tech because of his many local connections. The rest of the story Dan McDonald The Daily Advertiser (337) 289-6318 dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[CajunRed]

No doubt that this guy knows what the heck he is doing. No offense meant, but he ain't no Lance Veazey.

I was around him a little when I was involved with the Track & Field Officials Association. He was good friends with Coaches Lancon and Badon and both talked about how much this guy knew and how good he was. I know nothing is guaranteed, but I would be SHOCKED if he doesn't build a respectable program. As long as he gets some descent funding, he CAN attract some quality talent!

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LOUISIANA La. - The University of Louisiana at Lafayette announced on Wednesday that Steve Silvey has been hired as the new head track coach. Silvey will oversee the men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track and outdoor track & field programs. Silvey is a veteran at the national and international level for more than 20 years. He comes to Louisiana after having served as an assistant coach at Texas Tech since 2004. Silvey replaces Lance Veazey, who had been the Cajuns head track coach since the beginning of the 2002 season until resigning in June. Silvey will assume the position beginning July 15. His hiring is pending approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. While with the Red Raiders, Silvey helped lead the men’s outdoor track & field team to the 2005 Big 12 Championship. He coached numerous NCAA individual All-Americans and relay All-Americans, several Big 12 individual champions and many All-Big 12 performers. The rest of the story RaginCajuns.com

[ulforlife]

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this is amazing, i bet arkansas state is crying

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• New hire: Emery hired Lance Veazey, former men's and women's track and field and cross country coach at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, as its new athletic director. • Great credentials: As a coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, Veazey led the Ragin' Cajuns to several Sun Belt Conference team titles. He also coached former All-American jumper Lawrence Willis. • Changes: Aside from bringing in Veazey as the new athletic director, Emery is hiring new head coaches in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball. For more information, visit the Web site at www.emeryweiner.org . Lance Veazey has earned a reputation as one of the country's top track and field coaches. Veazey's next challenge is building Emery into one of the finest athletic programs in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools ranks. Veazey, who coached men's and women's track and field and cross country for a decade at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, was hired as athletic director at Emery. "I've been coaching college track and field for 15-plus years," said the 36-year-old Veazey, a native of Lafayette, La. "I think I was ready for a new challenge, and Emery has all kinds of possibilities." Veazey, who served as head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette the past five years, enjoyed plenty of success with the Ragin' Cajuns. As an assistant coach, he led Louisiana-Lafayette to a Sun Belt Conference championship in men's outdoor track and field in 1998. As head coach, he took the Ragin' Cajuns to a conference crown in men's cross country in 2004. He was named Sun Belt Men's Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2004. In addition, Veazey coached former All-American Lawrence Willis, who placed second in the triple jump at the recent 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Willis will compete at the Pan American Games and World Track and Field Championships later this year. The rest of the story By JEFF JENKINS Chronicle Correspondent

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LOUISIANA La.- Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns track and field team signed six athletes to National Letters of Intent. All six signees hail from Louisiana and includes five state champions and a state runner-up. The signees of the track team include Brent Adams, Kenneth Bellard, Alex Breaux, Colby Comeaux, Chris Roy and Louis Stevens. “[Former head coach] Lance Veazey signed a very good group of athletes,” head coach Steve Silvey stated. “He did an outstanding job of recruiting and hopefully this will help us get back to the championship level I know this program can achieve.” Adams and Comeaux both come from South Lafourche High School. Adams, a Galliano native, was a state champion in the high jump with a mark of 6-6, while Comeaux (LaRose) was a state champion in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.22. Comeaux also posted a 39.59 in the 300m hurdles. Also in the hurdles was Stevens who posted a runner up finish in the 110m hurdles for Carencro High School with a time of 14.53. Stevens is also the brother of current Ragin’ Cajuns track athlete Kioloni Redeaux. Breaux was a state champion in the 3200m for Vanderbilt Catholic High School. Roy won the state championship in the pole vault for Breaux Bridge High School with a 16-0 mark, but posted a height of 16-6 at a meet at Port Berry High School. Finishing out the men is Bellard who was a state champion in the triple jump for Franklin High School. RaginCajuns.com

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LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns track and field team signed three athletes to National Letters of Intent. All three signees hail from Louisiana and include one state champion. The signees are Lauren Christophe, Jenna Picou and Jerri Ann Sills. “[Former head coach] Lance Veazey signed a very good group of athletes,” head coach Steve Silvey stated. “He did an outstanding job of recruiting and hopefully this will help us get back to the championship level I know this program can achieve.” Christophe was a state champion for Natchitoches Central in the 300m hurdles. She posted a time of 43.23 to claim the title. The Lady Cajuns added a versatile athlete in Picou. She competes in both the pole vault and cross country, and is the sister of current Cajuns’ track athlete Callie Picou. Finishing out the recruiting class is Sills. The Dry Creek product threw the javelin for St. Louis Catholic High School. RaginCajuns.com

[DaddyCajun]

Wonderful!!!!! I wonder how Picou and Sills did at state in their respective events? This is a great start!

Fund raising wise my whole family tipically runs in the annual race at UL.

I sure hope things get popping in track and field.

DaddyCajun

[DaddyCajun]

This is simply Great and I truely hope that this is just the beginning of the return of a great track and field program!!!!

DaddyCajun

[ulforlife]

Outstanding

[AboveAverage]

Fund raising wise my whole family tipically runs in the annual race at UL.

When is this? What is it called?

[GetTheFacts1st]

A-State is not crying. They are bawling!

That will end, though, when they see their buddies form Fayetteville on probation within the year. Then they will be laughing their asses off.