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Mike Holloway
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Five NCAA Champions in the last four years. Sixty-six percent of Florida's All-America certificates. Over 80 percent of the team's point output at the NCAA Championships. And 10 school records in the 12 indoor and outdoor events 400 meters and below. Those are just a few reasons why Mike Holloway, one of the nation's top assistant coaches, was named head coach of the Florida track program on June 3, 2002.
One of the premier sprint coaches in today's track and field world, Holloway has developed the University of Florida into the top collegiate sprint program in America since he took over the reins of the sprinters in 1995. As head coach, Holloway will now elevate the entire Gator team to the heights he has brought the sprint program.
Entering his eighth year as a member of the Gator staff in the 2003 season, the list of accolades and accomplishments his athletes have earned at both the collegiate and upper levels of the sport continues to grow more remarkable with each championship meet. Consider these numbers: Holloway's athletes or relay teams have won five NCAA Championships, current or former Florida athletes who have worked under Holloway hold or have equaled the collegiate records in the indoor and outdoor 200 meters, have the second-best 100-meter American collegiate time ever and the fourth best 4x100-meter relay clocking of all time which is the fastest American collegiate time in history. And all of that has happened within just the last four years.
At the 2000 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento, Calif., Holloway-coached prodigies won both semi-final heats of the 200-meter dash before John Capel, a former UF track athlete, grabbed the victory in one of the most anticipated track match-ups of the last four years. Capel defeated world record holder Michael Johnson and "the fastest man in the world," Maurice Greene, not only in the finals but also in the preceding semis to earn the top 200 spot on America's team for the Sydney Olympic Games.
Holloway's reputation as a sprint coach had solidified before then, though. Maybe it was his squad's performance at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Championships that did it, when a perfect six of six athletes who competed at the meet came home with a total of eight All-America awards, two national titles and a school record 42 points by themselves. The Gators' 4x100 squad cruised to the fastest time ever by a collegiate squad that included a roster of only American citizens and earned the school's first national championship in the event. The CollegeRunning.com Sprint Athlete of the Meet kept that streak up in the 100 meters as Bernard Williams capped an astounding first season at the NCAA Division I level with Florida's first 100 meter national title. After adding eight points for a runner-up finish in the high jump, Florida had its first trophy-winning season since 1990 and a new record for points and All-America honors at the outdoor NCAA meet.
Quite possibly, the track world noticed at the outdoor Southeastern Conference Championships when Williams surprised the rest of the field in the 100 meters with a conference record run to the title. He joined with the 4x100 relay to bring home the Gators' second-straight title in that event as well.
Or maybe people sat up and noticed what Holloway did at the 2000 indoor meet, when sophomore John Capel equaled the American and collegiate record of 20.26 in the 200 meters, Daymon Carroll earned his 10th All-America award and Stephen Jones shocked the field with a sixth place finish in the 60m hurdles.
Looking back, Holloway began setting the foundation for the Gators' emergence on the national sprint scene from his first year as a coach in 1996. Since that season, sprinters have earned 40 of the 49 All-America honors bestowed on the Florida track team including an award in every sprint event indoors and out, save one--the 110m high hurdles. In those six short seasons, Holloway's sprinters and relay teams have accounted for over 80 percent of Florida's NCAA Outdoor Championship points.
In 1998, the Gators were the only school at the NCAA championships to qualify someone in all seven sprint events, marking the first time in school history the feat had been accomplished. By 1999, Holloway added his first individual national title to his list of accomplishments. He has since added three more individual titles and a relay championship in just three short years.
By the end of the 2000 season, he had added two more national championships in events Florida had never been able to win before in school history, the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay. In 2001, Florida was one of only two schools to have at least one athlete qualified for the NCAA Championship meet in every event 800m and lower. This all came just months after freshman Rickey Harris ran a school-record 45.78 to win the NCAA Indoor Championship. Harris's time was the third-fastest in the world during the season and claimed Florida's first indoor individual national title since 1990. Less than two months later, Harris won the 400m hurdle title at the SEC Championships, becoming the 13th athlete do win a sprint, relay or hurdle event under Holloway. Following the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Stephen Jones, one of Holloway's charges, ran to a national championship in the 110m high hurdles in his native Barbados to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta.
In 2002 Harris, only a sophomore, won the 400m hurdles championship at the NCAA outdoor meet, giving UF its first ever title in the event and becoming the first double NCAA champion under Holloway. Harris set a school record in the process and his time of 48.16 ranks as the third fastest final time in meet history. He then went on to finish second in the 400m dash to become the second male athlete in NCAA history to earn All-America honors in both events in the same year and the first to do so since 1963.
Holloway has led his athletes up a steep and swift climb straight to the top of the collegiate track scene.
The largest ascents began in 1999 as Capel improved from a personal best of just over 21 seconds in the 200m to an American leading time of 19.87 in a little over six months. The only collegian to break the 20-second barrier that year, he tied the NCAA meet and collegiate records in his national championship run in June and finished the season with the second fastest time in the world. A member of the U.S. Olympic squad not even two years later, Capel already has international experience from the World University Games in 1999 where he won gold medal as the anchor for the American 4x100m relay and a silver as the runner-up in the 100m.
As dramatic as his improvement was in 1999, Capel was only part of a group of sprinters that began establishing itself as the dominating force on the Florida track team. In all, Holloway's athletes earned 45 of the 46 points scored by Gator athletes at the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships in 1999. Besides Capel's four honors, Daymon Carroll, Gerald Clervil, Adrain Mann, T.J. Nelson and Bobby Williams all ended the season as All-Americans. Four of them, Capel, Carroll, Clervil and Williams also continued another Gator tradition, excellence in the relays. The Florida 4x100m relay team won the SEC outdoor title with a school record 38.75 while the same squad set a new mark in the 4x200m as well at the Penn Relays.
In 1998, the entire sprint corps earned 15 All-America honors. Carroll, coming off a spectacular freshman year, earned three more individual All-America honors, finishing 6th in the indoor 200 before a fifth place run outdoors in the 100 and a runner-up performance in the 200. Erin Tucker was the SEC Champion and a national qualifier in the 400IH. Nelson claimed SEC runner-up honors in the 110HH and qualified for the national championships. Mann was a national qualifier in the 400IH and Clervil earned All-America honors in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
The Gator relay teams continued to enjoy success during 1998 with the 4x400 relay winning SEC titles and All-America honors both indoors and outdoors. The 4x100 team gained All-America honors as well, along with breaking a five-year-old school record in the 4x200 relay.
While training some of the collegiate world's best athletes, Holloway continues to work with some of the nations and the world's best. Florida alumnus Dennis Mitchell was working under Holloway's direction when he captured the 100m title at the 1992 and 1996 United States Olympic Trials, meaning Holloway has coached a Trials champion in each of the last three Olympiads. During the summer of 1997, Florida alumnus Mark Everett posted the second-fastest all-time 800m performance by an American when he clocked a 1:43.20 at a meet in Line, Austria while he was working under Holloway. Besides Capel, The Gator coach also coached former five-time Gator All-American Marcel Carter, a semi-finalist in the indoor and outdoor 200m at the USA Track and Field Championships.
Having served as the girls and boys head coach at Buchholz High School from 1985-1995, Holloway was no stranger to the tradition-rich Gainesville track and field community prior to being named a Florida assistant. During his 11-year tenure, Holloway guided the Bobcats' programs to a total of 19 county, 17 district, 14 regional and eight state titles, (including cross country). In all, 18 of 20 boys school records and 14 of 19 girls records were broken during the Holloway era. Among the long list of accomplishments Holloway contributed to the Buchholz program, the school's 1995 milestones could arguably be his most lasting achievements. Holloway led both the boys' and girls' Buchholz teams to state titles in 1995, marking the first time such a feat had been accomplished by one coach.
At the beginning of his coaching career at Buchholz, Holloway worked as a graduate assistant for two years (1986 87) under then-University of Florida women's track and field Head Coach Lyle Knudson. During this time, Holloway coached UF's 4x800m foursome of Sandra and Sonja Braasch, Chris Crowther and Susan Nash to a world record time of 8:29.35 and a U.S. National indoor championship.
Holloway is married to the former Angela Fitts. They have a daughter, Michele (16), and a son, Michael II "MJ" (two).
MIKE HOLLOWAY FILE
Career Totals:
UF: 5 National Champions; 18 All-Americans; 45 All-America Honors
Buchholz: 50 All-State individuals; 25 cross country individual
All-State runners; 10 athletes went on to compete in collegiate track and
field.
1996 Olympic Qualifiers: 1 (two competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials).
2000 Olympic Qualifiers: 1 (seven competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials).
Top Athletes:
Rickey Harris (Outdoor 400m hurdles champion, Indoor 400m NCAA Champion and
SEC 400m hurdles Champion)
Stephen Jones (110m High Hurdles Barbados National Champion, IAAF World
Championships qualifier)
John Capel (2000 Olympic 200m finalist, 200m US Olympic Trials Champion,
200m NCAA National Champion, SEC Champion)
Bernard Williams (100m NCAA National Champion, 100m and 200m Olympic
Trials finalist)
2000 NCAA Champion 4x100 relay team (Daymon Carroll, Bernard Williams,
Aaron Armstrong, Geno White)
Dennis Mitchell (Olympic Gold Medalist, four-time Olympic medalists,
three-time Olympian, sprints)
Mark Everett (Three-time U.S. Olympian, sprints)
Tyrone Kemp (UF school record holder, eight-time All-American, sprints;
Coached at Buchholz High School)
Marcel Carter (USATF Championships finalist, sprints)
Women's world record setting and National Champion 4x800 relay team
(Sandra Braasch, Sonja Braasch, Chris Crowther, Susan Nash)
Jimmie Hackley (four-time SEC champion)
Bobby Williams (All-American and SEC Champion)
TIM HARDEN
Events: 100m, 200m
Height: 5-10
Weight: 180
PRs: 100m - 9.92 (1999); 200m - 20.54 (1994); 60m indoor - 6.43 (1999)
Born: January 27, 1974, in Kansas City, Mo.
Current Residence: Phoenix, Ariz.
High School: Northeast HS, Kansas City, Mo. '92
College: Kentucky '96
Coach: Darryl Anderson
Agent: Charles Wells
Club: Nike
Career Highlights: 2001 World Indoor 60m gold medalist; 1996 Olympic silver medalist
(4x100); 1999 World Indoor 60m silver medalist; 5th, 1999 World Outdoor Champs;
1999 U.S. Indoor champ; 1998 U.S. Outdoor 100 champion; 1995 NCAA Outdoor 100
champion; two-time NCAA Indoor 55-meter champion.
He started running track
as a freshman in high school, 'to get involved in something.' Works part-time
at Home Depot, as a sales representative. Someday he would like to go into
coaching at the junior high or summer youth club level: 'I'd like to give back
a little bit. I want to promote track & field to the younger
guys'...learning to run the 100m 'properly' is the major focus of his training;
he says, 'It's like the Bermuda Triangle. I get in there and I try to find it
and try to find it, and it's never quite there. But I can see that some of the
guys have it figured out. I've got to figure it out.' Harden moved to Arizona
in late 1996 to stay close to coach Darryl Anderson, who moved from Kentucky to
take the head coaching job at Arizona State.
2001: World
Indoor 60m gold medalist (6.44)…2nd at USA Indoors (6.53)…2nd at Millrose
(6.65)…1st at Tyson Invitational (6.60).
2000: Sixth in 100m semis at Olympic Trials (10.29) ...2nd in USA Indoor
60 meters (6.48), won adidas D.C. Invitational (6.57)...best of 10.20 in first
heat of Olympic Trials.
1999: Won 60 at USA Indoor... silver at World Indoors (6.43)... 4th at
USA Outdoor in 100 (10.01w)... 5th at World Champs (10.02)...ranked #6 in World
(#2 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 9.92PR.
1998: Won USA outdoor title in a wind-aided 9.88...3rd in the GP Final
(10.12)...4th at World Cup in his season best (10.03)...ranked #8 in world at
100m (#3 in U.S.)... best of 10.03.
1997: Spent most of the year nursing a foot injury...bests of 10.26 and
20.90i.
1996: Won second straight NCAA Indoor 55...won third straight SEC 100...
runner-up in NCAA Outdoor 100 (one of few who have made four straight
finals)... 5th in the Olympic Trials 100...ran second leg on the U.S. 4 x 100
relay team at the Olympics, which won silver...bests of 10.02 and 20.90.
1995: Won the dash final at both the USA and NCAA Indoor meets... won
100 at SEC Champs, 6th in 200...won NCAA Outdoor 100 and ran second leg on
Kentucky's third-place 4 x 100...7th in the 100 semis at USA Outdoor...ranked
#5 in the U.S. at 100m by T&FN...bests of 10.05 and 20.90.
1994: NCAA Outdoor 100m runner-up, 2nd in 4 x 100 relay (second leg)...
2nd in NCAA Indoor 55...5th in the USA Indoor 60...won 100 and ran 3rd at 200
in SEC Champs... 7th in 100 at USA Outdoors...earned first T&FN U.S.
ranking, #9 in 100...bests of 10.14 and 20.54.
1993: Placed 5th in NCAA Outdoor 100m, anchored Kentucky 4 x 100 to
6th...2nd at USA Junior Champs 100...5th at Olympic Festival 100...silver at
Pan-Am Junior Champs 100, gold on the 4 x 100 relay (second leg)...bests of
10.32 and 20.83.
1992: Won the Missouri HS state meet in the 100m...bests of 10.54 and
21.7.
PASSION RICHARDSON 
Events: 100m, 200m
Height: 5-1
Weight: 105
PRs: 100m - 11.28 (1997); 200m - 23.56 (2000)
Born: January 25, 1975, in Berea, Ohio
Current Residence: Kansas City, Kan.
High School: Berea (Ohio) '93
College: Kentucky '97
Coach: Al Hobson
Agent: John Nubani
Club: Nike
Career Highlights: Olympic 4x100 relay Bronze Medalist; 1997 World University Games
gold medalist, 4x100 relay; 2nd at 2000 U.S. Indoor 60 meters.
Richardson, the 8th-place finisher in the 100 at the Olympic
Trials, helped the U.S. 4x100 relay team to the Olympic final by filling in for
Marion Jones on the anchor leg in the first two rounds. An outstanding
collegiate sprinter at Kentucky, Richardson made a breakthrough indoors when
she finished 2nd at the U.S. Champs in the 60 meters in 2000...one of her best
seasons was in 1997 when she won a gold medal at the World University Games by
running on the winning 4x100m relay.
2000: Olympic
4x100m bronze medalist (4th leg in opening round and semifinal)...2nd, USA
Indoors 60 meters (7.20)...placed 8th at Olympic Trials 100...ranked #9 in U.S.
in 100m by T&FN...bests of 11.29 and 23.56.
1999: 8th at USA Outdoors... best of 11.37.
1998: Best of 11.50.
1997: 3rd at Southeastern Conference... World University Games gold
medalist, 4x100m relay... best of 11.28.
1996: 8th at Olympic Trials semifinals... best of 11.31.
1995: Best of 11.84.
1994: Best of 11.56w.
1993: Bests of 11.75 and 24.62.
1992: Bests of 11.77 and 24.66.
1991: Bests of 12.01 and 25.37
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