Rothoff Joins Sooner Coaching Staff

Aug. 19, 2002

NORMAN, Okla. - Rodney Rothoff, who has been the head women's cross country coach and an assistant women's track coach at the University of Tennessee, has joined the Sooner coaching staff as head cross country/assistant track coach for the OU men's and women's teams, Joe Castiglione, director of athletics, announced today.

Rothoff replaces Todd Maycumber who resigned in June after serving in the same position for three years.

"I am excited about the opportunity to join the Sooner staff and be a part of the athletic tradition at the University of Oklahoma," Rothoff said. "When I visited the campus and talked to people, I was impressed by the growth that is going on and the potential to add to the outstanding track and field tradition. OU presents an opportunity to build a nationally ranked men's and women's distance program and I look forward to being a part of the program."

Rothoff (pronounced Roth-off) was a member of the Lady Vol track coaching staff for two seasons. In that time, he coached 11 NCAA cross country and track All-Americans. He coached the 2002 SEC champion in the outdoor 800 and had four All-SEC cross country selections. His 2001 cross country team finished as the SEC runner-up.

He coached the first cross country All-American in 11 years for the Tennessee women's program and coached the first 5,000-meter All-American in Lady Vol history. Tennessee was ranked 14th track and field in 2002, the highest ranking for the Lady Vol program in six years.

At Tennessee, he was responsible for all aspects of the women's cross country program. He served as the middle distance and high jump coach during the track and field season. Additionally, he handled all team travel and served as the Lady Vols' track and field recruiting coordinator.

"We are thrilled that Coach Rothoff has accepted our invitation to join the Sooner family," said Joe Castiglione, director of athletics. "He has proven to be a successful recruiter and coach. He worked on some of the top track and field coaching staffs in the country and we are excited about the experience he will bring to our program. With his addition to our already talented coaching staff and the improvements to our competitive facilities for track and field, the future truly is bright for Sooner track and field."

A 1990 graduate of Methodist College in North Carolina, Rothoff has taught and coached at Clemson University (July 1998-July 2000)and coached at Arkansas-Little Rock. While at Clemson, Rothoff was head women's cross country coach and assistant track coach for one year. He served as the middle distance coach and also coached the sprints, jumps and throws at Clemson. He also served as travel and recruiting coordinator for the Clemson track and field program. After a year of coaching, he continued to work at Clemson as the athletic liaison to the Office of Assessment Compliance Office, an instructor in the education department and academic advisor/administrative assistant in the Student-Athlete Enrichment Center.

With Rothoff on the coaching staff, Clemson won the 1999 ACC Outdoor track and field title and finished second in the 1999 ACC Indoor track and field championship. His 1998 cross country team was named an Academic All-American squad. He coached two ACC All-Conference selections in cross country and seven all-conference honorees in track and field. His athletes earned All-America honors 10 times and he coached the ninth-place finisher in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the 1999 U.S. National Championship.

He started his coaching career at Arkansas-Little Rock, serving as a graduate assistant coach in volleyball and track for one year. He was named the first full-time head men's and women track and field coach at UALR in August 1991 and was responsible for taking the women's program from NAIA to NCAA Division I status. He coached the first NCAA national champion in any sport at the school when Dawn Williams-Sewer won the 800-meter title. He also coached the first NCAA qualifier in cross country and the first NCAA All-American in men's track and field in school history.

His teams won three Sun Belt Conference indoor track and field titles and one Sun Belt Conference outdoor track and field championship. UALR was the Sun Belt Conference outdoor runner-up three times and the conference cross country runner-up once. His cross country teams were named Academic All-America in 1995 and 1996 and he was named Sun Belt Conference women's track and field coach of the year in 1994, 1996 and 1997.

His athletes at UALR were named NCAA Cross Country All-Region eight times, won 51 Sun Belt Conference individual titles and were named all-conference 102 times. He coached a 1997 World Championship qualifier and a semifinalist in the 800 meters at the 1996 Olympic Games. While at UALR, Rothoff coached five NCAA track and field All-Americans.

Rothoff has distinguished himself at each coaching stop as a skilled recruiter. At Tennessee, the 2000-2001 class included the number one miler in the country and his 2001-2002 class included one of the top distance runners in the nation. At Clemson, his 1999-2000 recruiting class included three high school athletes who were ranked in the top 10 in the US in their events and two All-American transfers.

Rothoff was a two-year letterwinner at Methodist College and served as captain of the cross country and track and field teams. He was a national qualifier in the steeplechase and 1500-meter run. He has served as a volunteer for Special and Senior Olympics and developed a number of road races in Arkansas. He volunteered at the track and field venue of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He earned his Level I general certification from the U.S. Track and Field Association in 1992 and added a Level III certification in middle distance/cross country in 1995.

"We are excited that Coach Rothoff has joined our staff," said co-head coaches Jill Lancaster and Rodney Price. "He brings a wealth of experience from some of the top track and field programs in the country. He has demonstrated his ability to coach student-athletes at the highest level of competition. His ability to recruit speaks for itself. Additionally, he has experience in home meet management, team travel planning and fund-raising. He will be a great addition to our staff and we are thrilled he has agreed to become a Sooner."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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