CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Rosalind Joseph has announced the addition of Olympian Richard Jones as an assistant coach. Jones represented his native country of Guyana at the 1996 Olympics in the 400-meter dash and 4×400-meter relay.
“I am excited for the addition of Coach Jones to our staff,” Joseph said. “He has dedicated himself to every level of track and field, both as an athlete and as a coach, from youth league to an Olympian, so I know that he loves and knows the sport well. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Coach Jones over the years and I see how he is able to connect with student-athletes of all event areas and get the best out of the athletes under his direction. I am confident in the job he will do here with our sprints and hurdle core. He has many connections in the sport, across the globe, and so I’m excited for his work in recruiting, coaching and mentoring the next batch of Saluki alumni.”
Jones spent five seasons alongside Joseph at Ohio State University where he helped coach the Buckeyes’ sprinters. During that time, his athletes won 15 Big 10 titles, earned 46 All-Big 10 accolades and he had 42 student-athletes qualify for national meets to name a few of his athletes accomplishments.
While at OSU, Jones coached Nick Gray who qualified for the national meet eight times and earned four first-team All-America laurels under Jones’ tutelage. In 2016, Gray became OSU’s first first-team All-American in the indoor 200 since 1994.
“I am very excited to work with Coach Joseph and join her staff at Southern Illinois,” Jones said. “Im elated to be a part of a program that is very well known in the track and field community and to follow in the foot steps of many talented coaches. Coach Joseph and I have known each other since our days at Ohio State and this is a great opportunity for both of us.”
Prior to returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach, Jones spent 10 years as head coach at Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio, where his teams rewrote the state Division II record books in all sprint events. Over a four-year stretch, Bishop Hartley’s girls team was either state champion (2009, 2011) or state runners-up (2008, 2010). He coached 16 state champions, six high school All-Americans and helped 14 student-athlete to college level track programs. During the 2010 season, Bishop Hartley’s girls 4×200 meter relay team won a national title in the event.
As a student-athlete at Ohio State, Jones was a seven-time Big Ten Champion and a four-time All-American, which included winning a national title as part of Ohio State’s 4×400 outdoor relay team in 1993. A seven-time national qualifier, Jones went on to serve as captain of the 1996 Guyanese Olympic Team and competed in both 400-meter dash and 4×400-meter relay. Jones held the Guyanese national record in the 400-meter dash for nearly 18 years before Winston George broke it in 2014.
A 1996 graduate of Ohio State with a degree in telecommunications and electronic media, Jones and his wife, Kim, have three kids, Rich, Malcolm and Amaiah.
“I am excited for the addition of Coach Jones to our staff,” Joseph said. “He has dedicated himself to every level of track and field, both as an athlete and as a coach, from youth league to an Olympian, so I know that he loves and knows the sport well. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Coach Jones over the years and I see how he is able to connect with student-athletes of all event areas and get the best out of the athletes under his direction. I am confident in the job he will do here with our sprints and hurdle core. He has many connections in the sport, across the globe, and so I’m excited for his work in recruiting, coaching and mentoring the next batch of Saluki alumni.”
Jones spent five seasons alongside Joseph at Ohio State University where he helped coach the Buckeyes’ sprinters. During that time, his athletes won 15 Big 10 titles, earned 46 All-Big 10 accolades and he had 42 student-athletes qualify for national meets to name a few of his athletes accomplishments.
While at OSU, Jones coached Nick Gray who qualified for the national meet eight times and earned four first-team All-America laurels under Jones’ tutelage. In 2016, Gray became OSU’s first first-team All-American in the indoor 200 since 1994.
“I am very excited to work with Coach Joseph and join her staff at Southern Illinois,” Jones said. “Im elated to be a part of a program that is very well known in the track and field community and to follow in the foot steps of many talented coaches. Coach Joseph and I have known each other since our days at Ohio State and this is a great opportunity for both of us.”
Prior to returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach, Jones spent 10 years as head coach at Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio, where his teams rewrote the state Division II record books in all sprint events. Over a four-year stretch, Bishop Hartley’s girls team was either state champion (2009, 2011) or state runners-up (2008, 2010). He coached 16 state champions, six high school All-Americans and helped 14 student-athlete to college level track programs. During the 2010 season, Bishop Hartley’s girls 4×200 meter relay team won a national title in the event.
As a student-athlete at Ohio State, Jones was a seven-time Big Ten Champion and a four-time All-American, which included winning a national title as part of Ohio State’s 4×400 outdoor relay team in 1993. A seven-time national qualifier, Jones went on to serve as captain of the 1996 Guyanese Olympic Team and competed in both 400-meter dash and 4×400-meter relay. Jones held the Guyanese national record in the 400-meter dash for nearly 18 years before Winston George broke it in 2014.
A 1996 graduate of Ohio State with a degree in telecommunications and electronic media, Jones and his wife, Kim, have three kids, Rich, Malcolm and Amaiah.
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