HEAD COACH DAVID HARRIS
4TH SEASON / TRUMAN STATE (1978)
Coaching Honors
» USTCA Women’s NCAA Division II
National Coach of the Year (2011)
» Coached 18 NCAA Individual National Champions
» Coached More Than 200 NCAA All-America Award Winners
» Coached Teams to 48 Top-25 NCAA Finishes
» 11-Time MIAA Coach of the Year (Emporia State)
At Nebraska
» Cross Country Head Coach (2012-present)
» Cross Country Co-Head Coach (2011)
» Assistant Track & Field Coach (1985-92, 2011-present)
Other Coaching Experience
» Head Coach, Emporia State (1992-2011)
Education
» Truman State (1978)
Bachelor’s Degree, Physical Education/Social Science
Master’s Degree, Athletic Administration
Family
» Wife: Kathy; Sons: John-David and Jared
18
» 10-Time MIAA Team Champions
» 20-Time MIAA Team Runner-up
» USTFCCCA President (2005-06)
» USTFCCCA Jimmy Carnes Distinguished
Service Award
» USTFCCCA Division II Executive Council Chairman
One of the country’s most respected coaches on conference runner-up finishes. In 1999, he became only
the course, on the track and in national leadership for the third coach to lead both the men’s and women’s teams
collegiate programs, David Harris enters his fourth season to MIAA outdoor titles in the same season. The ESU women
as the head coach of the Nebraska men’s and women’s earned the school’s first top-four finish nationally with a
cross crountry teams in 2015.
fourth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
Harris joined the cross country and track and field staff in Emporia in 1999. It was the second of three national
during the 2011-12 season, serving as co-head coach championship meets at Witten Track/Welch Stadium
alongside long-time Nebraska coach Jay Dirksen. With held under Harris’ guidance.
Dirksen’s retirement following the 2011 cross country Harris’ steady leadership on the track was apparent
campaign, Harris hit the ground running with his goal by the consistent excellence of his teams at the national
of building the Nebraska cross country program back to level. The Emporia State women’s track and field team
national prominence.
scored at every NCAA Outdoor Championships from 1994
Even before his return to Nebraska in 2011, Harris through 2011. His men’s team earned points at the NCAA
already had strong ties to the Husker program. From 1985 Outdoor Championships in 17 of their final 18 meets
to 1992, Harris served as an assistant coach on legendary with Harris at the helm. Overall, Harris’ student-athletes
Nebraska track and field head coach Gary Pepin’s staff. earned more than 200 All-America honors, including 18
Harris tutored the Husker middle distance runners and NCAA Division II national titles from 1995 to 2011.
the men’s sprinters and hurdlers for seven seasons before In addition to his success on the track, Harris guided
being named the head cross country and track and field eight Hornet cross country runners to MIAA individual
coach at Emporia State in 1992.
titles. He also led the Emporia State women’s team to the
During his time as an assistant coach at Nebraska, 1994 MIAA title. He was honored for his team’s success
Harris helped many Husker student-athletes to records that season by earning the 1994 MIAA Coach-of-the-Year
that still stand today, including the women’s outdoor 800 award in women’s cross country. He led the Hornet men to
meters (Sharon Powell), the men’s outdoor 400 meters a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Division II championships
(Ken Waller), the 1,000 meters (Dieudonne Kwizera), the in 1993. Overall, he led the ESU cross country programs to
400-meter hurdles (Ma