AUBURN, Ala.—Olympic gold medalist and longtime coach, Leroy Burrell, has been named Auburn track and field head coach, Athletics Director Allen Greene announced Thursday. Burrell has spent the previous 23 years as head coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston, where he led the program to 41 conference championships and coached over 150 All-Americans.
“When I looked at the history and tradition at Auburn along with the opportunity to compete at the highest level in the Southeastern Conference, the opportunity at this juncture of my career was too good to pass up,” Burrell said. “I've had a wonderful run at Houston and had some struggles the past year. I felt my family and I needed another opportunity to win a national championship and compete at the highest level. I'm not sure I could have found a better opportunity and words can't describe how excited I am to join the Auburn Family and work with the people at Auburn.”
A former world-record holder in the 100-meter dash and a former student-athlete at Houston, Burrell established himself as one of the nation’s premier coaches. In over two decades of Burrell’s leadership, Houston had over 155 NCAA All-Americans and a combined 41 team conference championships.
“The thing I found most attractive about Auburn once I had a chance to look deeper was the people,” Burrell said. “Allen Greene and Brant Ust were unbelievable to talk with from the beginning and were extremely open and honest, and welcoming about Auburn. I want to thank Allen, Brant and President Chris Roberts for this opportunity.”
He was named C-USA Coach of the Year 23 times and American Athletic Conference Coaching Staff of the Year 11 times. In recognition of his outstanding career as a world-class sprinter and collegiate coach, Burrell was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2019.
Burrell replaces Ralph Spry, who retired after 25 years at the helm of the Auburn track and field program.
“I want to pay distinct tribute to Ralph Spry who has been a great friend and competitor over the years,” Burrell said. “He led Auburn to a national championship and developed numerous outstanding athletes during his 25-year career. Mel Rosen was my coach at the 1996 Olympic games, so I understand the tradition and history of Auburn track and field. I will work incredibly hard to continue that tradition and build upon the foundation that Coach Rosen, Coach Spry and others before me have established.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars were well on their way to being one of the best squads in the NCAA yet again. The Cougars swept The American Indoor Track & Field Championships for the second straight year as the men's team won its sixth consecutive ITF conference title and the women secured their second.
In 2019, Houston showed little signs of slowing down earning its second straight third-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships behind a trio of podium finish performances. The Cougars continued to have immense success during the 2017-18 season as the Cougars won their second straight NCAA title in the 4x100-meter relay. It would be a remarkable year for the Cougars as Burrell’s son, Cameron, would become an individual national champion, claiming the title in the 100-meter with a time of 10.02 to become the program’s first national champion in the event since his father earned the title in 1990. That very same year, Houston earned its first of back-to-back third-place finishes at the outdoor championships.
“Houston has been my home for 36 years. I came as a freshman in 1985 and it grew me into the person I am today. I wouldn't be who I am today without my teammates and training partner Carl Lewis as well as Coach Tom Tellez who groomed me into the coaching profession,” Burrell said. “I can't thank enough the UH team, staff and Chris Pezman, DeJuena Chizer and Lauren DuBois for their support. Houston has been my home and will always be in me, but I'm flying out of the nest to soar with Auburn.”
The 2017 season marked a banner year for Burrell after his 4x100-meter relay squad that claimed the NCAA Championship in the event. The team of John Lewis III, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Cameron Burrell ran a school record 38.44 to claim the gold and win Houston's first relay title since 1982.
Burrell led the Cougar men to championships in each of the indoor and outdoor seasons, sweeping the titles for the second-consecutive season and the 10th time in program history. The championships gave Burrell 33 conference championships during his tenure at Houston.
“Coach Burrell’s accomplishments as an Olympic gold-medalist and his track record of consistent, championship-level success through recruiting and developing elite student-athletes speak for themselves,” Greene said. “A confident, humble leader, Coach Burrell believes in work, hard work. He will continue the long history of exemplary leadership of Auburn’s track and field program and will be an outstanding representative of the Auburn Family.”
During the 2015-16 season, Burrell led the Cougar men to a sweep of the indoor and outdoor American Athletic Conference Championships, marking the seventh time he has accomplished that feat. The men would go on to finish 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the highest finish since 1985.
Burrell claimed Houston’s first American Athletic Conference Indoor Championship in 2015 after leading the 2014 Cougar men’s track and field team to the inaugural American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The 2014 Cougars finished with 15 conference champions in individual events.
Burrell tutored Errol Nolan to a 2013 NCAA Indoor Championship in the 400-meter dash. Nolan was the C-USA Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor season. Burrell also had 13 individuals win conference championships while the men’s team took home the 2013 C-USA Indoor Conference Championship and placed second at the last C-USA outdoor meet for Houston.
In his first season, he coached the C-USA Indoor and Outdoor Athletes of the Year, Anthony Authorlee and Dennis Darling. Authorlee was named the 1999 C-USA Outdoor Athlete of the Year after winning the 100m and 200m dashes. His victory marked the first 100m conference championship since 1993. Darling was named the 1999 C-USA Indoor Athlete of the Year after winning the 200m and 400m. He also ran the anchor leg on Houston’s victorious 4x400m relay. Houston also enjoyed success on the national frontier that season, when the women’s team ended the 1999 campaign with a 20th place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championship.
In 2000, Burrell guided Houston to the C-USA Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Championships for a second straight year. He coached the C-USA Freshman of the Year, Robert Foster, who won the 200m dash at the C-USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Burrell led the women’s team to its first conference championship and was named the C-USA Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2000. Houston won the C-USA women’s outdoor title after finishing as the runner-up team at the C-USA Indoor meet.
Later that year, the women’s team finished in eighth place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Jenny Adams won the NCAA long jump title and finished as the runner-up in the 100m. Ifoma Jones had a fourth-place finish in the heptathlon and finished seventh in the high jump. Rhian Clarke also had a seventh-place finish in the pole vault.
In 2001, the women’s team finished in seventh place at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Adams was named the long jump champion as she became Houston’s first two-time NCAA champion since 1989. The seventh-place finish was Houston’s best showing since the 1993 indoor championships and the eighth-place finish at the 2000 outdoor meet equaled Houston’s best NCAA outdoor showing in school history.
Burrell first gained track and field’s national spotlight when he earned All-America honors as a senior at Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, Pa. in 1985. He was named the Eastern Track Athlete of the Year after single-handedly winning the 1985 Class 3A State Championship. Burrell scored all of Penn Wood’s 40 points when he won the 100m, 200m, long jump and triple jump at the state meet.
In 1985-86, he broke Houston’s freshman long jump record, previously held by Carl Lewis, when he leaped 26’-9” at a dual meet against UCLA in 1986.
"Auburn track and field is getting a someone who knows how to build programs and does extremely well recruiting,” Carl Lewis said. “Leroy knows how to run a team, is extremely organized and can coach, especially the sprints. He works very well with people and whoever his staff is going to be, they’re going to enjoy working with him, because he’s that kind of guy. People at Auburn are going to love Leroy and his family.”
In 1988, he returned following an ACL injury to the SWC Championships, where he finished second in the 100m and in third place in the long jump. At the NCAA Championships, Burrell earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 100m and a seventh place showing in the long jump.
“When I looked at the history and tradition at Auburn along with the opportunity to compete at the highest level in the Southeastern Conference, the opportunity at this juncture of my career was too good to pass up,” Burrell said. “I've had a wonderful run at Houston and had some struggles the past year. I felt my family and I needed another opportunity to win a national championship and compete at the highest level. I'm not sure I could have found a better opportunity and words can't describe how excited I am to join the Auburn Family and work with the people at Auburn.”
A former world-record holder in the 100-meter dash and a former student-athlete at Houston, Burrell established himself as one of the nation’s premier coaches. In over two decades of Burrell’s leadership, Houston had over 155 NCAA All-Americans and a combined 41 team conference championships.
“The thing I found most attractive about Auburn once I had a chance to look deeper was the people,” Burrell said. “Allen Greene and Brant Ust were unbelievable to talk with from the beginning and were extremely open and honest, and welcoming about Auburn. I want to thank Allen, Brant and President Chris Roberts for this opportunity.”
He was named C-USA Coach of the Year 23 times and American Athletic Conference Coaching Staff of the Year 11 times. In recognition of his outstanding career as a world-class sprinter and collegiate coach, Burrell was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2019.
Burrell replaces Ralph Spry, who retired after 25 years at the helm of the Auburn track and field program.
“I want to pay distinct tribute to Ralph Spry who has been a great friend and competitor over the years,” Burrell said. “He led Auburn to a national championship and developed numerous outstanding athletes during his 25-year career. Mel Rosen was my coach at the 1996 Olympic games, so I understand the tradition and history of Auburn track and field. I will work incredibly hard to continue that tradition and build upon the foundation that Coach Rosen, Coach Spry and others before me have established.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars were well on their way to being one of the best squads in the NCAA yet again. The Cougars swept The American Indoor Track & Field Championships for the second straight year as the men's team won its sixth consecutive ITF conference title and the women secured their second.
In 2019, Houston showed little signs of slowing down earning its second straight third-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships behind a trio of podium finish performances. The Cougars continued to have immense success during the 2017-18 season as the Cougars won their second straight NCAA title in the 4x100-meter relay. It would be a remarkable year for the Cougars as Burrell’s son, Cameron, would become an individual national champion, claiming the title in the 100-meter with a time of 10.02 to become the program’s first national champion in the event since his father earned the title in 1990. That very same year, Houston earned its first of back-to-back third-place finishes at the outdoor championships.
“Houston has been my home for 36 years. I came as a freshman in 1985 and it grew me into the person I am today. I wouldn't be who I am today without my teammates and training partner Carl Lewis as well as Coach Tom Tellez who groomed me into the coaching profession,” Burrell said. “I can't thank enough the UH team, staff and Chris Pezman, DeJuena Chizer and Lauren DuBois for their support. Houston has been my home and will always be in me, but I'm flying out of the nest to soar with Auburn.”
The 2017 season marked a banner year for Burrell after his 4x100-meter relay squad that claimed the NCAA Championship in the event. The team of John Lewis III, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Cameron Burrell ran a school record 38.44 to claim the gold and win Houston's first relay title since 1982.
Burrell led the Cougar men to championships in each of the indoor and outdoor seasons, sweeping the titles for the second-consecutive season and the 10th time in program history. The championships gave Burrell 33 conference championships during his tenure at Houston.
“Coach Burrell’s accomplishments as an Olympic gold-medalist and his track record of consistent, championship-level success through recruiting and developing elite student-athletes speak for themselves,” Greene said. “A confident, humble leader, Coach Burrell believes in work, hard work. He will continue the long history of exemplary leadership of Auburn’s track and field program and will be an outstanding representative of the Auburn Family.”
During the 2015-16 season, Burrell led the Cougar men to a sweep of the indoor and outdoor American Athletic Conference Championships, marking the seventh time he has accomplished that feat. The men would go on to finish 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the highest finish since 1985.
Burrell claimed Houston’s first American Athletic Conference Indoor Championship in 2015 after leading the 2014 Cougar men’s track and field team to the inaugural American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The 2014 Cougars finished with 15 conference champions in individual events.
Burrell tutored Errol Nolan to a 2013 NCAA Indoor Championship in the 400-meter dash. Nolan was the C-USA Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor season. Burrell also had 13 individuals win conference championships while the men’s team took home the 2013 C-USA Indoor Conference Championship and placed second at the last C-USA outdoor meet for Houston.
In his first season, he coached the C-USA Indoor and Outdoor Athletes of the Year, Anthony Authorlee and Dennis Darling. Authorlee was named the 1999 C-USA Outdoor Athlete of the Year after winning the 100m and 200m dashes. His victory marked the first 100m conference championship since 1993. Darling was named the 1999 C-USA Indoor Athlete of the Year after winning the 200m and 400m. He also ran the anchor leg on Houston’s victorious 4x400m relay. Houston also enjoyed success on the national frontier that season, when the women’s team ended the 1999 campaign with a 20th place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championship.
In 2000, Burrell guided Houston to the C-USA Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Championships for a second straight year. He coached the C-USA Freshman of the Year, Robert Foster, who won the 200m dash at the C-USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Burrell led the women’s team to its first conference championship and was named the C-USA Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2000. Houston won the C-USA women’s outdoor title after finishing as the runner-up team at the C-USA Indoor meet.
Later that year, the women’s team finished in eighth place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Jenny Adams won the NCAA long jump title and finished as the runner-up in the 100m. Ifoma Jones had a fourth-place finish in the heptathlon and finished seventh in the high jump. Rhian Clarke also had a seventh-place finish in the pole vault.
In 2001, the women’s team finished in seventh place at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Adams was named the long jump champion as she became Houston’s first two-time NCAA champion since 1989. The seventh-place finish was Houston’s best showing since the 1993 indoor championships and the eighth-place finish at the 2000 outdoor meet equaled Houston’s best NCAA outdoor showing in school history.
Burrell first gained track and field’s national spotlight when he earned All-America honors as a senior at Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, Pa. in 1985. He was named the Eastern Track Athlete of the Year after single-handedly winning the 1985 Class 3A State Championship. Burrell scored all of Penn Wood’s 40 points when he won the 100m, 200m, long jump and triple jump at the state meet.
In 1985-86, he broke Houston’s freshman long jump record, previously held by Carl Lewis, when he leaped 26’-9” at a dual meet against UCLA in 1986.
"Auburn track and field is getting a someone who knows how to build programs and does extremely well recruiting,” Carl Lewis said. “Leroy knows how to run a team, is extremely organized and can coach, especially the sprints. He works very well with people and whoever his staff is going to be, they’re going to enjoy working with him, because he’s that kind of guy. People at Auburn are going to love Leroy and his family.”
In 1988, he returned following an ACL injury to the SWC Championships, where he finished second in the 100m and in third place in the long jump. At the NCAA Championships, Burrell earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 100m and a seventh place showing in the long jump.
