The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Ray Stanfield Named Track And Cross Country Coach
8/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Aug. 1, 2002
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- Ray Stanfield, who has spent more than 20 years coaching track and field in the college and high school ranks, has been named head track and field coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, according to an announcement by Blazer Interim Director of Athletics Watson Brown.
Stanfield will also oversee the UAB cross country program.
Stanfield, a native of Houston, Texas, assumes the helm of the Blazer program after spending the past year as member of the track and field coaching staff at Samford University.
"This (UAB) is a great situation for me," said Stanfield, who begins his duties at UAB August 1. "The program here has been very good in the past and all the resources are in place for us to have success. This is a great university and community to recruit to and I'm excited about the opportunity."
He had returned to college coaching at Samford after spending seven years as a high school coach in Texas. While at Canton (Texas) High School, he was named the state's 2000 U.S. Running Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading his team to the Texas State Championship.
Stanfield has coached collegiately at McNeese State (head coach from 1993-94), Sam Houston State (assistant coach, 1987-88) and Rice (assistant coach, 1982-87).
"We are excited to have Ray leading our track and cross country programs," said Brown. "He has a broad range of coaching experience at both the college and high school level. I have known Ray since we worked together at Rice and think highly of his coaching abilities. I think he is a great fit for our program."
Stanfield is a 1978 graduate of Mid-America Bible College in Oklahoma City and later earned a Masters degree in Physical Education at Sam Houston State in 1988. Stanfield began his college career as a student at Hardin-Simmons on a basketball scholarship.
Stanfield is married to the former Patricia Conway of Houston. They have two children (twins): Tori, who will be a freshman basketball player at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn.; and Tyler, a freshman to be at Alabama, starting this fall on a track and field scholarship.
