Chris Huffins Joins Oklahoma Track Staff as Assistant Coach

Two-time Olympian latest addition to staff


July 25, 2011



NORMAN, Okla. – University of Oklahoma head track and field coach Martin Smith has announced the hiring of Olympian Christopher Huffins as an assistant coach. Huffins comes to Oklahoma after one year as an assistant at Eastern Michigan University.

“The addition of Chris Huffins to our staff enables us to take another major step forward in providing excellent coaching and recruiting in the multi-events and jumps,” Smith said. “These areas will benefit greatly from the knowledge and energy he’s shown throughout his career as an outstanding coach and world-class athlete. His passion for track and field will continue to build the energy and momentum we are creating at Oklahoma.”

Huffins won the 1993 NCAA decathlon championship and finished ninth in the event at the USA Track and Field Championships that same season. Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, Huffins continued his professional career. He garnered a second-place finish in the decathlon at the 1995 USA Track and Field Championships.

In 1996, he qualified for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., following a third place finish at the Olympic Trials. Huffins finished 10th in the event which earned him a seventh-place world ranking in the event and second in the United States.

Huffins went on to win the decathlon titles at the 1999 USA Track and Field Championships and Pan-American Championships. He won his first Olympic medal during the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia after taking bronze in the decathlon.

A three-time recipient of USA Track and Field’s John H. Bennett Award, Huffins was inducted into the Indiana State Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2000.

"I am extremely excited to join the Sooner nation,” Huffins said. “I look forward to working with one of the best staffs in the country. I’m appreciative of Coach (Martin) Smith and the University of Oklahoma for giving me the opportunity to work in the prestigious Big 12 Conference.”

Huffins was previously an assistant at Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Boise State. As the former head coach at the University of California, Huffins’ teams finished among the top 15 at the 2007 NCAA Championships, in addition to leading Cal's women to its highest Pac-10 finish in both 2005 and 2006. During his tenure at California, he coached 23 All-Americans, had five athletes compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials and recruited the Bears’ first two NCAA champions since 1990.