Goodman, Huffins Join Track Staff
Purdue added a pair of former head coaches and decorated athletes to its staff.
Sept. 11, 2013
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue track and field team filled its two coaching vacancies, head coach Lonnie Greene announced. Chris Huffins joined the staff at the end of August and Angela Goodman started on Monday.
Huffins comes to Purdue as the jumps and multi-events coach after spending a year at Clemson where he was an assistant coach. There, he helped coach seven ACC champions in events including the heptathlon, weight throw, 400m dash and the 4x400m relay. While at Clemson, Huffins helped individuals break the men's high jump school record, the women's school and ACC record in the weight throw and the women's team to a top-10 finish in indoor and outdoor seasons.
"I think Chris brings a lot of facets to the table for us," said Greene. "He brings world-wide experience and has won championships at every level, from high school all the way up to the Olympics. He is a recruiter and an excellent coach. Chris understands how to coach track and field, and to really know how to do that is a rare quality and makes him very valuable to our program. He is very knowledgeable about what he does and how he does it. We are very fortunate to have him and the future of our program is very bright with Chris on our staff."
Prior to his stint at Clemson, Huffins spent a year as an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma. With the Sooners, he helped coach several All-Big 12 performers and helped Ti'Anca Mock finish top 10 at the NCAA Championships. Huffins also had one year stints at Eastern Michigan and Boise State where he was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at both schools. With the Eagles and Broncos, Huffins coached one national champion, one junior national champion, five All-Americans, 12 conference champions, five school records, two individuals to the Greek Championships, as well as helping bring in a top-ranked recruiting class in program history.
Huffins longest coaching stop was at Cal, as he was with the Golden Bears from 2002 to 2007 serving as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. Under his direction, the men's and women's teams finished top 20 at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships, including the women's eighth-place finish. Huffins brought in three recruiting classes that were ranked in the top five nationally by Track & Field News, including one individual that went on to be the school's first NCAA Champion in almost two decades. He coached 23 All-Americans and mentored individuals to school records in 14 events.
"Chris stood out because he was the head coach at Cal-Berkeley," said Greene. "That experience is valuable because it is a similar school to Purdue University in terms of academics. He understands the type of kid we need to recruit. Our objective as a staff is to recruit real students, not just athletes, and with his coaching experience, he really understands that mission."
Prior to Cal, Huffins also had assistant coaching jobs at Georgia Tech and Wake Forest when he led numerous ACC Champions and school record holders. He has several years of experience working with USATF as a chairman and on the board of directors, as well as experience with the USTFCCCA on the executive committee.
Huffins is not just an outstanding coach. The new Boilermaker assistant was also a highly decorated athlete. Huffins attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he was the 1991 Pac-10 Conference champion in the triple jump. In 1993, he won the Pac-10 Medal for academic and athletic excellence and was the NCAA and Pac-10 Champion in the decathlon.
Huffins also had success at the world level. He was ranked top 10 in the world in the decathlon every year from 1995 to 2000. Huffins broke the world record in the decathlon 100m dash in 1996 with a time of 10.22 seconds. He went on to compete at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where he finished 10th place. At the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City, Huffins took the silver medal. He followed up that performance with a gold medal at the 1999 Pan-American Games and was the USATF National Champion in the decathlon in 1998 and 1999. He capped his career with bronze medals at the 1999 World Championship in Seville, and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Goodman returns to her alma mater after head coaching jobs at the University of Connecticut, Michigan State University, and Olivet College. Most recently, she worked at Olivet College, in Olivet, Mich., where she was a student retention and academic advisor, 2008 to 2013, as well as the head coach of the men's and women's track and field and cross country teams from 2008 to 2010. Prior to that stint, Goodman was the director of women's track and field and cross country at Michigan State. With the Spartans, she led numerous Big Ten Champions and NCAA All-Americans. Under Goodman, Michigan State's program doubled in size because of her hard work in coaching and recruiting. She was with Michigan State from 1998 to 2006.
"Angela, like Chris, has been a head coach and that is very valuable," said Greene. "Any individual who has the opportunity to come back and serve at their alma mater, especially when they've had a good experience, speaks well for the program. Angela brings in-state experience and relationships to the program, and that is important to share with our staff and the team. She has been the head coach at Michigan State and Connecticut, so she understands coaching at big time programs. We are well on our way towards our goals as a program, and I think Angela helps us take a big step towards a bright future."
Goodman broke into the coaching scene in 1996 at the University of Connecticut. She was named the head coach of the women's program that year and led numerous athletes to school records, conference titles and a team conference championship. She was there until 1998.
Among Goodman's countless accomplishments are coaching a two time Big Ten Champion in the triple jump, a two time triple jump All-American and a Mid-East Regional long jump champion. Goodman has served as the head women's coach of the US National Track and Field Team in 2007 for the Norwich Union International Games and was an assistant coach for the team in 1997 and 2001 for the Outdoor World Championships and the World University Games, respectively. Goodman is also a member of the Purdue University Women's Track and Field Hall of Fame, as she was inducted in 1994.
Goodman will coach with the sprints, hurdles and relays and coordinate recruiting.
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Huffins longest coaching stop was at Cal, as he was with the Golden Bears from 2002 to 2007 serving as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. Under his direction, the men's and women's teams finished top 20 at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships, including the women's eighth-place finish. Huffins brought in three recruiting classes that were ranked in the top five nationally by Track & Field News, including one individual that went on to be the school's first NCAA Champion in almost two decades. He coached 23 All-Americans and mentored individuals to school records in 14 events.
"Chris stood out because he was the head coach at Cal-Berkeley," said Greene. "That experience is valuable because it is a similar school to Purdue University in terms of academics. He understands the type of kid we need to recruit. Our objective as a staff is to recruit real students, not just athletes, and with his coaching experience, he really understands that mission."
Prior to Cal, Huffins also had assistant coaching jobs at Georgia Tech and Wake Forest when he led numerous ACC Champions and school record holders. He has several years of experience working with USATF as a chairman and on the board of directors, as well as experience with the USTFCCCA on the executive committee.
Huffins is not just an outstanding coach. The new Boilermaker assistant was also a highly decorated athlete. Huffins attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he was the 1991 Pac-10 Conference champion in the triple jump. In 1993, he won the Pac-10 Medal for academic and athletic excellence and was the NCAA and Pac-10 Champion in the decathlon.
Huffins also had success at the world level. He was ranked top 10 in the world in the decathlon every year from 1995 to 2000. Huffins broke the world record in the decathlon 100m dash in 1996 with a time of 10.22 seconds. He went on to compete at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where he finished 10th place. At the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City, Huffins took the silver medal. He followed up that performance with a gold medal at the 1999 Pan-American Games and was the USATF National Champion in the decathlon in 1998 and 1999. He capped his career with bronze medals at the 1999 World Championship in Seville, and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Goodman returns to her alma mater after head coaching jobs at the University of Connecticut, Michigan State University, and Olivet College. Most recently, she worked at Olivet College, in Olivet, Mich., where she was a student retention and academic advisor, 2008 to 2013, as well as the head coach of the men's and women's track and field and cross country teams from 2008 to 2010. Prior to that stint, Goodman was the director of women's track and field and cross country at Michigan State. With the Spartans, she led numerous Big Ten Champions and NCAA All-Americans. Under Goodman, Michigan State's program doubled in size because of her hard work in coaching and recruiting. She was with Michigan State from 1998 to 2006.
"Angela, like Chris, has been a head coach and that is very valuable," said Greene. "Any individual who has the opportunity to come back and serve at their alma mater, especially when they've had a good experience, speaks well for the program. Angela brings in-state experience and relationships to the program, and that is important to share with our staff and the team. She has been the head coach at Michigan State and Connecticut, so she understands coaching at big time programs. We are well on our way towards our goals as a program, and I think Angela helps us take a big step towards a bright future."
Goodman broke into the coaching scene in 1996 at the University of Connecticut. She was named the head coach of the women's program that year and led numerous athletes to school records, conference titles and a team conference championship. She was there until 1998.
Among Goodman's countless accomplishments are coaching a two time Big Ten Champion in the triple jump, a two time triple jump All-American and a Mid-East Regional long jump champion. Goodman has served as the head women's coach of the US National Track and Field Team in 2007 for the Norwich Union International Games and was an assistant coach for the team in 1997 and 2001 for the Outdoor World Championships and the World University Games, respectively. Goodman is also a member of the Purdue University Women's Track and Field Hall of Fame, as she was inducted in 1994.
Goodman will coach with the sprints, hurdles and relays and coordinate recruiting.
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