Arguably the greatest high school cross country coach not only in the state of Washington, but in the United States, current Gonzaga head track and cross country coach Pat Tyson is this weeks feature for Flashback Friday.
- Lincoln High School (1964-1968)
- Placed 7th at the 1967 WIAA Cross Country State Championships (2.3 Miles, Green Lake, Seattle)
- State Track Participant in 3200 (1968)
- Personal Best Mile in High School: 4:24
- Personal Best 2-Mile in High School: 9:22
- University of Oregon (1968-1973)
- Ran in Three NCAA Cross Country National Championships
- Part of Oregon's National Championship Team (1971, Van Cortlandt Park, New York, New York)
-Also on Oregon's 2nd and 3rd Place Teams at NCAA Cross Country National Championships
-Roommates with Olympian and 3 Time Cross Country National Champion, Steve Prefontaine
-Influenced by and Developed Coaching Strategies from his Legendary Coaches at Oregon: Bill Dellinger and Bill Bowerman
- Began his Coaching Career at Shoreline Junior High School (1973-1982) and Compiled a 68-12 Coaching Record
- Coached at Shorecrest High School (1983-1985)
- Went 31-3 and Won Two State Championships with the Scotties
- Coached at Mead High School (1986-2005)
- Went 180-8 in Greater Spokane League Dual Meets
- Reached the State Cross Meet for 18 Consecutive Years
- Won 12 State Team Titles with the Panthers
- His Distance Runners Have Combined in the Fall and Spring to win 26 Individual State Titles
- Didn't Lose a Meet in a 9-Year Streak at Mead
- Took Mead to the Nike Team National Championships 3 Times in Portland, Oregon and Placed Top 5 as a Team all 3 Years.
- Named Washington State Coach of the Year Multiple Times
- Nominated for National Coach of the Year when Mead was ranked No. 1 in the Country by Harrier Magazine
- In 2008, Worked with Team U.S.A at the US Olympic Trials
- Current Director of Cross Country and Track Field at Gonzaga University (2006-Present)
- Coached Three First Team All-West Coast Conference athletes: Chris Boyle (2011), Willie Milam (2013), and Troy Fraley (2015)
- Fraley and Matthew Crichlow were Named All-West Region at the NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships, and Crichlow Became the First Ever Qualifier for the NCAA Championships in Program History
- Fraley Also Became the Program's First Ever All-American with his 7th Place Finish in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase at the 2017 NCAA Track and Field National Championships
- This Past Fall, the Gonzaga Men's Cross Country Team were ranked 26th in the USTFCCCA Rankings, Making it Their First Appearance in the Weekly Poll in School History
Stats and biography found at:
https://wa.milesplit.com/articles/29780/coaching-with-passion-an-interview-with-pat-tyson-and-bob-isitt
https://gozags.com/coaches.aspx?rc=267
http://new.washingtontrack.com/wordpress/?page_id=396
http://wiaa.com/
https://goducks.com/staff.aspx?staff=258
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