December 11, 2007

FORMER OLYMPIAN TATE TO JOIN THE RICHARD STOCKTON
TRACK & FIELD COACHING STAFF

NAMED COACH EMERITUS OF THE OSPREY PROGRAM

Richard Stockton College has added Norm Tate to its track & field coaching staff as a coach emeritus. Tate, a New Jersey native who recently retired from the casino industry, is a renowned figure in the track & field community for his success as both a competitor and coach.  He brings years of experience on the international stage to Stockton. 

“I am overjoyed and looking forward to applying what I have learned to the student-athletes at Stockton,” Tate said.

Tate coached several of USA Track & Field’s top performers including two-time Olympic gold medalist Rodger Kingdom (110m hurdles), 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Jack Pierce (110m hurdles) and 1984 Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Jefferson (200m dash). In addition to coaching at the highest level of competition, Tate also has a long history of working with young athletes at camps and clinics.

Tate, a graduate of North Carolina Central University, was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the triple jump at the Mexico City games. He won a total of six national championships, three apiece in the long jump and triple jump, and he once held the American record in the triple jump. Tate was a seven-time member of the U.S. national team with personal bests of 55’11.50” (triple jump) and 27’1.25” (long jump).

Tate is reunited with Stockton Dean of Athletics and Recreational Programs and Services G. Larry James, his U.S. teammate at the 1968 Olympics. 

“I am looking forward to this union and I am excited to be working with Larry and helping him realize his vision for the program,” Tate said. 

James echoed those sentiments, saying “I am elated that Norm is bringing his expertise to our program. The sum total of his life experiences will be helpful to our student-athletes in navigating their own career paths.”