John Tucker is in his 23rd season directing his almamater’s men’s cross country team, serving also as anassistant coach with the men’s and women’s trackprograms. He is a three-time USA Track & Field Level IIcertified coach.
Tucker has helped establish the cross country program into oneof the best in the league and the region over his 22 years. W&Lhas won the league championship seven times and has placed secondsix other times in his time at the helm. W&L has also finishedin the top eight in the region 15 of the last 22 seasons, includinga first-place finish in 1995 to earn a trip to the NCAA DivisionIII championships. Tucker was named the NCAA South Region Coach ofthe Year that year and has been named the ODAC Coach of the Yearsix times, including following the 2007 season. Tucker led theGenerals to four-straight league titles from 2004-2007.
Tucker is a 1977 graduate of W&L, where he was a four-yeartrack letterman and a two-year captain. The sprinter was a memberof ODAC champion and school-record setting relay teams in 1976 and1977. He also won the Forest Fletcher Trophy for overall excellenceand sportsmanship his last two years.
Following graduation, Tucker served as an assistant track coachat neighboring Virginia Military Institute. In 1984, he became thehead coach of track and cross country at Charlotte Country DaySchool, leading the school to two state and three conferencechampionships before returning to his alma mater in 1989.
Tucker is still an active competitor at the master’slevel, earning All-America honors in five different events andcollecting four silver medals in USA Track & Field nationalcompetitions. In 2000, Tucker was the gold medalist at the USATrack & Field National Championships in the 50-54 pentathalonwhich includes the long jump, javelin, 200 meters, discus and 1,500meters.
Tucker and his wife, Sandra, make their home in RockbridgeCounty.
