James Sackett Head Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Coach - 25th year Mankato State '61

Email: jsackett@csupomona.edu
Phone: (909) 869-2831

The dean of Cal Poly Pomona head coaches, Jim Sackett is heading into his 25th year with the Bronco cross country and track and field programs and he does it after an exciting and successful 24th campaign.

The Broncos stepped up on a national stage in 2003-04, hosting both the 2003 NCAA Division II Cross Country West Regional Championships and the 2004 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

Cal Poly Pomona enjoyed great success as well, finishing 11th in the nation in men’s cross country after taking second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and third in the West Region. The national finish was the best for the Broncos since 1997. The women also enjoyed a more successful year, finishing fourth in the CCAA and 12th in the West Region.

In track and field, the Broncos sent five student-athletes to the national championships and had two All-Americans.

For his efforts, Sackett was named the CCAA Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Sackett guided the Broncos to the 1983 national championship in men’s cross country and has been recognized as a national Coach of the Year in both cross country and track and field. In 35 years as a college head coach, Sackett, who also coached track and field at Western Illinois University for 11 years and cross country for five years, has guided 12 individual national champions, 133 outdoor track and field All-Americans and 21 cross country All-Americans.

Sackett’s impressive career includes a memorable span from 1996 to 1998 when he earned a bundle of coaching awards. He was named the United States Track Coaches’ Association’s National Coach of the Year in men’s cross country in 1997 and the USTCA’s Women’s Track and Field National Coach of the Year in women’s track and field in 1997. He was also the CCAA Coach of the Year in men’s cross country in 1996 and 1997, the CCAA Coach of the Year in men’s and women’s track and field in 1997 and 1998, the NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year in men’s cross country in 1996 and 1997 and the USTCA’s West Region Coach of the Year in women’s track and field in 1997 and 1998.

All those accolades are based on the continued success of the Cal Poly Pomona programs as well as Sackett’s unparalleled dedication to the sports of cross country and track and field. He is a tireless proponent of those sports and is a sought-after speaker at clinics across the country. He has also written numerous articles about conditioning and competing in cross country and track and field. Sackett is currently the treasurer of the NCAA Track Coaches’ Association and coordinates its All-American awards program.

In 1987, Sackett was presented with a distinguished service award by the NCAA Cross Country Coaches’ Association for his outstanding contributions to the sport. He earned the same award in 1989 and 1994 for his work in track and field. He was also named to the Hall of Fame at the Drake Relays in 1993 and the Western Illinois University Hall of Fame in 1997. Between Western Illinois and Cal Poly Pomona, Sackett has won 13 relays at Drake and had one individual champion.

Prior to his coaching stint at Western Illinois, Sackett coached for two years at Davis High School and five years at Sacramento City College, where he coached seven state champions and guided his team to a second-place finish in the state in 1969. He graduated from Mankato State University in Minnesota in 1961 with a degree in history and physical education. A middle-distance runner for the Mavericks, Sackett also competed in the Drake Relays. He earned his master’s degree in education at Washington State.

Sackett and his wife Phyllis, who is a resource specialist for the Placentia Unified School District, reside in Yorba Linda and are the proud parents of Sean and Alysia.

For more information on Cal Poly Pomona men's and women's track, please direct e-mail to jsackett@csupomona.edu