Florida Gators’ Mike Holloway named head coach of USA Track and Field for 2020 Olympics

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One of the greatest honors in the track and field profession was bestowed upon Florida Gators head coach Mike Holloway on Wednesday when he was announced as the next head coach for the United States Track and Field team ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Being named the Olympic head coach is an incredible honor,” Holloway said in a statement. “It’s honestly something I never thought about. People mentioned it to me over the last few years. But, for me, I always wanted to be a coach of Olympic athletes, to have an athlete at the Olympics … This is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. The most fun part of this is sharing it with family and friends. They’re as excited, if not more excited. I’m not a guy that gets nervous about things, but I’m anxious about this. It’s an incredible honor to be asked to head the best track and field team in the world. I’m looking forward to it.”

Holloway has coached Olympians his entire career since he began in 1992 and has led the Florida program to flourish under his tutelage since he took over in 2002. The Gators have won nine team national titles in his 18 years at the helm. Among the athletes he has coached at Florida, 20 have appeared in 33 combined Olympic events and seven have won a combined 15 Olympic medals.

Holloway led the Americans during the 2013 IAAF World Championships and served as an assistant coach during the 2012 London Olympics, the same games in which Gregg Troy was head coach of the U.S. men’s swimming team. Florida’s website notes that the last seven U.S. Olympic teams (all since 1992) have featured an athlete that Holloway coached.