Assistant Coach Mike Stevenson heads into his third season with the Purdue track and field team, set to assist the Boilermakers in the sprints area.
He came to Purdue from Western Illinois University, where he served as the men's and women's head track and field and cross country coach for the last nine seasons.
In his first season with the Old Gold and Black, Stevenson guided standout Shane Crawford to the first Big Ten sprints championship for the Boilermakers since 2003, as Crawford won the 60-meter dash at the 2010 indoor conference meet. In the process, Crawford qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships and broke the school record in the event with a time of 6.66 seconds. In Stevenson[apos]s second year with the team, Crawford won the Big Ten 100 Meter dash, with school record 10.18 seconds.
Stevenson was a part of the Leatherneck coaching staff for 19 seasons, serving as an assistant coach from 1990 to 1999, and taking the reins of the program in 2000. He had a high level of success throughout his tenure at Western Illinois, earning Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year honors five times and led the men[apos]s and women[apos]s squads to a combined four conference titles. The Leatherneck men won outdoor conference meets in 2001 and 2002, while the women[apos]s team captured the outdoor crown in 1996 and 2005. His athletes earned a long list of individual honors with a pair of All-Americans, five NCAA qualifiers, eight Mid-Continent Conference Athletes of the Year, six Mid-Con Newcomers of the Year, and over 100 conference champions. His athletes set more than 50 conference records in his tenure and 47 Western Illinois marks, while earning nearly 400 marks on the Leathernecks' all-time top-10 lists.
In addition to his coaching duties at Western Illinois, Stevenson also undertook additional administrative duties, including all athletics facility management as well as home event management and the direction of all athletics concessions. Facility scheduling was a primary function of these responsibilities, working directly with the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, the University Union Board, the University Physical Plant, Campus Recreation and University Scheduling.
In 2001, Stevenson was selected to teach at both the NCAA's YES (Youth Education Seminar) and the World Scholar-Athlete Games. A published author, Stevenson has had his work appear in Scholastic Coach and Administrator magazine.
A former Leatherneck standout in the classroom and on the track, Stevenson was a multiple all-conference academic and athletic selection, and the two-time team captain still ranks among Western[apos]s all-time top sprinters. He earned his B.A. in physical education in 1987 and his M.S. in physical education in 1991. Prior to coaching at Western, Stevenson coached at Monmouth and Dallas City high schools.
Stevenson is married to his wife, Sara (Long). The two have one son, Riley, born September 14, 2011.