TEMPE – After 23 years and one of the most storied tenures in Arizona State history, Sun Devil director of track and field Greg Kraft announced Wednesday that he will cede head coaching duties to associate head coach Dion Miller and move into an administrative role following the completion of the 2019 season.
With Kraft's new title as associate director of athletics for track and field, Miller will be named director of track and field on July 1, 2019.
"In the last 23 years, Arizona State University has been a huge part in the life of my family both professionally and personally," Kraft said. "Most importantly, both of my sons graduated from ASU, and this department has afforded me the opportunity to check every box that I could want as a professional. Whether it be winning national championships with the men and the women, or seeing our student-athletes win NCAA titles and Olympic golds, it's truly been a wonderful ride."
Kraft took the helm of the Sun Devil track and field program in 1996 and led ASU into a renaissance in which the men's and women's teams consistently found themselves among the nation's elites.
A four-time United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coach of the Year, and three-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Kraft's teams won four NCAA titles and recorded 12 top-four finishes at national championships. At least one Sun Devil has won an NCAA individual title in 13 of the last 16 years, and overall Kraft has seen his student-athletes win 38 national titles, earn 21 Olympic berths and take home more than 300 All-America honors since the Devils' first NCAA appearance under Kraft in 1998.
While the Sun Devils excelled under Kraft in competition, they also excelled in their studies, earning countless all-academic honors from the Pac-10/12 and MPSF, as well as fielding more than 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. The program was recognized six times as top academic team in the country by the USTFCCCA, with six student-athletes earning the title of National Scholar Athlete of the Year and another nine receiving Scholar Athlete of the Year honors from the conference.
ASU was an immovable object at the top of the NCAA in 2007 and 2008, winning four titles in those two years and becoming just the third program in NCAA history to sweep the men's and women's indoor crowns at the same championship event in 2008. That team won 13 individual national titles in those two years and included three Olympians.
Six of Kraft's student-athletes now find themselves enshrined in Sun Devil history as members of the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame, including seven-time NCAA champion Jacquelyn Johnson, Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden, NCAA champions Aaron Aguayo and Marcus Brunson, World bronze-medalist Amy Hastings and Olympic gold-medalist Dwight Phillips. The list will likely get longer, though, with names like Olympic silver-medalist Ryan Whiting, nine-time U.S. champion Shelby Houlihan, two-time Bowerman finalist Maggie Ewen, Olympians Chris Benard and Christabel Nettey and NCAA champions Jason Lewis, Sarah Stevens and Jessica Pressley nearing eligibility.
Kraft will leave ASU with an unmatched legacy and as the second-longest tenured coach in program history behind legendary head coach Senon "Baldy" Castillo.
"As we all mature and after 30 years of being a head coach in the SEC and the Pac-10/12, you understand that there is a time to step away," Kraft said. "For me, I have a unique opportunity to back away as opposed to stepping away from coaching duties, and I greatly appreciate the collaborative efforts of Ray Anderson, Don Bocchi and Scottie Graham to allow me to be a part of our transition."
Taking the reins of the program beginning in July will be current Sun Devil associate head coach and lead sprints coach Miller. A 19-year coach with experience in three power-five conferences, Miller started his second stint with the Sun Devils back in 2018.
"I would be remiss if I didn't first express my gratitude and appreciation to vice president of athletics Ray Anderson, Jean Boyd, Don Bocchi, Scottie Graham and coach Kraft for their belief in my abilities and providing me with an opportunity to lead this program," Miller said. "I would not be in the position that I am in today without the guidance of coach Kraft and I am grateful for everything that he and this university have provided me in my time at ASU."
Miller was on the staff that won the 2007 Women's NCAA Indoor and Outdoor titles. He worked closely with 2018 Sun Devil Sports Hall of Fame inductee and seven-time NCAA champion Johnson, and recruited a handful of Sun Devil greats to Tempe, including 100-and 200-meter record-holder Charonda Williams.
"Coach Miller was with me when we won our first national championship and he's a man of high-character," Kraft said. "I couldn't be more thrilled for him and this opportunity. With the coaching staff we have in place with coaches Brian Blutreich, Cory Leslie, Ron Barela and Javonie Small they've really redirected the path of our program in the time they've been here, and I think with Miller at the helm the future of this program is in good hands."
An eight-time Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year, Miller has seen success at every stop during his career. In his first term with ASU, Miller's sprinters helped the Sun Devils win two Pac-10 titles and the aforementioned NCAA crown in 2007. He then went on to lead the sprints program at his alma mater of Texas Tech and saw the Red Raiders earn a Big 12 outdoor title in 2014. In his final season with Alabama, the Tide men won the program's first SEC indoor title and was eventually named USTFCCCA Program of the Year for their combined success at the NCAA Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
As an assistant, Miller has coached his fair share of elite talent, including four Olympians and two IAAF world champions. In his near 20-year career, Miller has coached 137 men and women to All-America status and another 37 to conference crowns in the Big 12 and Pac-10/12.
"Coach Kraft has had a Hall of Fame career as the head coach of the Sun Devil track and field program, and we are excited to give him an opportunity to remain in the department as an administrator to help usher this program into its next chapter," vice president of university athletics Ray Anderson said. "Along with the staff that coach Kraft has already assembled, we believe that with coach Miller leading the program, the Sun Devils can continue to build upon what Kraft started nearly 25 years ago. At every stop in his 19-year career, Miller has developed his sprints groups into some of the best in the nation, and his success has been recognized by his peers as he has been voted regional assistant coach of the year eight times. He has already proven his ability to recruit by putting together a tremendous incoming class and we believe that it is only the beginning."
In just a season back in Tempe, Miller has guided the ASU sprinters to their highest point total at a Pac-12 Championships since 2016, and has put together one of the best sprints recruiting classes in the country for the 2019-20 seasons.
"ASU will always be a special place for me and this is where I want to be," Miller said. "This is a nationally recognized and historically accomplished program, and I believe we are in the process of getting back to that level. I know that we have the coaching staff and the resources to compete for conference and national titles like we did when I was here the first time, and I want to bring that kind of success back to Tempe."
ASU's 2019 season continues next week as the Sun Devils head to Sacramento, California, for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds where they will compete for a place in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for June 5-8 in Austin, Texas.
With Kraft's new title as associate director of athletics for track and field, Miller will be named director of track and field on July 1, 2019.
"In the last 23 years, Arizona State University has been a huge part in the life of my family both professionally and personally," Kraft said. "Most importantly, both of my sons graduated from ASU, and this department has afforded me the opportunity to check every box that I could want as a professional. Whether it be winning national championships with the men and the women, or seeing our student-athletes win NCAA titles and Olympic golds, it's truly been a wonderful ride."
Kraft took the helm of the Sun Devil track and field program in 1996 and led ASU into a renaissance in which the men's and women's teams consistently found themselves among the nation's elites.
A four-time United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coach of the Year, and three-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Kraft's teams won four NCAA titles and recorded 12 top-four finishes at national championships. At least one Sun Devil has won an NCAA individual title in 13 of the last 16 years, and overall Kraft has seen his student-athletes win 38 national titles, earn 21 Olympic berths and take home more than 300 All-America honors since the Devils' first NCAA appearance under Kraft in 1998.
While the Sun Devils excelled under Kraft in competition, they also excelled in their studies, earning countless all-academic honors from the Pac-10/12 and MPSF, as well as fielding more than 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. The program was recognized six times as top academic team in the country by the USTFCCCA, with six student-athletes earning the title of National Scholar Athlete of the Year and another nine receiving Scholar Athlete of the Year honors from the conference.
ASU was an immovable object at the top of the NCAA in 2007 and 2008, winning four titles in those two years and becoming just the third program in NCAA history to sweep the men's and women's indoor crowns at the same championship event in 2008. That team won 13 individual national titles in those two years and included three Olympians.
Six of Kraft's student-athletes now find themselves enshrined in Sun Devil history as members of the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame, including seven-time NCAA champion Jacquelyn Johnson, Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden, NCAA champions Aaron Aguayo and Marcus Brunson, World bronze-medalist Amy Hastings and Olympic gold-medalist Dwight Phillips. The list will likely get longer, though, with names like Olympic silver-medalist Ryan Whiting, nine-time U.S. champion Shelby Houlihan, two-time Bowerman finalist Maggie Ewen, Olympians Chris Benard and Christabel Nettey and NCAA champions Jason Lewis, Sarah Stevens and Jessica Pressley nearing eligibility.
Kraft will leave ASU with an unmatched legacy and as the second-longest tenured coach in program history behind legendary head coach Senon "Baldy" Castillo.
"As we all mature and after 30 years of being a head coach in the SEC and the Pac-10/12, you understand that there is a time to step away," Kraft said. "For me, I have a unique opportunity to back away as opposed to stepping away from coaching duties, and I greatly appreciate the collaborative efforts of Ray Anderson, Don Bocchi and Scottie Graham to allow me to be a part of our transition."
Taking the reins of the program beginning in July will be current Sun Devil associate head coach and lead sprints coach Miller. A 19-year coach with experience in three power-five conferences, Miller started his second stint with the Sun Devils back in 2018.
"I would be remiss if I didn't first express my gratitude and appreciation to vice president of athletics Ray Anderson, Jean Boyd, Don Bocchi, Scottie Graham and coach Kraft for their belief in my abilities and providing me with an opportunity to lead this program," Miller said. "I would not be in the position that I am in today without the guidance of coach Kraft and I am grateful for everything that he and this university have provided me in my time at ASU."
Miller was on the staff that won the 2007 Women's NCAA Indoor and Outdoor titles. He worked closely with 2018 Sun Devil Sports Hall of Fame inductee and seven-time NCAA champion Johnson, and recruited a handful of Sun Devil greats to Tempe, including 100-and 200-meter record-holder Charonda Williams.
"Coach Miller was with me when we won our first national championship and he's a man of high-character," Kraft said. "I couldn't be more thrilled for him and this opportunity. With the coaching staff we have in place with coaches Brian Blutreich, Cory Leslie, Ron Barela and Javonie Small they've really redirected the path of our program in the time they've been here, and I think with Miller at the helm the future of this program is in good hands."
An eight-time Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year, Miller has seen success at every stop during his career. In his first term with ASU, Miller's sprinters helped the Sun Devils win two Pac-10 titles and the aforementioned NCAA crown in 2007. He then went on to lead the sprints program at his alma mater of Texas Tech and saw the Red Raiders earn a Big 12 outdoor title in 2014. In his final season with Alabama, the Tide men won the program's first SEC indoor title and was eventually named USTFCCCA Program of the Year for their combined success at the NCAA Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
As an assistant, Miller has coached his fair share of elite talent, including four Olympians and two IAAF world champions. In his near 20-year career, Miller has coached 137 men and women to All-America status and another 37 to conference crowns in the Big 12 and Pac-10/12.
"Coach Kraft has had a Hall of Fame career as the head coach of the Sun Devil track and field program, and we are excited to give him an opportunity to remain in the department as an administrator to help usher this program into its next chapter," vice president of university athletics Ray Anderson said. "Along with the staff that coach Kraft has already assembled, we believe that with coach Miller leading the program, the Sun Devils can continue to build upon what Kraft started nearly 25 years ago. At every stop in his 19-year career, Miller has developed his sprints groups into some of the best in the nation, and his success has been recognized by his peers as he has been voted regional assistant coach of the year eight times. He has already proven his ability to recruit by putting together a tremendous incoming class and we believe that it is only the beginning."
In just a season back in Tempe, Miller has guided the ASU sprinters to their highest point total at a Pac-12 Championships since 2016, and has put together one of the best sprints recruiting classes in the country for the 2019-20 seasons.
"ASU will always be a special place for me and this is where I want to be," Miller said. "This is a nationally recognized and historically accomplished program, and I believe we are in the process of getting back to that level. I know that we have the coaching staff and the resources to compete for conference and national titles like we did when I was here the first time, and I want to bring that kind of success back to Tempe."
ASU's 2019 season continues next week as the Sun Devils head to Sacramento, California, for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds where they will compete for a place in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for June 5-8 in Austin, Texas.