| Darryl Anderson |
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Darryl Anderson is entering his eighth season as the assistant coach for sprints and hurdles for Arizona State following another successful season in 2003. A mentor of 43 All-Americans in his 19-year coaching career, Anderson guided two relays and one individual to national honors while also coaching three conference champions.
For the third year in a row, the Sun Devil men's 4x400m relay team, composed of Seth Amoo, Lewis Banda, Jason Barton and Steve Fitch, captured the Pac-10 Championships making them just the second school in the 28-year history of the conference to capture back-to-back-to-back titles in the event. The quartet also earned All-America honors in the event on the indoor track to give Anderson an All-American relay for the fifth year in a row.
The women's relay of Cassandra Reed, Seneca Holmes, Kandace Tucker and Joni Smith went outdoors to earn All-America honors in the same event as the men to give him his first women's outdoor All-Americans since arriving in Tempe. Individually, Holmes also earned national accolades in the 60m indoor hurdles.
At the 2003 Pac-10 Championships, Anderson's 400m runners fared extremely well as Banda and Amoo finished one-two in the men's 400m dash while Reed and Smith took the Top 2 places on the women's side. In the relay events, the men won their third title in a row while the women took second. During his tenure in the Valley of the Sun, Anderson has coached three 4x400m and one 4x100m men's relay teams to conference gold along with Banda in the open 400m and Marcus Brunson in the 100m and 200m dashes. On the women's side, Reed's win in the open 400m in 2003 was Anderson's first conference victory on the women's side.
During his seven-year tenure at ASU, Anderson has tutored All-Americans Seneca Holmes (2003), Tony Berrian (1999, 2000), Marcus Brunson (1999, 2001) and Joronda White (1999), plus seven All-American relay squads (1999 men's and women's outdoor 4x400, 2000 men's 4x100, 2001 and 2002 men's 4x400, men's indoor 4x400 and women's outdoor 4x400). Under Anderson's tutelage, Brunson, the 2001 Pac-10 Athlete of the Year, also broke the collegiate indoor 60-meter record and was NCAA runner-up in that event in 1999. After graduating from ASU, Brunson won the 100m gold medal at the 2001 World University Games.
Under the guidance of Anderson, Sun Devil school records have fallen in the men's indoor 55m, men's and women's indoor 60m, women's indoor 60m hurdles, men's outdoor 100m, men's indoor 200m (twice), men's indoor 400m and the men's indoor 4x400m relay. The men's 4x400m record almost fell again in 2003 as the team finished the Mountain `T' Invitational at 3:07.03, just .01 off the standard.
While an assistant at Kentucky, the Wildcats won 11 Southeastern Conference sprint titles and set 34 school records. In the process, 15 Wildcat sprinters earned All-America honors. Anderson's most decorated student-athlete was UK's Tim Harden, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist who won three NCAA sprint titles. Harden was selected NCAA Indoor and SEC Athletes of the Year in 1995 and 1996. Most recently, Harden won the 60m title at the 2001 World Indoor Championships.
Prior to his stint in Lexington, Anderson was an assistant coach for six years at his alma mater, Kansas State University. Anderson led the Wildcats to 20 Big Eight sprint titles and seven conference records. Nine of his athletes earned All-America acclaim and 26 school records were set during his tenure.
Anderson has coached two Olympians, several World Championship team members and several USA Junior team members, including former Sun Devil Tony Berrian, the 1997 400m junior national champion. In 1995, Anderson was selected to the South coaching staff at the Olympic Festival.
Anderson graduated from KSU in 1983 and earned his master's degree in 1985. He has a 15-year-old daughter, Kandace, a six-year son Isiah and two-year old daughter Jasmine. He and his wife, Claire, reside in Chandler.
