Coach Jack Toms ’69 is one of six inductees who will be enshrined in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame later this year, the USTFCCCA announced on Friday.
The USTFCCCA said, “Lynchburg’s Jack Toms, who recently retired as the school’s track & field and cross country coach, undoubtedly went out on top. By sweeping Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) indoor and outdoor track & field titles in 2010, Toms captured his 47th and 48th league track & field titles and his 61st and 62nd overall.
“In coaching at his alma mater for 31 years, Toms produced 87 USTFCCCA All-Americans and 12 NCAA Champions. Toms’ men’s track & field teams swept conference indoor and outdoor competitions on six occasions, all of which have occurred since 2004. He coached 10 USTFCCCA South/Southeast Regional Athletes of the Year and three USTFCCCA National Athletes of the Year.
“And, in 2009, Ricky Flynn won the NCAA Division III Cross Country individual title. Lynchburg won 14 ODAC Cross Country titles under Toms and made six appearances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships as a team, four of which came after his squad won NCAA regional titles. Add 24 ODAC titles each for indoor and outdoor track & field and it is no wonder that the school inducted him into their athletics hall of fame in 1988.
“Since 1978, Toms has also served as University of Lynchburg’s director of athletics where he has led the Hornets’ efforts to two ODAC Commissioner’s Cups. Altogether, Toms earned 25 USTFCCCA Regional Coach of the Year nods for cross country and track & field, and in 1995 he was named as a recipient of the Walt Cormack Award, recognizing the state of Virginia’s top track & field coach. Toms holds a master’s degree from the University of Virginia and a PhD from West Virginia University.”