By Nate Perry, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The defending indoor and outdoor OVC champion Tennessee Tech track and field program has hired Ed Loyd as an assistant coach for the 2018-19 athletic year.
Loyd comes to Tech after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Kennesaw State University, where his duties included scouting, recruiting and coaching student-athletes, primarily for the jumps and combined events. Additionally, Loyd was responsible for making updates to Kennesaw's recruiting manual, performing regular academic class checks and quality control of student-athletes during road meets.
Loyd produced impressive credentials as a mentor at KSU, as he trained seven individual Atlantic Sun Conference champions, 12 all-conference athletes and two NCAA regional qualifiers. He also contributed to eight A-Sun team crowns, and oversaw two broken school records in the women's triple jump.
"We are very excited to add Ed to our coaching staff," said TTU head track and field coach Wayne Angel. "Ed achieved at the highest level at the NCAA Championships and on the international scene, and earned All-Army track and field honors while serving. His experiences and expertise in the jumps will be a major advantage for us as he joins our Golden Eagle family."
The legendary triple jumper at Middle Tennessee also brings a bevy of elite competitive experience to the table, having participated in the NCAA Championships five times and appeared in two United States Olympic Trials.
The 2016 MTSU Hall of Fame inductee was a two-time All-American, as he achieved NCAA Division I honors with a runner-up finish at the 1982 NCAA Championships, and took home Division II recognition in 1978 prior to joining The United States Army as a Supply Specialist.
Loyd was also a four-time Ohio Valley Conference champion at Middle Tennessee, and still holds the school record for the triple jump with a mark of 55-feet, 2-inches.
He continued his track and field career as a solider, being named Armed Forces triple jump champion in 1980, and followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the Olympic Trials that same year. He made his way back to the Trials in 1984, where he was once again a finalist among the nation's elite.
"I would like to thank Coach Angel for having faith in me and giving me this great opportunity," said Loyd of his new role at Tech. "I look forward to working with him and Coach (Whitney) Fountain, and being a piece of the powerhouse they have built with Tennessee Tech track and field. I will do my part to continue this great tradition."
The Chicago Heights, Ill. native is a graduate of Bloom Township High School, where he was an Illinois state champion in the triple jump.
What They're Saying…
"Eddie Loyd is a great hire for Tennessee Tech. He is easy to work with, has a nice, even personality, and will be a good example for the athletes. He knows the jumps and has had excellent results at Kennesaw State. He was a great jumper at Middle Tennessee and placed second at the NCAA Championships with a mark that is still the MTSU record, even after all these years. I am always happy to see one of our former athletes in the coaching ranks with a desire to give back to the sport that helped them get an education."
- Dean Hayes, Director of Track & Field, Middle Tennessee State University
"Eddie Loyd was one of the greatest competitors that I have had the pleasure of coaching. He is a student of the biomechanics of the jumps and an extremely gifted motivator. He will be a great addition to the Tennessee Tech track and field program."
- Steve Miller, Chairman, United States Track & Field Board of Directors
"Coach Wayne Angel has made a slam-dunk hire for Tennessee Tech by hiring William (Ed) Loyd for this position. William was a high school and college teammate of mine who is an excellent coach and an even better person. He was mentored by two of the best jumps coaches in the country – Lonnell Poole at Bloom Township High School and Dean Hayes at Middle Tennessee. I look forward to watching (Ed's) jumpers dominate the Ohio Valley Conference in the years to come.
- Jeff Smalls, Director of Track & Field, Marshall University
