Bio

Texas Lutheran Director of Athletics Bill Miller announced on June 16, 2023 that he has selected 1994 NCAA Division-I All-American Ron McCown to oversee TLU's combined men's and women's track and field program.

A native Texan who became an NJCAA All-American decathlete at Odessa College in 1992 and an NCAA Division-I All-American at Stephen F. Austin in 1994 - entering the Lumberjacks Hall of Fame in 2010 - has overseen the track and field program at James Madison since 2018. In 2022, the Dukes won their first ever Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship. In 2023, McCown had two student-athletes qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Outdoor Championships as well as coaching an ECAC champion in the indoor triple jump and a school record performance in the Indoor pole vault. McCown coached the first two field athletes to earn All-Sun Belt honors in the program's inaugural season in the conference - earning the honors in the outdoor javelin and indoor pole vault. In total, McCown coached five school record holders (Indoor/Outdoor Pole vault, Javelin, Heptathlon, Hammer) during his tenure with the Dukes.

"It is truly an honor and a privilege to have Coach Ron McCown as our new Head Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach," said Miller. "Coach McCown has a tremendous history of success as a student-athlete and also as a coach. He was a NCAA DI All-American Decathlete, so he knows a lot about a multitude of different events in track and field. He is also a great example of a very talented student-athlete making the, not so easy transition, of being a very successful coach at the highest level. Coach McCown has coached individual national champions and has coached multiple conference championship teams at the DI level. For him to bring all of that championship experience to the TLU Men's and Women's Track and Field program is exciting. 

Because of the tremendous job Coach Darlene Holland and Coach Ben Wolf did with the TLU Track and Field Program, Coach McCown will not have to rebuild anything. We already have many talented men and women in our Track and Field program. He has the exciting challenge of building on the talent that already exists in the program. I am extremely excited for Coach McCown to take over the leadership of TLU Track and Field. We feel very fortunate for him to be part of our staff.  He is an excellent "fit" for TLU and will do a great job of keeping TLU Track and Field on the national forefront. 

He is a tremendous role model and will continue the expectations that we have for all of our student-athletes, and that is to be the best that they can be in the classroom and on the field. It is an extremely exciting time for the TLU Track and Field and Cross-Country programs with two new head coaches. Like new Cross-Country Coach, Bri Ratliff, Coach McCown knows how to win as well as how to prepare our student-athletes for the challenges they face in competition. He knows that learning to prepare for those challenges will help our young men and women be better prepared for the challenges that they will face in life. Coach McCown will do outstanding at TLU."

"I am honored to have the opportunity to be the Head Track and Field Coach at Texas Lutheran University," said McCown. "I am very grateful to Coach Miller and Dr. Cottrell for this opportunity. It is great to be returning to Texas and to be joining the TLU family. This program has been consistently successful. I look forward to continuing, and adding to, that success on a Conference and National level. Thank you to my family for their constant support. The future of TLU Track and Field and Cross Country is exciting and I am ready to be a part of that."

Prior to taking over the track and field program at James Madison, McCown was an assistant at his alma mater, Stephen F. Austin for 17 seasons. During his 17 seasons at Stephen F. Austin, McCown's student-athletes garnered 37 individual conference titles, 27 NCAA Preliminary qualifying marks and 12 school records. He also coached eight national qualifiers. In his final season with the 'Jacks, McCown guided 15 conference scorers in eight separate events. His responsibilities included high jump, pole vault, heptathlon, decathlon, long jump and triple jump. He coached six conference champions in the heptathlon with five athletes over the 5,000 point mark. McCown coached the second and third best performers in SFA history in Madde Kaufmann (5272) and Crystal Chang (5266). Chang also posted the school record in the pentathlon at 3,962 and finished 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championship. In the jumps area, McCown guided eight high jumpers that posted marks of 5'8" or higher, including SFA record holder Teresa Murray at 5'10 3/4". He developed Jennifer Schreiner from a triple jumper to a pole vaulter with her personal best mark of 12'10". McCown coached Leah Matthews to a school record and NCAA appearance in the long jump with a mark of 20'8". He also helped coach four girls to jump over 40' in the triple jump.

McCown has helped five decathletes reach marks over 7,000 points, including Chris Jones, who posted a mark of 7,380 in 2011 to rank 28th in Division I. During his 17-year tenure, McCown coached 34 team championships, including a Southland Conference title for the women in outdoor track and field in 2017.

McCown competed collegiately at Odessa College before finishing his career at Stephen F. Austin. Starring for the Lumberjacks, McCown was a two-time NCAA Division-I National qualifier in the decathlon with a personal best of 7,564 points. He was selected to participate in the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival. McCown also competed in the 1995 Team USA vs. Canada Decathlon competition. He placed seventh at the NCAA Championships in 1994 to earn All-American honors, and was an NJCAA All-American for Odessa College in 1992. McCown was honored as one of the best athletes in SFA history when he was inducted into the SFA Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2010.

He earned his bachelor's degree in Education from Stephen F. Austin in 1996 and completed a master's degree in Kinesiology from Sam Houston State in 2001. Coach McCown's son, Sheldon, is currently in medical school at UTMB in Galveston, Texas.