Tim Hendricks Retires as Track/Cross Country Coach
Aug 28, 2006 | Cross Country
University of Nebraska at Omaha track and cross country coach Tim Hendricks has announced that he will retire after 19 years as the head of the program. UNO athletic director David Herbster said that assistant coach Steve Smith will become the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2006-07 school year.
"This is a step that I've been exploring for some time," Hendricks said. "I decided that it would be best for myself, the program and the student-athletes to retire now, before we get into the season. It hasn't been an easy decision to make, but I do believe that's its the right decision for me. I know Steve will do a great job in every way."
Herbster said "I respect Tim's desire to step away at this time. He has done a great job of building this program into one of the very best in Division II."
The 60-year-old Hendricks led the Mavericks to an eighth-place finish in the indoor nationals and ninth in the outdoor national meet in 2006. He has been named the North Central Conference coach of the year five times and has produced over 120 All-American performances, including two national champions. He received the 2001 Distinguished Service Award by the NCAA II Coaches Association.
An Omaha native, Hendricks was the 1964 Class A state cross country champion and won the 1966 Junior National AAU Marathon. He is a 1967 graduate of Peru State and earned his master's degree from UNO in 1987. He finished fifth in the 1970 Senior National Marathon and was a member that year on the U.S. cross country team that competed in France. He also ran in the 1972 U. S. Olympic trials. He finished his career in 1976 with a second-place finish in the marathon at the U.S. track and field championships. He was inducted into the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.
Hendricks took over the cross country program in 1987, when the school did not sponsor track and field. After three seasons of building the foundation for the program, UNO began fielding a track team in 1991. Over the past 10 years, the team has finished in the top three 9 of 10 years indoors and in the top three outdoors five straight years.
Smith joined the Maverick program last winter after serving as an assistant track and field coach and physical education instructor at Barton County Community College in Kansas since 2002. He also was an assistant from 1993-2002 at Nebraska. Barton County captured eight national team titles under Smith, winning the men's and women's indoor and outdoor titles in 2003 and 2004, while producing 73 National Junior College Athletic Association All-Americans. At Nebraska, Smith helped coach Cornhusker teams that won 23 conference team titles and finished among the top 10 in national meets 10 times.
He was the head track coach for Ralston Public Schools in 1992-93 before joining the staff at Nebraska. Smith also was an assistant coach at Wichita State from 1984-86 and was an assistant and graduate assistant coach at Pittsburg State from 1978-84. He earned his bachelor's degree from Pittsburg State in 1981 and his master's from the same school in 1984.
"This is a step that I've been exploring for some time," Hendricks said. "I decided that it would be best for myself, the program and the student-athletes to retire now, before we get into the season. It hasn't been an easy decision to make, but I do believe that's its the right decision for me. I know Steve will do a great job in every way."
Herbster said "I respect Tim's desire to step away at this time. He has done a great job of building this program into one of the very best in Division II."
The 60-year-old Hendricks led the Mavericks to an eighth-place finish in the indoor nationals and ninth in the outdoor national meet in 2006. He has been named the North Central Conference coach of the year five times and has produced over 120 All-American performances, including two national champions. He received the 2001 Distinguished Service Award by the NCAA II Coaches Association.
An Omaha native, Hendricks was the 1964 Class A state cross country champion and won the 1966 Junior National AAU Marathon. He is a 1967 graduate of Peru State and earned his master's degree from UNO in 1987. He finished fifth in the 1970 Senior National Marathon and was a member that year on the U.S. cross country team that competed in France. He also ran in the 1972 U. S. Olympic trials. He finished his career in 1976 with a second-place finish in the marathon at the U.S. track and field championships. He was inducted into the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.
Hendricks took over the cross country program in 1987, when the school did not sponsor track and field. After three seasons of building the foundation for the program, UNO began fielding a track team in 1991. Over the past 10 years, the team has finished in the top three 9 of 10 years indoors and in the top three outdoors five straight years.
Smith joined the Maverick program last winter after serving as an assistant track and field coach and physical education instructor at Barton County Community College in Kansas since 2002. He also was an assistant from 1993-2002 at Nebraska. Barton County captured eight national team titles under Smith, winning the men's and women's indoor and outdoor titles in 2003 and 2004, while producing 73 National Junior College Athletic Association All-Americans. At Nebraska, Smith helped coach Cornhusker teams that won 23 conference team titles and finished among the top 10 in national meets 10 times.
He was the head track coach for Ralston Public Schools in 1992-93 before joining the staff at Nebraska. Smith also was an assistant coach at Wichita State from 1984-86 and was an assistant and graduate assistant coach at Pittsburg State from 1978-84. He earned his bachelor's degree from Pittsburg State in 1981 and his master's from the same school in 1984.
Wednesday, August 26
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
