Earlier today, both DyeStat's Doug Binder and LetsRun's writing staff reported that Jerry Schumacher will become the University of Oregon's newest Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. Schumacher is currently the head coach at the distance-focused, Nike-sponsored Bowerman Track Club.
It is unclear whether or not Bowerman Track Club will now relocate to Eugene, Oregon. However, recent rumors suggest that the professional group will make the move to the home of Hayward Field.
On July 8th, it was announced that Mark Rowland, the former head coach of Oregon Track Club, would be joining Athletics Canada, Endurance (West) as the team's newest coach.
Schumacher is considered to be one of the most elite distance coaches in the world. The Bowerman Track Club coach has produced countless megastars, Olympians and World Championship qualifiers. Many of Schumacher's athletes have earned medals on the world stage and multiple athletes have secured national records for their respective countries.
BTC's current roster of athletes, per their website, is as follows...
Moh Ahmed
Amos Bartelsmeyer
Matt Centrowitz
Elise Cranny
Grant Fisher
Vanessa Fraser
Courtney Frerichs
Evan Jager
Woody Kincaid
Lopez Lomong
Sean McGorty
Thomas Ratcliffe
Karissa Schweizer
Marc Scott
Andrea Seccafien
Josh Thompson
Kieran Tuntivate
Rumors of Schumacher making a move to the University of Oregon have been circulating for a few weeks, although this is not the first time that the Portland native has made an effort to get into collegiate coaching.
In 2019, Schumacher attempted to land the head coaching role at North Carolina. According to sources, Schumacher nearly had the job secured until negotiations ultimately fell through. Stanford's Chris Miltenberg would end up being hired and taking over the Chapel Hill-based program.
Schumacher also coached at the University of Wisconsin from 1998 to 2008, leading the Badgers to the men's NCAA cross country team title in 2005.
Questions will now surface about Ben Thomas and Helen Lehman-Winters, the current men's and women's distance coaches, respectively, for the Ducks. Could Schumacher's introduction to Eugene, Oregon ultimately replace Thomas and/or Lehman-Winters?
That is now the newest question surrounding the most iconic distance program in the NCAA...