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NEWS: Arkansas' Chris Bucknam to Retire at End of 2025, Doug Case Promoted to Men's Head Coach
- Aimee Mackenzie
- 8h
- 2 min read
Written by Aimee Mackenzie, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
Chris Bucknam's illustrious 18-year career leading University of Arkansas' men's cross country and track and field programs will come to a close after he announced his retirement at the conclusion of the current year.
Doug Case, the current Associate Head Coach of the men's program, has been promoted to the Head Coach role.
Bucknam's career at the helm of the Razorbacks was filled with outstanding achievements, including two NCAA Indoor Championship titles a decade apart (2013 and 2023). He also produced numerous NCAA Championship podium finishes, leading Arkansas to six NCAA Championship runner-up finishes as well as five NCAA Championship 3rd-place finishes.
Of course, his accolades don't stop there. Across his coaching career, Bucknam achieved a total of 34 different SEC team title victories and achieved six SEC triple-crowns. He remains one of six Arkansas head coaches to have secured a national title for the university.
In the press release announcing his retirement, Bucknam mentioned that...
"I've been in this business a long time. You don't always get to hand the baton off to your top assistant and go out on your own terms...I'm excited for the next chapter of our life, with my wife, Cindy, and our kids and our immediate families."
When commenting on his replacement, Doug Case, Bucknam explained that...
"I don't think there's a more qualified coach in any sport among the power four schools than Doug Case. His record in phenomenal. His ability to coach, to recruit and to mentor is off the charts."
Doug Case has been at Arkansas for 18 years, and an Associate Head Coach for the past seven years. His collegiate coaching career has spanned 35 years with stints at Northern Iowa (2000 to 2008), Drake University (1996 to 1999) and Arkansas State (1989 to 1995). He was given the honor of USTFCCCA South Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year five times in his career.
In his press conference following his promotion to the Head Coach role, Case explained that...
"... because we're going to continue to do things, we're going to continue to have high expectations for the team, and for the staff, we're going to continue to work hard and compete hard, we're going to continue to be committed to winning championships, we're going to continue to compete with confidence because we have that hog on our chest."