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NEWS: Southern Utah Coach Eric Houle to Retire at Conclusion of 2026 Outdoor Track Season
- Aimee Mackenzie
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
Southern Utah’s long-time head cross country and track and field coach, Eric Houle, has announced that he will retire after 34 years of leading the program.
During his time with SUU, Houle developed a two-time individual NCAA champion and 30 All-American athletes. His efforts also yielded 64 national meet appearances on the track (among individuals) and 10 NCAA Championship team appearances in cross country.
At the conference level, Houle produced 47 conference team titles, 412 individual conference champions, 36 conference meet runner-up performances as a team and 32 Conference Athlete of the Year honorees. His leadership earned him 41 Conference Coach of the Year honors.
Upon announcing his retiring, Houle stated…
“Southern Utah has given me more than I ever could have imagined,… This university believed in a vision when it didn’t yet have trophies to show for it. Together, we built something special, not just championships, but opportunities for young people to grow, dream, and achieve things they never thought possible. I’m forever grateful to the athletes, assistant coaches, alumni, and community who made this journey unforgettable.”
Most notably, Houle mentored Canadian Olympian Cameron Levins to two NCAA individual title wins (between the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters) in 2012. In doing so, Levins became the first NCAA Division One national champion in the school’s history. Levins went on to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London where he placed 11th over 10,000 meters and 14th over 5000 meters. Those accolades led to Levins claiming The Bowerman Award in 2012.
In response to the news of Houle's retirement, Cameron Levins stated on Instagram,
“Congrats Coach! Hard to even express how it feels to see him retire. I owe him so much and I’m grateful I got to compete for him.”
The Thunderbirds' now-former head coach was inducted into the Utah Summer Games Hall of Honor in 2024 and was inducted into Southern Utah University’s Coaching Factory Hall of Fame in 2012.
Southern Utah has not yet named who will be their next head coach yet.
