The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Tony Houchin Named UAB Cross Country Coach
1/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Jan. 4, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Tony Houchin, who has served as the cross country coach and assistant track & field coach at UNLV the past four seasons, has been hired as the head coach for UAB's cross country program and an assistant coach for track & field.
With his main concentration on the cross country team, Houchin will also work with the distance runners during the indoor and outdoor track seasons.
"I was looking for someone who could help take our program to the next level, and I feel we have done that in hiring Tony Houchin," UAB head track & field coach Kurt Thomas said. "He has a tremendous background from his running days at a great distance program like Oklahoma State and from coaching under a great mentor like Joe Franklin when they were at Butler. He took those things and made great leaps with the distance program at UNLV, and I look forward to him putting his stamp on UAB's proud distance tradition."
While at UNLV, Houchin coached the Rebels' first-ever middle-distance Mountain West Conference champion in Charlotte Browning, who claimed the league's outdoor 1,500m title in 2007 and was named the MWC Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year. He also coached two All-MWC cross country athletes. During his tenure, his athletes added 41 marks to UNLV's Top 10 All-Time Performer Lists.
Prior to his time at UNLV, Houchin was the head coach of the men's and women's cross country teams and assistant coach for the men's and women's track & field teams at McNeese State for the 2005-06 season. He coached one NCAA regional qualifier, two league champions and nine all-conference athletes.
Before arriving at McNeese State, Houchin served as the assistant coach for both the men's and women's cross country and track & field programs at Butler from 2003-05. He helped lead the men's cross country team to a fourth-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships, and coached All-American Olly Laws. He also assisted the women's cross country team to its first-ever appearance at the NCAA Championships that season. In 2005, he coached Victoria Mitchell to the NCAA title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. During his two-year stint, Butler produced four conference champion cross country teams and four individual conference champions.
Houchin served as a graduate assistant for the men's cross country and track & field teams at Oklahoma State from 1999-2002. He coached middle-distance and distance athletes along with serving as the program's recruiting coordinator. During those four seasons, he coached four track & field NCAA qualifiers, three NCAA All-Americans and eight track & field conference champions.
As an athlete, Houchin competed on Oklahoma State's track & field team from 1994-1997, earning three All-Big 8 Conference honors. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1999. He is married to the former Mary Duerbeck, who will serve as a volunteer assistant coach for the UAB cross country and track & field teams.
"I am thrilled to be joining the UAB family," Houchin said. "This is a very unique opportunity and I think UAB and the city of Birmingham are tremendous settings for great academics and great distance running. I would like to thank Kurt Thomas for having the confidence in me to pilot the future of Blazer distance running, and I'm excited to work with him and the student-athletes that are already a part of this superb program."
