Dave Rinker Retires After 23 Years at Helm of JMU Cross Country Program

HARRISONBURG, Va. – After 23 years at the helm of the James Madison cross country program, head coach Dave Rinker announced his retirement Friday morning.

"It has been a GREAT RUN! I would like to thank Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne for taking the chance on hiring me 23 years ago," expressed Rinker. "The success of any collegiate team depends so much on the support of the athletic administration. I would also like to thank the head track coaches at the time of my hiring that supported me in the process, Bill Walton and Gwen Harris. There are so many people that have made my 23 years successful and a great experience with special mention to Associate Athletic Director Kevin White, Athletic Trainer Jackie Leonard, Administrative Assistant Patti Smith and Director of Strength & Conditioning for Olympic Sports Christian Carter. Working with the Director of the Track & Field / Cross Country Program Ta' Frias and Head Women's Track Coach Ron McCown has been exhilarating, fun and they have pushed me to be a better coach and person.

"My family has been the rock that has allowed my coaching time at JMU to be as fulfilling as it has been. Mark and Kevin have been great sounding boards and confidants in addition to being volunteers at different times. There would be no Coach Dave Rinker without my wife Sue's complete support and sacrifice. Hopefully I can begin paying her back for the last 37 years of her devotion, but I know that is one debt that can never be paid off in full. Lastly, I'd like to say that in the last 23 years, I never won a race or a meet. That was done by the 200 women and 71 men that I am honored and pleased to have coached at JMU. I was only the guide – they did the work, they truly sacrificed and they deserve all the credit for everything that was accomplished in my time at JMU. Go Dukes!"

Rinker debuted as the Dukes' cross country coach in 1999-00 and promptly guided the JMU women's and men's teams to conference championships, was named the Colonial Athletic Association women's cross country Coach of the Year and coached the Dukes' men's team to a third-place NCAA regional finish, which advanced the squad to the NCAA National Championships. His success only continued throughout his time leading the JMU cross country program.

"Dave Rinker has been steadfast and extremely successful in over 20 years of service to the JMU cross country and track & field programs," Bourne said. "At one time, he led both our men's and women's distance programs. He guided our women's program to seven conference titles and 10 additional runner-up finishes. More importantly, his student-athletes were always highly accomplished academically, striking the perfect balance of maximizing the student-athlete experience at James Madison. I will miss Dave the most as an individual and the positive spirit that he brought to JMU Athletics and wish him all the best in his retirement."

Following an impressive first season in Harrisonburg, Rinker went on to collect eight Colonial Athletic Association women's cross country Coach of the Year honors, seven CAA women's cross country titles, five ECAC women's cross country championships and the 2003 IC4A men's cross country title. During his 23 years, Rinker has coached 95 All-CAA honorees, 10 CAA cross country Runners of the Year, four CAA cross country Rookies of the Year, four ECAC individual champions, one IC4A title winner, six NCAA qualifies, two All-Region runners, two All-Americans and five JMU Hall of Famers.

Rinker's athletes have also excelled in the classroom. Every season since 2009 his teams have been recognized as an All-Academic Team by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). In 2011-12, Stacey Nobles won the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for cross country, and Katie Harman won the league's scholar-athlete award for track and field. In 2012-13, Katie Gorman swept the CAA Scholar-Athlete accolades as she took home the honor for both cross country and track & field. She also nabbed a spot on the Capital One Academic All-District III First Team. He also saw four of his cross country runners earn JMU Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.

In March of 2003, Rinker coached the U.S. senior men's teams in the International Amateur Athletics Foundation World Cross Country Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Rinker came to JMU with a stellar background as coach of the cross country and track programs at Brevard (N.C.) College for 15 years. Prior to joining the college coaching ranks, he was among Virginia's leading scholastic coaches.

He coached the men's and women's cross country and track and field teams and served as director of athletics at Brevard from 1984-99 and coached at Blacksburg (Va.) High School from 1977-84.

At Brevard, Rinker coached teams to two National Junior College Athletic Association national titles (1987, 1990) in men's cross country and led three women's (1985-87) and two men's (1986, 1989) teams to NJCAA cross country runner-up finishes. He coached 119 NJCAA All-Americas and 10 national champions in cross country and track and field, and his men's teams won five (1988-89, 1991, 1993-94) North Carolina collegiate state cross country titles (four-year and two-year schools included). He was named the NJCAA men's cross country coach of the year in 1987 and 1990, the 1999 NJCAA men's outdoor track coach of the year in 1999 and was inducted into the NJCAA Coaches Hall of Fame.

In 1998, he coached the U.S. Men's Junior World Cross Country Team. He has coached three athletes who earned positions on the U.S. Men's Junior World Cross Country Team and two who earned positions on the U.S. Men's Senior World Cross Country Team.

As athletics director at Brevard, Rinker oversaw the addition of baseball, volleyball and softball to the school's athletics offerings and the construction of new facilities for track and field, softball and baseball.

He was president of the NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association from 1994-96 and formerly edited the national cross country newsletter for that organization.

At Blacksburg High School, Rinker directed the boys' and girls' cross country and track programs. His girls' teams won five state championships: two in cross country (1982-83) and three in track and field (1982-84). He coached six All-American, three Foot Locker national cross country finalists, six state-record holders and 14 individual state champions. He was presented the Walter Cormack Award for outstanding accomplishments in track and field by the Virginia High School League in 1982.

A native of Winchester, Va., Rinker is a 1977 JMU graduate with a degree in business education.

JMU will conduct a national search for a new cross country head coach.

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