USATF mourns passing of coaching legend Joe Vigil

Joe Vigil, a founding member of the USATF Coaches Education program, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the world's leading experts on developing athletes in the middle and long distance events, died July 19 in Alamosa, Colorado. He was 95.

Vigil was honored with USATF's Legend Coach Award in 2015 in recognition of his unsurpassed contributions and exemplary achievement as a leader in the sport both domestically and internationally in positions at the helm of competition, as a coaching instructor and as a goodwill ambassador.

Born November 25, 1929, in Antonito, Colorado, Vigil was a star football player at Alamosa High School, earning all-state honors as a guard and graduating in 1948. He stayed in the area and attended Adams State College, where he played football and earned All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors.

Vigil received his bachelor's degree from ASC in 1953 and began a 12-year stint as a biology teacher and coach at his high school alma mater, where he led his teams to eight state track and field titles. In 1965 he was brought back to Adams State as head track and field and cross country coach, beginning a storied career.

In his 28 years at the helm, Vigil guided his Adams State charges to 19 national team titles and 87 individual national crowns. He produced 425 All-America honorees and was named national cross country coach of the year 13 times. Vigil also earned recognition twice as national track and field coach of the year and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1978.

Vigil was as proud of his athletes' academic successes as he was of their exploits on the athletics field. His stated goal was to develop his student-athletes through “The Pursuit of Excellence” in family, life, academics and athletics. Adams State athletes had a 90% graduation rate in his tenure. In addition to his two degrees from Adams State, Vigil earned a masters degree from Colorado College and his Ph. D. from the University of New Mexico.

Retiring from Adams State in 1993, Vigil dedicated his efforts to coaching post-collegiate athletes and educating coaches across the globe. He guided athletes to 20 Olympic or World Championships podium appearances and helped produce 47 national champions and 17 national record-setters.

Among his most prominent success stories were 2004 Olympic men's marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi and women's marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor. He also coached Brenda Martinez to bronze in the women's 800 at the 2013 World Championships.

Vigil's work in coaches' education through the years set the standard for the world's best development program in track and field, road running and cross country. He was chair of the TAC (now USATF) Coaching Program for nine years and was a Level IV IAAF (now World Athletics) Lead Instructor. As a coaching clinician, he developed courses in basic principles of endurance training and the USATF/IAAF Academy for Endurance, a 12-hour course featuring technical classes, laboratory training sessions, cross country specialty drills, periodization training for the cross country season, team building strategies, and long term athlete development for the endurance runner.

A respected leader, Vigil was named to numerous international team staffs, highlighted by his work as distance coach at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He was the U.S. men's head coach at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana after serving as head men's manager for the 1983 men's team in Caracas. Vigil was the head coach for the U.S. men at the 1984 World Cross Country Championships.

Serving five years on the TAC Board of Directors from 1984-88, Vigil's involvement with the sport's national governing body was extensive. His work on the long distance running, development, and coaches' education committees in the 1980s set the tone for future development efforts that have paid dividends for Team USATF's medal counts at the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Vigil was inducted into more than 10 halls of fame and during his career he received the TAC President’s Award, the Coaching Education Lifetime Achievement Award and the USOPC “Doc” Counsilman Coach Award twice. He and his wife, Caroline, had two daughters, Patti Joette and Peggy Sue.

Services are pending.