SUU T&F Adds Olympic Gold Medalist Kelly Willie to Staff

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Nov. 10 - Kelly Willie, a member of the gold medal 4x400-meter relay team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, has joined the Southern Utah University track and field program and will serve as an assistant coach. Willie will be responsible for the sprinters in addition to other duties as assigned.

"This will be a great opportunity for myself and my family," Willie said. "My hope is to take the SUU track and field program to new heights, turn out great people and build the best program in the state of Utah."

Willie comes to SUU as one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Louisiana State University (2003-06) after running to seven national titles and earning 19 All-American citations. When Willie left LSU, he held the school record in the 60-meter dash with a 6.66 mark and had recorded personal-best times of 10.04 in the 100-meters, 20.20 in the 200-meters and 44.6 in the 400-meters.

In addition to his collegiate prowess, Willie also earned a gold medal while running for the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. He was named a member of the men's 4x400-meter relay team, running in the qualifying heats that led to the gold-medal run for the squad.

"Bringing Kelly on board will allow us to develop an already great sprinting program at SUU," track & field head coach Eric Houle said. "It will really open some doors when it comes to recruiting with his experience at the world and national level."

Willie is originally from Pasadena, Texas and will be moving to Cedar City with his fiancee, Zenobia, and two children, Kyree and Tiana. The couple is also expecting a third child in April of 2012.

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