CEDAR CITY, Utah — After more than three decades of building one of the premier track and field programs in the nation, Southern Utah University Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Eric Houle has announced that the 2026 outdoor track and field season will mark his final year leading the Thunderbirds.

Houle leaves an unmatched legacy in SUU athletic history. When he arrived in Cedar City 34 years ago, no Thunderbird men's or women's cross country or track and field teams had ever won a conference championship. Under his leadership, the program has won 47 conference titles, made 64 national championship appearances, secured two individual national titles, produced a Bowerman award winner, and an Olympian. He transformed SUU into a nationally respected program and achieved a level of success usually seen at institutions with much larger size and resources.

"Coach Houle's impact reaches far beyond championships and generations of Thunderbirds," Said SUU President Mindy Benson. "He has built a culture of high standards and shared purpose where student-athletes have thrived as formidable competitors and scholars. His program is a model of excellence, and his example has strengthened the reputation and culture of Thunderbird Athletics as a whole. We are profoundly grateful for the lasting legacy he leaves across our campus community."

Throughout his tenure, Houle has coached 1,345 All-Conference athletes and 412 individual conference champions. His teams have secured 47 team conference championships, 36 runner-up finishes, an NCAA Mountain Region Championship, and 10 NCAA National Championship team appearances. He has mentored 30 NCAA All-Americans, two individual NCAA National Champions, 32 Conference Athletes of the Year, and 156 NCAA First Round National Qualifiers. His excellence on the sidelines has been recognized with 41 Conference Coach of the Year honors and an NCAA Mountain Region Coach of the Year award.

"Southern Utah has given me more than I ever could have imagined," Houle said. "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."

Houle's athletes have reached the sport's highest stages. Under his guidance, Cam Levins became Southern Utah's first Olympian, competing in the 2012 Olympic Games before earning the prestigious Bowerman Award, NCAA track and field's highest honor. Levins' national titles in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters marked the first NCAA Division I national championships in SUU history. Houle's athletes have competed at the World Championships and Olympic Games in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024, and their international representation continues to this day.

Beyond Levins, Houle and his team of assistant coaches have developed nationally recognized athletes over the years, including world-champion competitors and Olympic-trial participants. His program also includes former athletes who now coach at prominent programs and have led their athletes to national championships, world championships, and the Olympic Games.

The Thunderbirds' rise to national prominence began in 1999 when SUU stunned five nationally ranked teams to win the NCAA Mountain Regional Championship, breaking Colorado's six-year regional title streak and earning the university's first Division I Championship appearance. That breakthrough moment helped establish a culture of belief that sustained the program's consistent national relevance, including a top-10 national ranking in 2020 and multiple NCAA team-qualifying marks in cross country.

Equally impressive has been Houle's emphasis on academic achievement. His teams have consistently ranked among the top 20 percent nationally in academics, including a 3.91 GPA by the women's team in 2023, second-best in the country. Under his leadership, SUU has produced 1,617 Academic All-Conference honorees, 74 Academic All-Americans, and 16 Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

"Coach Houle has defined excellence at Southern Utah University," said Interim Director of Athletics Tom Higbee. "His impact on our department, our university, and the sport of track and field reaches far beyond championships. He built a culture of belief, discipline, and academic integrity that will last here at SUU."

A product of Southern Utah University himself, Houle earned undergraduate degrees in Communications and Physical Education before completing a Master's Degree in Secondary Education. He began his coaching career at Judge Memorial High School, where he led the program to unprecedented success before returning to Cedar City to build what would become one of the most respected programs in the country.

Coaching runs deep in the Houle family. His nephew, Nate Houle, is the head distance coach at Idaho State, while his brother, Scott, is the head coach at Utah Valley University. His older brother, Dave Houle, was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2000.

Houle has been inducted into the Utah Summer Games Hall of Honor and the Southern Utah University Coaching Factory Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the University Board of Trustees Award.

Above all, Houle credits his family and the Southern Utah community for the program's success. He and his wife, Diane, his college sweetheart, have built their life in Cedar City while raising their two sons, Deric and Nicholas.

As the Thunderbirds prepare for one final season under Houle's leadership in 2026, the focus remains where it has always been, on development, belief, and competitive excellence.

The 2026 outdoor season will serve as a celebration of a career that forever changed Southern Utah Athletics and elevated the Thunderbirds onto the national and international stage.

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