PARIS-BOUND
7/26/2024 9:00:00 AM | General, Men's Basketball, Men's Tennis, Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Track & Field
Track coach Michael Ford one of eight Baylor representatives in Olympics
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
While he was asked to "be more of a babysitter" for eventual gold medalists Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson, Michael Ford calls the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the meet that turned his coaching career around.
No. 1, the then-Baylor assistant track and field coach got to spend almost three weeks in Athens. But when Ford put together a two-week training plan for Wariner and Williamson, legendary coach Clyde Hart told him, "That looks great. You're ready to be a coach."
Twenty years later, Ford is part of the USA Track and Field staff as the men's sprints and hurdles coach for the Olympics this summer in Paris. The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics will be held Friday night, while the track and field portion of the Olympics will begin next Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Stade de France.
"It gets me excited just because you know it only comes around every four years," said Ford, who recently finished his third year as the Baylor track and field head coach. "I'm always looking forward to the Olympics no matter what, if I'm on staff or I have an athlete there, or I just want to watch it on TV. For me, it was more of an honor that somebody picked me, someone nominated me."
Kansas coach Stanley Redwine is the men's head coach, but Ford said his nomination likely came from Clif McKenzie, the Vice Chairman for Men's Development of USA Track and Field. McKenzie has been the manager – basically the director of operations – for several USA teams and also owns the Arizona Elite Track Club.
"He's always been in my corner," Ford said of McKenzie. "When I did the under-20 team when Christina Holland was on the team (2010, in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada), he was the manager for that team. And the managers, to me, are more important than the head coaches, because they do everything."
Dipping his toe in the water for the 2004 Olympics, invited by Coach Hart, Ford witnessed Wariner winning gold in the 400 meters and then teaming with Williamson in the USA's gold medal-winning 4x400 relay.
Four years later, in the Beijing Olympics, Ford was the personal coach for Wariner (400 silver medalist), Williamson and Reggie Witherspoon, who were all part of the USA relay pool, and Sanjay Ayre with Jamaica.
"That year was definitely a stressful year," Ford said, "because (Wariner) had just won the Olympics four years earlier. But I think that made me a better coach after that, just because if I could handle that, then I could probably handle anything. It also made me lock-in as a coach, trying to figure out, 'Okay, how do I want athletes to get to this level and stay at this level?'''
Ford returned to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, helping Baylor All-American sprinter Trayvon Bromell reach the finals in the 100 meters. He was also an assistant coach for USA at the NACAC (North American, Central America and Caribbean) Championships and was the head coach at the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, and the inaugural USA vs. Europe Match in Minsk, Belarus, both in the summer of 2019.
Ford actually likes the vibe of the World Championships "because it's just track and field." But the Olympics is "different because it's every sport."
"I like the vibe, because really my favorite sport is basketball," he said. "So, you've got the Dream Team going. But I get to see different sports, different athletes that I follow from different countries. So, I like that piece of it. But for USA, our big sports are swimming and track and field. They're always at the tail end of the (Olympics), so that's how we get all our medals."
Coaching on his fifth USA team but first in the Olympics, Ford said it's special, "because not that many people get to represent the U.S."
"In the Olympics, it only comes around every four years," he said. "And when the next one comes, I may not be on it. Which is fine. But it's just a cool honor, a big honor for me."
One of the bonuses of being on the USA coaching staff is getting the new Olympics "swag."
"You're the first ones to get what we call the kit," Ford said. "And then next year, for our (Baylor) team uniforms, it'll be kind of the same material, the same concept. Since we're one of the Nike elite teams, we get that."
The USA men are coming off a strong performance at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, winning gold medals in three of the five sprint events and sweeping the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. Noah Lyles won both the 100 (9.83) and 200 (19.52); Grant Holloway was first in the 110-meter hurdles (12.96); and Quincy Hall and Raj Benjamin were bronze medalists in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles, respectively.
"With the team we have from the World Championships, I think we will do really well," said Ford, who will coach everything from the 100 meters up to the 400-meter hurdles.
"And I think they're all motivated, too, because the last Olympics (Tokyo) got postponed for a year because of COVID. I've seen some of the top athletes that were on the World Championship team, and they're looking really good right now."
Ford is far from the only Baylor representative at the 2024 Olympics. Joining him on the track are Nigerians Nathaniel Ezekiel and Chinecherem Prosper "Zaza" Nnamdi in the 400-meter hurdles and javelin, respectively.
"When Nate came here, I think he was only 18 years old," Ford said of Ezekiel, a five-time All-American and bronze medalist at the last two NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. "He's still pretty young, so he's maturing, too.
"Last year, he made (the) semifinals at the World Championships. So, we hope he can make the semifinals or even the finals at the Olympics this year. I think he's ready to run a (sub-48-second time in the 400 hurdles). And if he's running a 47 and some change late in the year, he'll make the final."
Making return trips to the Olympics are Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with USA Basketball; and Australian John Peers, a bronze medalist in mixed doubles with Ashleigh Barty at the Tokyo Games. This trip, the former Baylor tennis All-American will be paired with Matthew Ebden in men's doubles.
"It means everything to me, honestly," Griner said of making her third-consecutive Olympics team. "For me to now have the honor to wear (the USA jersey) again and potentially win gold is icing on the cake for everything."
Peers, who had a career-high doubles ranking of No. 2 in the world, tweeted last week: "Can't believe this will be my third Olympics! So excited to represent Australia coming up."
Also representing Australia is former Baylor women's basketball standout and current WNBA player Kristy Wallace, who won a bronze medal with Australia at the 2022 FIBA World Cup.
"I'm so in awe of the history and then the current culture they've built," Wallace said of the Aussie women's team. "It's just really special to watch these women. I watched these women while I was growing up. And then to finally become one, that is just full circle."
Rounding out the Baylor contingent in Paris are first-time Olympians Avery Skinner with USA Volleyball and Nuni Omot with the South Sudan men's basketball team.
"I would say in the beginning, it was kind of nerve-wracking," Skinner said of playing for the U.S. national team, "because I'm walking in, and they're like, 'Hi, I'm so-and-so.' And I'm like, 'I know who you are!' I think also it's a matter of realizing I do deserve to be here. And even though I have looked up to these girls for so long, I have put myself in a position to be in this spot."
When South Sudan qualified for the Olympics for the first time ever with last summer's 101-78 win over Angola, Omot said, "It's unbelievable, it's a dream come true."
"Nobody ever imagined or dreamed of being in this position," said Omot, a 6-9 forward who played two seasons at Baylor (2016-18). "Now, we're going to have the chance to walk across the Olympic stage with our flag. Everything that's happened has been a dream come true, and I can't thank my teammates, the fans and everybody that's been supporting us enough. . . . It's one of the best stories, sports stories, that's come out in a long time. I'm just very blessed to be a part of this."
Baylor Bear Insider
While he was asked to "be more of a babysitter" for eventual gold medalists Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson, Michael Ford calls the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the meet that turned his coaching career around.
No. 1, the then-Baylor assistant track and field coach got to spend almost three weeks in Athens. But when Ford put together a two-week training plan for Wariner and Williamson, legendary coach Clyde Hart told him, "That looks great. You're ready to be a coach."
Twenty years later, Ford is part of the USA Track and Field staff as the men's sprints and hurdles coach for the Olympics this summer in Paris. The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics will be held Friday night, while the track and field portion of the Olympics will begin next Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Stade de France.
"It gets me excited just because you know it only comes around every four years," said Ford, who recently finished his third year as the Baylor track and field head coach. "I'm always looking forward to the Olympics no matter what, if I'm on staff or I have an athlete there, or I just want to watch it on TV. For me, it was more of an honor that somebody picked me, someone nominated me."
Kansas coach Stanley Redwine is the men's head coach, but Ford said his nomination likely came from Clif McKenzie, the Vice Chairman for Men's Development of USA Track and Field. McKenzie has been the manager – basically the director of operations – for several USA teams and also owns the Arizona Elite Track Club.
"He's always been in my corner," Ford said of McKenzie. "When I did the under-20 team when Christina Holland was on the team (2010, in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada), he was the manager for that team. And the managers, to me, are more important than the head coaches, because they do everything."
Dipping his toe in the water for the 2004 Olympics, invited by Coach Hart, Ford witnessed Wariner winning gold in the 400 meters and then teaming with Williamson in the USA's gold medal-winning 4x400 relay.
Four years later, in the Beijing Olympics, Ford was the personal coach for Wariner (400 silver medalist), Williamson and Reggie Witherspoon, who were all part of the USA relay pool, and Sanjay Ayre with Jamaica.
"That year was definitely a stressful year," Ford said, "because (Wariner) had just won the Olympics four years earlier. But I think that made me a better coach after that, just because if I could handle that, then I could probably handle anything. It also made me lock-in as a coach, trying to figure out, 'Okay, how do I want athletes to get to this level and stay at this level?'''
Ford returned to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, helping Baylor All-American sprinter Trayvon Bromell reach the finals in the 100 meters. He was also an assistant coach for USA at the NACAC (North American, Central America and Caribbean) Championships and was the head coach at the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, and the inaugural USA vs. Europe Match in Minsk, Belarus, both in the summer of 2019.
Ford actually likes the vibe of the World Championships "because it's just track and field." But the Olympics is "different because it's every sport."
"I like the vibe, because really my favorite sport is basketball," he said. "So, you've got the Dream Team going. But I get to see different sports, different athletes that I follow from different countries. So, I like that piece of it. But for USA, our big sports are swimming and track and field. They're always at the tail end of the (Olympics), so that's how we get all our medals."
Coaching on his fifth USA team but first in the Olympics, Ford said it's special, "because not that many people get to represent the U.S."
"In the Olympics, it only comes around every four years," he said. "And when the next one comes, I may not be on it. Which is fine. But it's just a cool honor, a big honor for me."
One of the bonuses of being on the USA coaching staff is getting the new Olympics "swag."
"You're the first ones to get what we call the kit," Ford said. "And then next year, for our (Baylor) team uniforms, it'll be kind of the same material, the same concept. Since we're one of the Nike elite teams, we get that."
The USA men are coming off a strong performance at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, winning gold medals in three of the five sprint events and sweeping the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. Noah Lyles won both the 100 (9.83) and 200 (19.52); Grant Holloway was first in the 110-meter hurdles (12.96); and Quincy Hall and Raj Benjamin were bronze medalists in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles, respectively.
"With the team we have from the World Championships, I think we will do really well," said Ford, who will coach everything from the 100 meters up to the 400-meter hurdles.
"And I think they're all motivated, too, because the last Olympics (Tokyo) got postponed for a year because of COVID. I've seen some of the top athletes that were on the World Championship team, and they're looking really good right now."
Ford is far from the only Baylor representative at the 2024 Olympics. Joining him on the track are Nigerians Nathaniel Ezekiel and Chinecherem Prosper "Zaza" Nnamdi in the 400-meter hurdles and javelin, respectively.
"When Nate came here, I think he was only 18 years old," Ford said of Ezekiel, a five-time All-American and bronze medalist at the last two NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. "He's still pretty young, so he's maturing, too.
"Last year, he made (the) semifinals at the World Championships. So, we hope he can make the semifinals or even the finals at the Olympics this year. I think he's ready to run a (sub-48-second time in the 400 hurdles). And if he's running a 47 and some change late in the year, he'll make the final."
Making return trips to the Olympics are Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with USA Basketball; and Australian John Peers, a bronze medalist in mixed doubles with Ashleigh Barty at the Tokyo Games. This trip, the former Baylor tennis All-American will be paired with Matthew Ebden in men's doubles.
"It means everything to me, honestly," Griner said of making her third-consecutive Olympics team. "For me to now have the honor to wear (the USA jersey) again and potentially win gold is icing on the cake for everything."
Peers, who had a career-high doubles ranking of No. 2 in the world, tweeted last week: "Can't believe this will be my third Olympics! So excited to represent Australia coming up."
Also representing Australia is former Baylor women's basketball standout and current WNBA player Kristy Wallace, who won a bronze medal with Australia at the 2022 FIBA World Cup.
"I'm so in awe of the history and then the current culture they've built," Wallace said of the Aussie women's team. "It's just really special to watch these women. I watched these women while I was growing up. And then to finally become one, that is just full circle."
Rounding out the Baylor contingent in Paris are first-time Olympians Avery Skinner with USA Volleyball and Nuni Omot with the South Sudan men's basketball team.
"I would say in the beginning, it was kind of nerve-wracking," Skinner said of playing for the U.S. national team, "because I'm walking in, and they're like, 'Hi, I'm so-and-so.' And I'm like, 'I know who you are!' I think also it's a matter of realizing I do deserve to be here. And even though I have looked up to these girls for so long, I have put myself in a position to be in this spot."
When South Sudan qualified for the Olympics for the first time ever with last summer's 101-78 win over Angola, Omot said, "It's unbelievable, it's a dream come true."
"Nobody ever imagined or dreamed of being in this position," said Omot, a 6-9 forward who played two seasons at Baylor (2016-18). "Now, we're going to have the chance to walk across the Olympic stage with our flag. Everything that's happened has been a dream come true, and I can't thank my teammates, the fans and everybody that's been supporting us enough. . . . It's one of the best stories, sports stories, that's come out in a long time. I'm just very blessed to be a part of this."
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