East Tennessee State University Men's Track

Johnston coached ETSU long jump champion Tyler Stepp, who qualified for the NCAA regional meet, moved on to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon and came away with his second NCAA Second-Team All-America award in as many years. Moreover, Johnston trained triple jumper Lexie Burley who was awarded the A-Sun Womens Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2014 and multi-event talent Katka Vodova who earned Womens Field Event Athlete honors at the A-Sun Outdoor Championships with first in the high jump, second in the long jump, second in the pole vault and second in the javelin to earn 34 team points. Upon the completion of Johnstons first season as the jumps and multi's coach in 2013, athletes under his tutelage went on a tear and produced outstanding personal-best performances and event championships during both the indoor and outdoor seasons as well as at the A-Sun Championships. These showings included seven gold, five silver and six bronze medalists at the A-Sun Championships as well as two NCAA Outdoor All-American's -- Tyler Stepp in the long jump and Jason Johnson in the triple jump. Johnston came to ETSU having spent the last 40 years coaching track & field internationally as well as at several NCAA institutions. He is most noted for the creation of the "Six-Stride Mark Chart", which deals with the approach run speeds in long jump and pole vault, as well as stride lengths and performance success. With extensive knowledge and experience in Approach Run velocities and accuracies, DJ is a clinician at camps and clinics worldwide. His presentations include the "Physics of Speed" and technical models in the triple jump, pole vault ("19+Plus"), hurdles, high jump ("The Natural High Jump") and 4x100m Relay ("The Timed Method of Establishing a "Go" Mark" and "Fundamentals of the 4x100 Relay Overhand Baton Pass") Johnston has passionately dedicated over 40 years of his life to coaching. He has coached track and field at the international, Olympic, university, national and high school levels, producing champions at all levels and in numerous events. His former pupils include 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the pole vault, Mike Tully; previous world recrod holder in the javelin throw, Roald Bradstock; University of Florida Hall of Famer, winter and summer Olympian, Liston Bochette; SEC champion and All-American in the pole vault, Will Freeman; Bahamian Olympian and Florida SEC long jump and triple jump champion, Michael Sharpe; and Canadian pole vault record holder and Olympian Bruce Simpson. In the early stages of his coaching career as an assistant at Florida, DJ worked with and was mentored by former UF Head Track Coach, 1980 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Coach, and USATFCCCA Hall of Fame Coach, Jimmy Carnes. DJ has also had the honor of coaching with Guy Kochel and Bill Webb. Kochel is a USATFCCCA Hall of Fame Coach, former USA pole vault coordinator and former ASU head coach. Webb is the former head coach at Cal State Northridge, former University of Tennessee head coach, 2003 U.S. Olympic Committee Natinoal Track and Field Coach of the Year, and a recent USATFCCCA Hall of Fame Coach inductee. As an athlete at the University of Central Arkansas, Johnston was a three-time collgiate All-American in track and field and an NAIA National Indoor Champion in the long jump. He is a member of the UCA Bears, Conway Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame for football and track. In track and field, he held eight school records, four AIC Conference records, and was High Point Performer his sophomore, junior and senior years. His record performances included conference championships in the 110m hurdles, long jump, triple jump, 4x100m relay, 4x200m relay and 4x400m relay. DJ's long jump record held for 10 years, while his triple jump record remained on the books for 38 years before finally being broken in 2007. In addition his collegiate performances for UCA, DJ held the state triple jump record. All of these accomplishments led to his induction into the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame for his performances as an athlete and as a coach of world class stature. Johnston earend his master's degree from the University of Central Arkansas.            

Stamps was an integral part of Dede Edgecombe qualifying for the NCAA Regional championships in the 100mH in 2014 and 2015. Stamps coached Kyra Atkins in the 100m en route to a SoCon Championship and a spot in the NCAA Regional Championships in 2016. Stamps helped Atkins earn SoCon Freshman of the Year honors during both the indoor and outdoor season.  On the men's squad at ETSU, Stamps has coached three conference champions and 29 top eight finishers at the conference championships. There have been ten all-conference team selections under Stamp's watch along with coaching Mike Williams, who garnered Second Team All-American honors in the 400mH after finishing 14th at the NCAA Championships. Stamps has coached Williams to three straight NCAA Regional appearances along with back-to-back SoCon Championships in the 400mH in 2015 and 2016.  A recent international coaching experience also highlights Stamps resume. In 2012, he served as the head coach of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias national team. Before leading the Saudis into international competition at the 2012 World Junior Championships and the London Games, Stamps took a sabbatical from SIUE to develop and recruit Saudi Arabia's top junior competitors while coaching elite-level athletes. Prior to SIUE, Stamps had coaching stints at various universities throughout the country. From 2008-10 he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida International. While at FIU, Stamps helped recruit one of the largest and strongest incoming classes in school history. He also helped coach the school's pentathlon and heptathlon school record holder. Preceding his time at FIU, Stamps spent 2007-08 at neighboring University of Miami coaching hurdles, jumps and multi-events for the Hurricanes. At Miami, he coached three All-Atlantic Coast Conference performers, two NCAA qualifiers and one NCAA All-American. Stamps coaching journey also brought him to the University of Vermont in 2006-07 where he helped guide the Catamounts to 17 school records. His first collegiate coaching experience began on the west coast where he served as an assistant coach at California State University Los Angeles from 2003-06. While at Cal State, Stamps oversaw 14 All-Americans, including a national champion. The coach is also a Level II certified USA Track and Field (USATF) instructor as well as Level I certified with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Stamps credentials as a student-athlete are quite extensive as well. While at the University of Tennessee from 1999-2002, the gifted hurdler and sprinter earned five All-American certificates and helped the Volunteers to the 2001 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championship and the 2002 NCAA Division I Indoor Championship. While etching his name into the UT track & field record books, Stamps also helped the Vols to back-to-back outdoor Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles in 2001 and 2002 as well as serving as a team captain during the aforementioned championship seasons. In the classroom, the student-athlete was also named the SEC Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2001. The four-time all-SEC selection earned a bachelor's degree with a double major in sports management and psychology from the University of Tennessee in 2003.

Watts guided the men to a runner-up finish on Oct. 31, 2014. During his tenure at ETSU, the veteran coach has overseen the establishment of 17 new school records in track & field and also coached five Honorable Mention All-Americans, two Second-Team All-American selections, and two Capital One Academic All-America appointments. Watts comes to ETSU after spending the past 26 years coaching and assisting track & field and cross country at the University of Tennessee. Watts began his Tennessee career in 1985, serving as the assistant coach for mens cross country and track & field until 1992. From 1992-95, Watts became the administrative assistant before being named assistant head coach of mens track & field, and head coach of mens cross country. He served in that role until 2009, and was then named associate head coach for mens and womens track & field, while maintaining his position for the cross country team. Were very fortunate to have someone of Coach Watts experience and background to become the second Director of ETSU Track & Field, said ETSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. We have a great tradition in track & field and cross country, particularly with our distance runners. Coach Watts has coached distance runners at the highest level at the SEC, nationally and several Olympians. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program, and we feel very confident he will set a high standard and direct it in a first class way. In his time at Tennessee, Watts directed the Vols to NCAA Outdoor Championships in 1991 and 2001, as well as an NCAA Indoor title in 2002. He has also been a mainstay for success in the SEC, helping lead the Vols to 11 conference championships, coaching athletes to 18 individual titles and 42 All-American honors. At the Olympic level, Watts has coached athletes to berths in the last five Olympic Games Teams. In 2006, Watts led three Tennessee athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in three different events. At the end of the season, he was recognized by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as the Mideast Region Male Assistant Coach of the Year in distances. Watts coaching accolades also include him being named South Region Coach of the Year for cross country in 2002, and being recognized as South Region Co-Coach of the Year in 2001. In 1995, he won District III Coach of the Year honors. In addition to tutoring the Volunteers, Watts continued to work with steeplechaser Anthony Famiglietti, as well as other Olympic, World and USA ranked athletes. He directed Jebreh Harris to a third-place finish at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in 2006, and also mentored Harris who ran the first leg on the American-record breaking 4x800 relay team in 2006. Prior to his Olympic appearances, Famiglietti won the 2002 USA outdoor title and 2001 World University Games under Watts' instruction. Watts also worked with Tennessee alum Todd Williams a 1992 and 1996 Olympian, and 10,000m school record- holder during his professional career. A 1983 graduate of Tennessee, Watts secured many honors and awards while running track and cross country for the Vols. He earned Cross Country All-American status in 1977, before earning Indoor All-American praise for the three mile run in 1978. His athletic career at Tennessee also includes four SEC championships, winning the three and six mile in 1976, the 10,000m in 1977, and the three mile in 1978. Watts earned the title of USA Junior Champion for the 10,000m in 1976, and is also the freshman indoor two mile and three mile, as well as the freshman outdoor 10,000m all-time record holder at Tennessee. His three mile time in the 1978 SEC Indoor meet is still the school record. Watts and his wife, Karen, have a daughter, Katie.