2016 USTFCCCA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Orlando, Fla. - Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's cross country and women's track & field head coach Pat Healy was inducted into the 2016 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches Hall of Fame Wednesday night at the USTFCCCA Convention at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Resort & Spa.  Healy retired after the 2016 women's track & field season, his 25th year as the Eagles' head coach.

Healy joined Terry Franson (Azusa Pacific University), Mike Holloway (University of Florida), Bob Kitchens (University of Texas-El Paso, Mississippi State University, West Texas A&M University), Marty Stern (Villanova University) and Bubba Thornton (University of Texas, Texas Christian University) in the 2016 class.  The six coaches were enshrined in the Hall of Fame for not only their incredible and historic accomplishments as track & field and cross country coaches, but also the long-lasting impact their contributions have had and will continue to have on the sport.

Started in 1995, the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame exists to recognize coaches who have brought great distinction to themselves, to their institutions and to the sports of cross country & track & field.  Each of the honorees exemplifies the qualities of dedication to the sport, leadership and passion for their profession that serve as an inspiration to coaches everywhere in the sport. 

Healy is the fourth UW-La Crosse coach to be inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame, joining Mark Guthire (2008), Phil Esten (2011) and Gary Wilson (2015).  "I am honored and humbled to be inducted by our organization," said Healy.

In his 25 seasons (1991-2016) as UW-La Crosse's head women's track & field coach, Healy led the Eagles to 22 team trophies (top-four finishes) at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The Eagles finished in the top-10 in 41 of a possible 50 national championships under Healy, who led UW-La Crosse to a sweep of the 2015 NCAA III indoor and outdoor titles.  
 
For his efforts, Healy was selected the 2015 USTFCCCA National Indoor and Outdoor Coach of the Year.  He became the third coach in USTFCCCA history to earn the indoor and outdoor coach of the year honors in the same season.  It marked Healy's fourth indoor (1997, 2000, 2001, 2015) and second outdoor (1998, 2015) national coach of the year honors. 
  
Along with the two national titles, Healy led UW-La Crosse to five (1993, 1999, 2001, 2009, 2014) second-place finishes at the indoor NCAA III championships and two (1993, 1997) second-place finishes at the outdoor championships during his tenure.  The Eagles recorded 26 top-five finishes at the NCAA III Championships under Healy.  

He was selected the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Indoor Coach of the Year three times (1997, 2000, 2001) and Outdoor Coach of the Year once (2014).
 
UW-La Crosse won 16 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) indoor titles under Healy, including 14 of the last 17.  He was named the WIAC Indoor Coach of the Year 13 times.  The Eagles won 18 outdoor conference titles under Healy, including 16 of the last 19. He was named the WIAC Outdoor Coach of the Year 11 times in his career, including the last five seasons.  
 
A total of 463 NCAA Division III All-America honors (198 indoor; 265 outdoor) were earned under Healy.  UW-La Crosse had 18 individual and nine relay national championships in Healy's tenure.  The Eagles set 24 of 26 indoor school records under Healy and 18 of 27 outdoor records.
 
The success continued on the academic side under Healy as UW-La Crosse has earned the USTFCCCA All-Academic Award all 19 seasons it has been awarded. UW-La Crosse was named the 2014-15 Scholar Team of the Year in NCAA Division III for both the indoor and outdoor seasons by the USTFCCCA.  The Eagles also won the indoor scholar team award in 2007.  The women's track & field program has averaged over a 3.30 grade point average since 1992. 

The 2015-16 season marked Healy's 40th year as a track & field coach. Prior to arriving at UW-La Crosse, he coached at Southern Oregon University, serving as an assistant coach from 1986-90 and as head coach in 1990-91.  A native of Sweet Home, Oregon, Healy was an assistant coach at Western Oregon University from 1983-86 and began his coaching career at Dallas (Ore.) High School from 1976-83. 

He served as UW-La Crosse's head cross country coach from 1991-2011, guiding the Eagles to 13 top-10 finishes at the NCAA III Championships.  UW-La Crosse captured four WIAC cross country titles under Healy as he was named the WIAC Coach of the Year each season.  During the 2001-02 campaign, UW-La Crosse earned top-four national trophies in the "triple crown" (cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field) for the first time since 1983-84.  The Eagles placed fourth at the NCAA III cross country championships in 2001 while finishing third at the 2002 indoor track & field championships and fourth outdoors.

Healy was inducted into the UW-La Crosse Wall of Fame in October.