Vince Anderson                  Position: Assistant Coach

ANDERSON FILE

Vince Anderson coaches the Vols' sprinters, hurdlers and horizontal jumpers. He is in his sixth season with the Vols and in his 17th season of collegiate coaching.

Anderson came to the men's staff after training the Lady Vols sprinters from 1990 to 1996. In those seven seasons, the sprint/hurdle corps played a central part in earning five top 10 finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Anderson put in a strong bid as the nation's most valuable assistant as his athletes enjoyed a stellar 2001 season. Under Anderson's skillful direction, the Tennessee sprint corps led the charge to the NCAA Outdoor title by tallying 37 of the Vols' 50 championship points.

True freshman Justin Gatlin became Tennessee's sixth NCAA sprint champion by taking home gold in both the 100M and 200M dash, the first freshman to pull the sprint double victory since Auburn's Harvey Glance in 1976. Freshman Sean Lambert and junior Leonard Scott also garnered All-America honors by shaking up the national and SEC sprint scene with world-class seasons. Scott set the 100M dash school record with a torrid 10.05 in the prelims at the NCAA Outdoors to break Terry Scott's 10.08 in 1985.

Tennessee's relay efforts set a new standard of excellence in 2001 under Anderson, as well. Anderson tutored the Vol 4x100M relay to a second-place NCAA finish and broke the school record twice in 2001. Anderson's speedy Vol quartet chiseled in the new school 4x100M relay standard at 38.66.

Meanwhile, the 4x400M relay team ran to All-America honors and scored Tennessee's crucial last and winning point at the NCAA Outdoors with a safe and flawless race. The season-best 4x400M relay effort of 3:04.56 marked the fifth-fastest in school history and the Vols' fastest since 1992. Not to be outdone, Tennessee's shuttle hurdle relay team ran to a Penn Relays meet record of 54.73 in posting the fastest time by a collegiate team in 2001. Additionally, the 4x200M relay team (1:20.90) broke a school record that had stood untouched since 1976.

Anderson also coached Dawane Wallace, a former Vol, to a breakout season in 2001. Wallace grew into a world class hurdler with a third-place finish at the USA Championships, seventh place at the World Championships and became a mainstay on the Grand Prix circuit.

Previously, Anderson has coached Scott to the 1999 NCAA 60M dash title to become Tennessee's fifth sprint champion and one of the nation's best.

Athletes training and competing under the watchful eye of Anderson have reorganized the Tennessee all-time best lists in the sprints and hurdles.

In all, Anderson has trained 25 All-America athletes at UT, including 10 SEC Champions and 18 school record holders. Of those 25, 17 have graduated and two more will do so soon. Anderson's main responsibility is recruiting and developing sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. He plans and coordinates all aspects of training for his event area. Anderson also works closely with Tennessee's football coaches to identify and recruit football/track athletes to The Hill.

Anderson practiced architecture for six years after college. He began his coaching career in 1986 as a volunteer assistant at the University of Houston.

Anderson holds two bachelor's degrees from the University of Houston, a bachelor of Architecture (1979) and a B.A. in English Literature (1987). He especially wishes to thank his wife, Charla, and his son, Kohl, for their steady love and support.