TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona Track & Field program announces the promotion of Dominic Johnson and Bob Myers to full-time Assistant Coaches. The two had been serving as volunteer assistant coaches for the Wildcats, with Johnson starting in the 2021-22 season and Myers starting in the 2012-13 season. Johnson will continue coaching pole vault and Myers will continue coaching high jump.
“The addition of two Arizona Track and Field legends to our program makes the athletics department better,” said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Fred Harvey.
Both Johnson and Myers have a long Wildcat history. Johnson was a standout performer for Arizona, competing in the pole vault and the decathlon. He still holds school records in the indoor pole vault (5.55m, 18-2.5) and outdoor pole vault (5.65m, 18-6.5), alongside four decathlon single-event school records in the 100m, 400m, pole vault, and 1500m. He ranks sixth all-time in the decathlon in school history with a score of 7,764.
In 1996, Johnson finished third in the pole vault at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and in 1997 he finished sixth in the decathlon, earning All-America honors for both performances. In 1998, he finished runner-up in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was named an All-American. He is a three-time Olympian, competing for St. Lucia in 1996, 2000, and 2008.
“Dominic Johnson was a member of the greatest men’s team at the University of Arizona as a multi-event student-athlete and pole vaulter,” said Harvey. “He competed in multiple Olympic Games, but more importantly, he trained and was mentored by coaches that have coached World and NCAA Champions. He also just signed the number one high school female pole vaulter in the country.”
Myers was a student-athlete and graduate assistant coach for the Arizona Track & Field program. In 1979, he was elevated to Assistant Coach, and in 1985 was named an Associate Head Coach, which he remained until 1992. During his tenure, he was named the Western Regional USATF Coach of the Year in 1989. Additionally, Myers was a U.S. Olympic Coach/Manager for Track and Field in Atlanta in 1996 and he coached various other U.S. National teams in the 1980s and 90s, including being the Head U.S. Coach for the World Cup of Track and Field and assistant coach for the World University Games.
In 2014, Myers was inducted into both the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame, as well as the National Alliance of Two-Year Collegiate Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into five Halls of Fame as a student-athlete, College administrator and Athletic Director. He has also published thirty-one articles in kinesiology and athletic professional journals throughout the world, two books, and six one-hour instructional technique videos.
“Bob Myers, who was a student-athlete and coach here at the University of Arizona, is one of the foremost minds in the world of high jumping,” said Coach Harvey. “His resume speaks for itself. To date, he is the only person to coach a 1-2-3 finish in the high jump at the Division I NCAA Finals.”