Wayne Pate, the decorated track and field coach, has announced his retirement from coaching following the 2021 outdoor season. Pate has been in the collegiate coaching ranks for 41 years.
Pate has been named the National Assistant Coach of the Year six times in his career and has coached 18 NCAA National Champions and more than 100 All-Americans over his career.
Pate also made an impact on the international level, coaching multiple Olympians during his career.
Pate came to Notre Dame in August 2018, joining Hatherly-Piane Head Coach Matt Sparks’ staff as the sprints, long jump and triple jump coach.
Pate joined the Irish after 11 seasons at Kansas, coaching horizontal jumps and combined events. While there, he coached multiple Olympic athletes, 79 All-Americans and 11 National Champions.
Pate was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year four times during his tenure with the Jayhawks and he helped lead the team to its first NCAA Outdoor Championship team title in 2013. Pate coached the school’s first women’s individual NCAA Outdoor Champion when Lindsay Vollmer took home the 2013 title in the heptathlon.
Prior to his time with the Jayhawks, he spent nine years at his alma mater, Indiana University, serving as assistant and associate head coach before being named interim head coach in 2006-07. While in Bloomington, he was named National Assistant Coach of the Year twice, coached 22 Big Ten champions, an NCAA champion and an indoor and outdoor USA Champion. He saw three individuals receive All-American honors under his training and led two to the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008).
Before heading to Bloomington, Pate was an assistant coach at Purdue and oversaw the sprints, hurdles, long jump and triple jump. He coached a talented group of sprinters who were also members of the football team. Brian Alford was the Big-10 200 meter champion, while Vinnie Sutherland and Chris Clopton were conference finalists in the 60 meter dash.
Pate also spent time at Texas, Tennessee and Murray State, where he served as the head coach. Accolades of his early coaching career include being named the Ohio Valley Women’s Coach of the year and coaching individuals to five national titles in the long jump and high jump. At Murray State, he worked with three-time Olympian Heather Samuels (4×100 relay, 100m, 200m).
While a student at Indiana University, he was crowned the Big Ten Champion twice in the long jump and was a member of the 400-meter relay Big Ten Championship team.
Wayne Pate Quotes on Retirement
“I am extremely grateful to Notre Dame and the community for allowing me to be part of the Irish nation! It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to be a part of the Fighting Irish ever since I was recruited here from LaPorte High School by Joe Piane back in 1976. I want to thank Matt Sparks for bringing me into the Notre Dame family. I love what he and the rest of the track staff have created here! I have no doubt this is going to be a successful group of coaches and athletes for many years.
“I truly wish I had gotten here earlier in my coaching career. This year is my 41st year of coaching collegiate Athletics (40 years in Track and Field). I look around and most of my colleagues that were coaching when I started are gone. I am more than satisfied with what I have accomplished over the years, but – I’m pretty tired now, and I think I’d like to stay home.
“I absolutely love Notre Dame, always have. Right now I plan on staying here in the South Bend area, trying to figure out what my next adventure will be! I’ll be keeping all my options open. I consider myself lucky to have worked with some great universities, coaches and athletes over my career. It has been a pleasure helping them work toward their goals. I also appreciate and thank the many people who have influenced my development as a coach, there are too many to list!”
Hatherly-Piane Head Coach Matt Sparks Quotes on Wayne Pate
“I started my coaching career at Indiana University as a volunteer while Wayne Pate was a member of that staff. I had the opportunity to watch the way he assembled his group and the success that followed.
“What I took away from that experience was something I have carried with me during my entire coaching career: the way you treat people matters. Wayne’s light-hearted and caring personality was infectious. His student-athletes experienced the highest level of success and Wayne made sure they had fun along the way.
“As Wayne transitions to the next phase of his life, we will miss his easy going, light-hearted personality to break the tension around the office. We are forever grateful for Wayne’s contributions to Notre Dame Track & Field. It is our hope that, as Wayne plans to remain in the area, he is still involved with our program and makes use of our standing invitation to be a volunteer coach. Congratulations, Wayne, on a wonderful career.”