News From Ricky Brackett:  Stanford S.I.D.
July 9, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. -- Edrick Floreal, who served as the Stanford Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field for the past eight seasons, has resigned to accept the head coaching position at the University of Kentucky.

Floreal was hired as an assistant coach at Stanford in 1998 and was appointed head coach in 2005.

"Coach Floreal has been a tremendous contributor to Stanford Track and Field / Cross Country as well as the broader Stanford Athletics community," said Interim Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Patrick Dunkley. "He will certainly be missed and I wish him well in at the University of Kentucky."

Since his arrival at Stanford, the Cardinal men and women have enjoyed tremendous success at the conference and NCAA championship level. A five-time MPSF Coach of the Year, the 2009 West Regional Indoor Coach of the Year and the 2006 West Regional Outdoor Coach of the Year, Floreal has developed the Stanford sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers into Pac-12 and NCAA Championship title contenders. Under his watch, 91 Stanford athletes have earned 197 All-America honors.

Floreal led the Cardinal men and women to a combined seven top-10 NCAA finishes during the outdoor season and another seven indoors.

In addition to the team accomplishments on the track, Floreal oversaw a cross-country program that is among the nation's elite. The Cardinal women won three NCAA titles under his watch, while the men have placed in the top five in three of the past four seasons.

Floreal's vast technical knowledge in the sprints, hurdles and jumps, and his experience as a world-class athlete benefited several athletes to outstanding individual accomplishments in a wide variety of events.

At Stanford, Floreal has coached Pac-12 and NCAA Champions in his specific event groups, including hurdler Amaechi Mortonthis season. Morton won the 400-meter hurdles at both the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships and will compete for Nigeria at the Olympics this summer. 

Floreal also coached Erica McLain to seven Pac-12 titles and three NCAA championships in the long and triple jumps and helped the 2008 graduate to the Beijing Olympic Games.

A nationwide search for the next director of track and field will begin immediately.