James Grant

Position: Head Coach Experience: 11 Seasons at Iowa Alma Mater, Year: Eastern Michigan University, 1971

James Grant served as head women's track coach at the University of Iowa for 11 seasons (1997-2007) until his death on July 23, 2007. Grant was the former assistant coach at Iowa for 11 years (1986-96).

Grant coached 15 all-Americans, 26 Big Ten champions, three NCAA Midwest Regional champions, 28 all-region selections and 81 NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers during his tenure as head coach. Iowa placed third at the 2004 Big Ten Indoor Championships in Iowa City and sixth at the 2003 conference outdoor meet and 10th at the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional - the team's highest placings under Grant. The third-place Big Ten indoor finish tied the team's highest conference finish in school history. In 11 seasons, 30 school records were set by Grant's student-athletes.

While improving in the league standings is considered a priority, Iowa's track and field team also concerns itself with performance in the classroom. During Grant's tenure, 61 Hawkeyes earned 111 academic all-Big Ten honors.

The last five seasons were outstanding ones for Grant and the Hawkeyes. Senior Kineke Alexander became Grant's first NCAA Champion, and the fourth in school history, when she won the 400 meters at the 2006 national indoor meet. The five-time Big Ten champion and two-time NCAA Midwest Regional champion is the only Hawkeye in school history to earn six all-America honors in the same event (400 meters). In the past three years, she rewrote the Hawkeye sprint records. Going into her final season at Iowa, Alexander holds school records in 200 (23.49), 400 (51.48) and 600 meters (1:27.84), and as part of 1,600-meter relay (3:40.52) indoors, and 400 meters (51.35) outdoors. She has run on five of the top 10 1,600-meter relays in school history.

In 2007, seniors Peaches Roach, Tiffany Johnson and Becca Franklin, juniors Meghan Armstrong, Alexander, Diane Nukuri and Tammilee Kerr and sophomores Renee White and Racheal Marchand helped set the tone for the season. The Hawkeyes sent the most competitors to the NCAA Midwest Regional (21) during Grant's tenure, which propelled the team to its highest finish (10th) at the meet in school history. Roach picked up her fourth all-America honor and fourth Big Ten high jump title. Armstrong (mile) and Nukuri (10,000 meters) earned all-America honors in the distance events, while Johnson (100-meter hurdles) and Nukuri (5,000 meters) won Drake Relays titles. Johnson won Iowa's first 100-meter title at the regional meet, broke her own school record in that event and became the first Hawkeye to win consecutive titles at Drake. Kerr set the school heptathlon record and became the first Hawkeye under Grant to compete at the NCAA Championships in the multi-events. White broke Johnson's school indoor and outdoor triple jump records, becoming the first Hawkeye in school history to jump over 42 feet outdoors. Franklin broke her own school records in the weight and hammer throws.

In 2006, Roach earned two all-America honors in the high jump, breaking the school's 23-year-old outdoor high jump record. Armstrong earned all-America honors in the mile and earned an outdoor NCAA berth in the 1,500 meters. Her runner-up finish in that event at the Big Ten Championships broke the 17-year-old school record by over two seconds. Johnson set the school 60 and 100-meter hurdles and indoor and outdoor triple jump records, winning the Drake Relays special 100-meter hurdles. Franklin set the school weight throw record and the 1,600-meter relay of Alexander, Lindsey McCalla, Ashley Granger and Johnson that broke the indoor school record by almost four seconds.

In 2005, Roach and Alexander became Grant's first indoor all-Americans. Roach defended her Big Ten indoor high jump title to become the second Hawkeye to win two consecutive Big Ten titles in the same event in school history. She also set the indoor school record in that event, breaking the 6-0 mark for the first time of her collegiate career. Johnson set school records in the indoor and outdoor triple jump and 100-meter hurdles, while Franklin shattered the hammer throw record by over 20 feet. The 6,400-meter relay of Nikki Chapple, Jordan Laney, Katie Donlon and Michelle Sokol also set a school record.

In 2004, Shellene Williams became the second student-athlete in program history to win four Big Ten titles, winning three titles in the 400 meters and one as part of the 1,600-meter relay. Roach gave Iowa its first Big Ten high jump titles, winning that event at the indoor and outdoor conference meets to earn outdoor Freshman of the Year honors.

In 2003, the 1,600-meter relay of Aisha Hume, Nicole Charles, Sarah Steffen and Williams shattered the 15-year-old school record of 3:41.23 with the blistering 3:36.26 they ran at the NCAA midwest regional. The quartet also won Iowa's first Big Ten title in that event. Aisha James wowed the Drake Relays crowd when she set school, meet, stadium and Trinidad and Tobago records in the long jump with a then-world leading mark of 22-3 (6.78 m). James became the first Big Ten long jump champion in school history and the first Hawkeye field event champion since 1993 with her victory at the conference meet. Alana Redfern qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second straight year when she broke her own school javelin record by almost 20 feet and set the Canadian National record in that event. James and Redfern became Iowa's first Drake Relays champions in the long jump and javelin, respectively. Jessie Strand broke the school pole vault records she set, both indoors and outdoors, and qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Grant also had immense success in his first two seasons at the Hawkeye helm. Wynsome Cole was an all-American in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1997 NCAA Championships. Iowa won six Big Ten event titles in those two seasons, and Erica Broomfield was named 1998 Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year.

As Iowa's assistant coach from 1986-96, Grant coached several Hawkeyes to success. In 1995, Yolanda Hobbs was an all-American in the 55 and 200 meters after winning the 55-meter Big Ten title. In 1994, Iowa's 400 meter-relay of Tina Floyd, Hobbs, Marlene Poole and Tanja Reid won Iowa's first Big Ten title in that event, earned all-America honors and set meet and school records. Karen Layne won the 1990 600-meter Big Ten title, while Senta Hawkins won the Big Ten 400 meters in 1988. In 1989, Iowa's 1,600-meter relay placed second at the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

A former Jamaican track standout, Grant coached at the high school level in Jamaica for 11 years prior to joining the Hawkeye program. From 1982-86, Grant coached men's and women's track at G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport. There he led the men's team to two national titles and two second-place finishes, and the women's team to three national titles.

A graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Grant captained the 1970 and 1971 Huron track teams, earning all-America honors while specializing in the 400 meters, 400-meter hurdles, and the mile relay. He was the Jamaican 400-meter hurdle national record holder, with a time that was ranked in the top-20 in the world. Grant also represented Jamaica at the Pan American Games and the Commonwealth Games for six years. In 1991, he was inducted into the Eastern Michigan Hall of Fame.

He was the 1965 and 1966 Jamaican national champion in both the 200 and 400-meters as a high school athlete at Jamaica's Kingston College.

Grant received his bachelor's degree in sociology and history from Eastern Michigan, and his master's degree in physical education from the German College of Physical Education in Leipzig, Germany.

Grant at Iowa