| James Blackwood |
SAN ANTONIO ? A 39-year veteran of athletics in the state of Texas, seventh-year UTSA women’s head track & field coach James Blackwood announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of this season. He will continue to serve as meet director for all UTSA cross country and track & field meets and as a consultant in the development of the future UTSA track and field complex.
UTSA will honor Blackwood during the UTSA Relays opening ceremony scheduled for 12:40 p.m. on Saturday at Blossom Stadium.
Blackwood, a native of Corpus Christi, has been on the UTSA track & field coaching staff for nine seasons, the last seven as head coach of the women’s program. During his tenure in San Antonio, Blackwood has tutored Rhonda Ray and Ryanne Dupree to a combined five All-America certificates and has coached more than 60 all-conference performers and 26 Southland Conference champions. Seventeen school records have been broken under his watch.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at UTSA,” Blackwood said. “From Dr. Romo to Lynn Hickey and the support staff and student-athletes, we have a great group of people to work with here. It’s been an absolutely wonderful place to work.
“I’ve been around track since 1964 and I’m turning 67 now, so I felt like it was time for me to do some other things. I will really miss the interaction with the kids the most. However, I will still get to be involved with UTSA in running the home meets and helping with the design of the new track and field complex.”
The awards his student-athletes have received are not limited to the track. Roadrunners have garnered two ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America certificates, four Academic All-District accolades, four SLC Student-Athlete of the Year honors and 11 Academic All-SLC awards.
"We are very proud that we have had Coach Blackwood on our staff for the past nine years,” Athletics Director Lynn Hickey said. “He has made a major contribution during his coaching career to thousands of young people and we are honored that part of that career was here at UTSA.
“We are glad that he has committed to staying a part of our program as the director of our cross country and outdoor track and field meets. Even though he is ready to step away from day to day coaching duties, it will be very helpful to still have him as a part of our program in assisting with events and the development of our new track facility."
One of the power brokers in track & field in Texas, Blackwood has helped transform the UTSA Relays ? now in its ninth year ? into one of the top early outdoor meets in the Southwest. He also has served as an associate director of the Texas Relays since 1972 and for five NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Blackwood began his coaching career in 1965 at Corpus Christi W.B. Ray High School where he was an assistant track and cross country coach. His cross country team won the state championship in 1965 and was runner-up in 1966. From 1967-70, he was the head track and assistant football coach at Corpus Christi King. The next two years, Blackwood assumed the same duties at Richardson High near Dallas.
Blackwood began his collegiate coaching career at the University of Texas in 1972 as an assistant track and field/cross country coach with the Longhorns. In addition to the All-Americans produced at Texas, Blackwood’s team’s captured 13 Southwest Conference Championships. During his 12 years as an assistant at UT, the Longhorns finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships 11 times.
Olympian Patrick Sang (1992 silver medalist), Johnny “Lam” Jones (4x100-meter relay gold medalist), Henry Marsh (American record holder in the steeplechase and four-time Olympian) and James Lott (NCAA high jump champion) are just a few of the outstanding athletes he has coached . In all, Blackwood has mentored 17 Olympians.
In 1985, he was named recruiting coordinator for the Texas football team. The Longhorns captured one Southwest Conference football title and went to three bowls during Blackwood’s recruiting tenure. Twenty-five of his players went on to play in the NFL.
Seven years later, Blackwood was named an academic counselor at Texas. In 1996, he left the collegiate ranks to work with the Houston Astros Baseball Club. Blackwood returned to college coaching in 1997 as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Southern Mississippi University.
A 1964 graduate of Abilene Christian University, Blackwood has been married to Dr. Susan Blackwood, executive director of the San Antonio Sports Foundation, since 1989. Blackwood has one daughter, Jessica, and one granddaughter, Taylor.