Coaching Staff
Jerry Clayton Assistant Head Coach 13th Season With over 30 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience, Jerry Clayton enters his 13th season at Auburn University. Clayton, one of the nation’s top field event coaches, is responsible for the throws and multievents, in addition to his recruiting and administrative duties. As recently as 2008, Clayton coached six athletes that advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including Cory Martin, who won the shot put and the hammer throw while earning USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year honors. Jacob Dunkleberger also finished second in the hammer and second in the weight throw at the NCAA indoor meet. For his efforts Clayton was named the 2008 Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA. In 2007, his athletes won two national championships (Donald Thomas in the indoor high jump and Dunkleberger in the hammer throw), five SEC Championships (Cory Martin in the weight throw, hammer throw and outdoor shot put, Thomas in the indoor and outdoor high jump) and earned seven All-American honors. Thomas also went on to claim the gold medal at the 2007 Osaka World Championships, while another of Clayton’s pupils, former Tiger Maurice Smith, took the silver in the decathlon. Following the season, Clayton was named the Coach of the Year by the members of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Track & Field Coaches Association (NACACTFCA). During Clayton’s 11 previous years at Auburn, Tiger athletes in his events have won 10 NCAA individual track and field National Championships, 34 individual SEC Championships and 63 qualifiers for the NCAA Track and Field Championships have won 40 All-American honors. Prior to joining the Auburn staff, Clayton spent three years at the University of Florida as the Gators’ field event coach. During this period, Florida was much improved in the field events as Clayton produced 13 qualifiers for the NCAA Track and Field Championships, winning eight All-American honors, three individual SEC Champions and 10 All-SEC honors in three years. In addition, Clayton assisted Florida to one top-10 NCAA Track and Field Championship finish and four top-three SEC Championship finishes. Before joining the Florida staff in 1995, Clayton spent five seasons as the head men and women’s coach at Southwest Texas State. During his tenure at Southwest Texas, Clayton led the Bobcats’ programs to a combined four Southland Conference Championships, including the first men’s outdoor SLC title in school history in 1993. On the national level, Clayton guided the program to unprecedented success,
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as the men’s squad earned a school-best seventh place finish at the 1990 NCAA Outdoor Champion-ships and the women’s squad earned 13th place at the 1994 NCAA Outdoor Champion-ships. In recognition of his efforts, Clayton earned the 1991 Region VI Coach of the Year honors in addition to the Southland Conference Coach of the Year accolades he garnered Full Name: Jerry E. Clayton on four occasions. Prior to arriving in San Birthday: September 9, 1956 Marcos, Clayton spent nine Birthplace: Rushville, Illinois seasons as an assistant FAMILY men's track and field coach Wife: former Becky Kaiser at his alma mater, the Children: Zach (22), Nicholas (20) University of Illinois. EDUCATION During his coaching term B.A. in Physical Education in Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois, 1980 Clayton helped lead the TRACK & FIELD EXPERIENCE Fighting Illini to seven Big10 track and field titles and High School: Rushville HS three top-10 national fin- College: University of Illinois ishes, including a secondTwo-time NCAA qualifier - shot put place showing at the 1988 COACHING EXPERIENCE NCAA Indoor Auburn - Assistant Head Coach (1998-present) Championships. In over 25 years of Florida- Assistant Coach (1995-1998) Division I coaching, SW Texas State - Head Coach (1989-1994) Clayton's tutelage has pro- Illinois - Assistant Coach (1980-1989) duced 14 NCAA individual champions, 34 international team competitors and 19 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers. He has also mentored 70 NCAA All-American honorees, 114 individual conference champions (34 SEC individual champions) and 137 NCAA championship qualifiers during his coaching tenure. Claytoncoached athletes have won NCAA titles in seven of nine field events, while boasting All-America honors in every field event. Clayton, a native of Rushville, Ill., graduated from the University of Illinois in 1980 with a bachelor of science degree in physical education. During his collegiate career, Clayton was a two-time NCAA qualifier in the shot put. Clayton and his wife, Becky, a former three-time All-American long jumper at the University of Illinois and 2003 Auburn graduate in nursing, have two children: Zach (23), a senior on Auburn 2010 national championship football team, and Nicholas (21), a sophomore on the Air Force Academy track and field team.
A Closer Look: Jerry Clayton
The Clayton Family (clockwise from back left): Zach, Nicholas, Jerry and Becky
2011 Auburn Track & Field