Chris Huffins

Chris Huffins

Personal information
Born	15 April 1970
Medal record Men's Athletics Competitor for the United States Olympic Games Bronze 2000 Sydney Decathlon World Championships Bronze 1999 Seville Decathlon Goodwill Games Silver 1998 New York City Decathlon Pan American Games Gold 1999 Winnipeg Decathlon USA Championships Silver 1995 Decathlon Silver 1997 Decathlon Gold 1998 Decathlon Gold 1999 Decathlon U.S. Olympic Trials Bronze 1996 Decathlon NCAA Championships Gold 1993 Decathlon

Chris Huffins (born 15 April 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an athlete from the United States who competed in the field of Decathlon. He was the Director and Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country programs at the University of California from 2002 to 2007. He married Monique Parker in 1997. He earned a degree from the University of California in French. Huffins is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Athletic career

Chris Huffins first became interested in decathlon while a student at the University of California. Sidelined with a broken toe, he watched other students performing decathlon and decided that that was the sport for him. Before becoming a decathlete, Chris Huffins was also a basketball player, sprinter, and long jumper.

As a decathlete, Huffins acquired a reputation as a fast starter but a slow finisher, prone to surging ahead on the first day of the competition, but fading on the second day. Huffins denied this accusation, saying that it was an accident of ordering because his two weakest events (javelin, 1500m run) happened to be the final two events of the decathlon.

Achievements

• 1992 Olympic Trials - decathlon - 16th
• 1993 NCAA - decathlon - 1st
• 1993 USA Outdoors - decathlon - 9th
• 1993 Pacific Ten Conference, decathlon - 1st
• 1993 Ranked by Track and Field News decathlon - 9th U.S.
• 1995 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships - decathlon - 2nd
• 1995 1995 World Championships in Athletics Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden - decathlon - 8th
• 1995 Ranked by Track and Field News decathlon - 8th World, 2nd U.S.
• 1996 Olympic Trials - decathlon - 3rd
• 1996 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. - decathlon - 10th
• 1996 Ranked by Track and Field News decathlon - 10th World, 3rd U.S.
• 1997 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships - decathlon - 2nd
• 1997 Ranked by Track and Field News decathlon - 7th World, 2nd U.S.
• 1998 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships - decathlon - 1st
• 1998 Deca Jam, - decathlon - 1st
• 1998 Goodwill Games, - decathlon - 2nd
• 1998 Ranked by Track and Field News decathlon - 5th World, 2nd U.S.
• 1998 Recipient of the John H. Bennett Award presented by USA Track & Field
• 1999 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships - decathlon - 1st
• 1999 Pan Am Games - decathlon - 1st
• 1999 World Championships - decathlon - 3rd
• 1999 Recipient of the John H. Bennett Award presented by USA Track & Field
• 2000 OG Sydney, Australia - decathlon - 3rd
• 2000 Ranked by Track and Field News decathlon - 4th World, 1st U.S.
• 2000 Inducted into the Indiana State Track & Field Hall of Fame
• 2000 Recipient of the John H. Bennett Award presented by USA Track and Field

Huffins also holds the decathlon world record in 100 m with a time of 10.22 and the heptathlon world record in 60 m with a time of 6.61 seconds.

2000 Sydney Olympics

Huffins qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics from the American team only because projected decathlete Dan O'Brien was injured on the eve of the Games. At age 30, Huffins was the oldest entrant in the Sydney decathlon.

During the competition, Huffins performed consistently enough to lead in points after the first nine events, including the javelin. For the concluding 1500m event, he ran a hard race, finishing fourth and beating his previous best time by almost 13 seconds to capture the bronze.

On the topic of not winning the gold medal, Huffins later said there were as many bronze medals as gold medals, so he didn't feel any less honored for finishing third.

Coaching career

After spending some time as an assistant coach for Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, Huffins was hired at his alma mater, the University of California, to coach his old team, The Golden Bears. Under his direction, the team has won 14 All-American honors, set 12 new school records, sent five athletes to the 2004 Summer Olympics, and in 2005, two of Huffin's athletes were ranked in the top 10 in the United States.

On May 29, 2007, Huffins announced his resignation from his position as director of track and field at the University of California.

He is currently an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University.

References

• trackfield.brinkster