Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's XC
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- john.goodridge@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.2245
John Goodridge begins his eighth season at Eastern Michigan University and the veteran coach has enjoyed an outstanding coaching career. With EMU’s Mid-American Conference championships in 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Goodridge has coached conference cross country championship teams in the MAC, Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference.
Since arriving at EMU eight seasons ago, he has coached two NCAA National Championship top three individuals including 2001 National Champion Boaz Cheboiywo, six cross country All-Americans, four NCAA Great Lakes Regional Individual Champions, five Mid-American Conference Individual Champions and 29 All-MAC harriers.
In 2007, Goodridge’s Eagles had another outstanding season, claiming their third MAC Championship title, the school’s 13th overall. Additionally, Josh Perrin won the individual MAC title in a time of 24:33. Five of Goodridge’s athletes were selected to All-MAC teams (Perrin, Josh Karanja, David Brent, Curtis Vollmar and Kyle Mena), while three were selected Academic All-MAC (Brent, Karanja and Wade Wines). Karanja earned a spot at the NCAA Championship meet after finishing eighth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, the best performance by any MAC runner.
The 2006 season was a banner year for Goodridge and his harriers. They repeated as MAC Champions and had the lowest point total ever by an Eagle team at the MAC meet. Six Eagles claimed All-MAC honors while senior Corey Nowitzke was the top finisher at both the MAC Championship and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. He finished 30th overall at the NCAA National Championshipsand was named an All-American and Academic All-American.
In 2005, EMU captured its 11th MAC Championship title. Nowitzke and Neal Naughton finished second and fifth, respectively. The Eagles went on to place fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship to qualify for the NCAA Championship, where they finished 24th, with Nowitzke as the top runner.
In 2002, after finishing second at the MAC Championship, the Eagles redeemed themselves by finishing third at the NCAA Championship, the highest place ever in school history.
In his first season at the helm of the Eastern Michigan men’s cross country program, Goodrige directed the Eagles to a first-place showing at the MAC Championship. Additionally, Boaz Cheboiywo won the individual title at the NCAA Championship, the first ever by an Eastern harrier.
Prior to coming to EMU, Goodridge was the head men’s track and field and cross country coach at Wake Forest University from 1984-99 where he led the Demon Deacons to unparalleled success in the school’s cross country and track and field history. He spent three years, 1979-82, as the head women’s cross country coach and assistant track coach at Michigan State University. He also served as the head United States national coach at the 1985 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, and in 1986 as the head United States coach at the World University Cross Country Championship in Graz, Austria.
At Wake Forest, Goodridge coached the second-most Atlantic Coast Conference championships of all sports in their history, and he coached the first ACC cross country team championship in school history as well as the first individual cross country champion. His 1989 Wake Forest cross country squad achieved the highest finish in that sport’s school history-it was third in the NCAA Championships, an ACC record. His Wake Forest cross country team finished first or second in the ACC for 10 consecutive years, winning four league titles and making seven NCAA appearances, and producing 35 All-ACC performers and four cross country All-Americans. In track, his team turned in the highest finish ever for Wake Forest in the ACC with a runner-up spot and eighth-place NCAA finish.
Goodridge has coached the best cross country teams in school history at Michigan State (women-fourth place NCAA National Championships), Wake Forest University (men-third place NCAA’s and first ever ACC Championship) and now EMU (third place NCAA National Championships). He is one of a small group of active coaches who have coached more than two top-three NCAA team national finishes.
A native of New York City, Goodridge graduated from Long Island University in 1972 and earned his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1975. During his many years of involvement in coaching cross country, he has been an officer of national organizations, including serving as the vice president of the U.S. Men’s Collegiate Cross Country Coaches Association and a founder of the American Distance Club.
Full Name John Reynold Goodridge
Born 11-2-48
High School S.H. Calhoun
Undergraduate College Long Island, ‘72
Graduate College University of Michigan, ‘75
Family Wife: Francie (Kraker)
Son: Kyle
WAKE FOREST
1984-1999
Finished first or second for 10 consecutive years
Had 19 individuals receive All-ACC honors 35 times
Coached four All-Americans
