Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Basketball
Nov 14 (Fri)
6:30 p.m.
- Title:
- Director of Basketball Operations
- Email:
- chighfie@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.0316
Chris Highfield is in his first year as the director basketball operations at Eastern Michigan University.
The 32-year-old Highfield returns to the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor area after spending the last seven years at Florida Gulf Coast University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 2000, where he majored in sports management and communications, with an emphasis on collegiate coaching. While there, he spent five years (1995-2000) as a student basketball manager and served as the head manager from 1998-2000. Highfield was part of the 1997 NIT Championship team and the 1998 inaugural Big 10 Tournament Championship team.
While at FGCU, he spent seven years as an assistant to the men’s basketball program and also served as the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams. Additionally, he spent four years as the admissions recruitment coordinator.
In six seasons with the basketball program, Highfield helped lead the FCGU Eagles to four 20-plus win seasons, highlighted by the 2006-07 team’s record-setting 27-wins (27-6) and also a 2005 NCAA Division II South Regional Championship appearance.
Before arriving at FGCU, Highfield served as an assistant basketball coach at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. for one season (2000-01). There, he helped guide the Pumas to an 18-13 overall mark and an appearance in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament.
Prior to his tenure at Saint Joseph’s, Highfield spent time as a Team USA Administrative Projects intern for USA Triathlon in Colorado Springs, Co. He worked at the Olympic Training Center, helping organize the athletes’ schedules and daily office operations. He also attended the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and assisted Team USA in its inaugural Olympic competition for the sport of triathlon.
Highfield is single and currently resides in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Chris Highfield File
2004-2008 Florida Gulf Coast University-Admissions Recruitment Coordinator
2001-2008 Florida Gulf Coast University-Head men's and women's cross country coach
Florida Gulf Coast University-Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
2000-2001 Saint Joseph's College-Assistant Mne's Basketball Coach
1998-2000 University of Michigan-Head Student Manager
Summer 1999 Team USA Administrative Projects Intern
Summer 1999 Florida Gulf Coast University-Camp Director/Youth Team Coach
1995-1997 University of Michigan-Student Manager
1995-1997 Nike Campus Representative Assistant-University of Michigan
