Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Director of Basketball Operations
- Email:
- chighfie@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.0316
The 2010-11 season marks the third year for Chris Highfield as the director of men’s basketball operations at Eastern Michigan University.
The 33-year-old Highfield, returned to the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor area last seasonafter spending the previous 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 at Michigan, 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.
In his seven years at FGCU he was 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, Colo. 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.
