Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Track & Field
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- brad.fairchild@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.0236
Head coach Brad Fairchild enters his ninth season as the head coach of the Eastern Michigan University men’s track and field program.
The 41-year old Fairchild first joined the EMU track program in 1993 as an assistant to veteran head coach Bob Parks. Fairchild succeeded Parks in 2000 after 34 years at the helm.
In eight seasons as the head coach, Fairchild has proven that he was indeed the right man for the job, leading the Eagles to 10 Mid-American Conference and five Central College Championships during his tenure. A total of 79 athletes and relay teams have won MAC titles under Fairchild’s direction as head coach (41 indoors, 38 outdoors).
In 2002, Boaz Cheboiywo won the NCAA title in the 10,000 meteres. During the 2004 campaign, Jordan Desilets won the NCAA title in the steeplechase, becoming Eastern Michigan’s 34th nationall champion (NCAA/NAIA). Cheboiywo, Desilets, Corey Nowitzke and Gavin Thomson have all been named track All-Americans under Fairchild.
Indoors, Fairchild has had seven athletes named the MAC Most Valuable Performer, with the most recent coming in 2008 as Josh Karanja and Curtis Vollmar were named co-MVP’s
(2001, Jalilu Mayo; 2002, Neil Kirk; 2003, Cheboiywo; 2004, Desilets; 2007, Nowitzke).Three athletes have been honored with the Most Outstanding Track Performance, with sprinter Clint Allen being the most recent after winning the 60-meter dash sprint title in 2008, a mere four-hundreths off the MAC record
(2001, Aaron Bartee; 2004, Thompson).Outdoors, four athletes have been named MVP, with hurdling standout Eric Alejandro claiming the award in 2008 after winning both the 100 and 400 hurdles and as a member of the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams
(2002, Nduka Awazie; 2003, Cheboiywo; 2004 Desilets). Three have been awarded MOTP, as Allen took the award in 2008 after winning the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.21 seconds, the second-fastest mark in MAC Championship history (2001, Bartee; 2003, Cheboiywo).The 2008 season saw the Eagles defend their indoor title, winning by a MAC record 83 points. Outdoors, the Green and White took second, losing by a mere one point to Akron. Fairchild was named the MAC Coach of the Year during the indoor season.
2007 was a banner year for the men’s track and field program, claiming the triple crown in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. Fairchild’s crew edged out Kent State indoors and Akron outdoors for the titles. This was the 11th MAC title for indoor track and the 20th for outdoor track.
Indoors, 20 different individuals or relay teams claimed 24 top-eight performances, including five gold medals (4x400-meter relay team; Josh Perrin, mile; Dave Adamek, shot put; Jake Dubois, 800-meters; Adam Kring, high jump). Perrin, Adamek, Dubois and Kring were all named first team All-MAC while Eric Alejandro, Josh Karanja, Nowitzke and Matt Pinter were all named second team All-MAC. Outdoors, 23 different individuals or relay teams claimed 32 top-eight performances, including four gold medals (Nowitzke, 1,500-meters, 3,000-steeplechase; 4x400-meter relay; Adamek, shot put). Adamek and Nowitzke were named first team All-MAC while Alejandro, David Brent, Karanja, Kring and Roy Shavers were all named second team All-MAC.
Coach Fairchild has earned several coaching honors throughout his career at Eastern. He has been named MAC Coach of the Year in indoor track six out of seven season. He has also been awarded the honor three times during the outdoor season in 2001, 2002 and 2007. He has been named Central Collegiate Conference (CCC) Coach of the Year in indoor track five times, in 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-2004, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, and has been named CCC outdoor Coach of the Year twice, in 2000-01 and 2001-02.
As an assistant at EMU, Fairchild worked with the sprinter, hurdlers, high, long and triple jumpers. In seven years as an assistant, Fairchild coached 30 MAC Champions (18 indoor, 12 outdoor), four Olympians (Clement Chukwu, Jamie Nietom Nduku Awazie and Fabian Rollins), one NCAA Champion (Chukwu) and six All-Americans (Chukwu, Nieto, Rollins, Tiberia Patterson, Kerch Patterson, Jr. and Carl Lowe).
Fairchild was born in Alma, Michigan, and attended St. Louis High School, where he lettered in football, wrestling and track, in which he was an All-State selection. He earned four letters in track at Ferris State University and was conference champion and NCAA Division II All-American in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. After receiving his B.A. in business management in 1990, he remained at Ferris for two years as assistant track coach. Fairchild also spent time as the graduate assistant for the women’s track team at Central Michigan University during the 1992-93 season before leaving to take over as an assistant at EMU.
He has been married to his wife Sue (Gorkowski) for 12 years. They have two daughters, Madison, 10 and Emma, 5, and one son, Ben, 3.
The Fairchild File
Head Coaching Experience
Eastern Michigan University
Track and Field, 2001-presents
Assistant Coaching Experience
Eastern Michigan University
Track and Field, 1993-2000
Coaching Honors
Mid-American Conference Indoor Coach of the Year
2001-2002-2003-2004-2006-2007-2008
Mid-American Conference Outdoor Coach of the Year
2000-2001-2007
Central Collegiate Conference Indoor Coach of the Year
2001-2002-2003-2004-2006
Central Collegiate Conference Outdoor Coach of the Year
2001-2002
Fairchild by the Numbers (Through 2008)
• Seven MAC Indoor titles (2001-2002-2003-2004-2006-2007-2008)
• Three MAC Outdoor titles (2001-2002-2007)
• 109 Indoor and Outdoor MAC Champions (as a head coach and assistant coach)
• 10 NCAA All-Americans (Cheboiywo, Desilets, Thompson, Nowitzke, Chukwu, Nieto, Rollins, Lowe, T. Patterson, K. Patterson)
• Three NCAA Champions (Chukwu, Cheboiywo, Desilets)
• Four Olympians (Chukwu, Nieto, Nduka Awazie and Fabian Rollins)
In the MAC
Year Indoor Finish Outdoor Finish
2001 1st 1st
2002 1st 1st
2003 1st 2nd
2004 1st 2nd
2005 3rd 3rd
2006 1st 2nd
2007 1st 1st
2008 1st 2nd
Fairchild and EMU Athletic Director Dr. Derrick Gragg
