Track and Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- E-Mail:
- juan@athletics.tamu.edu
DE LA GARZA UP CLOSE
PERSONAL
- Hometown: Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico
- Wife: Kristie
- Children: Victoria, Ana
- Education:
Texas A&M, 1985 (Bachelor's in Animal Science)
COACHING HISTORY
- 1984-85: Texas A&M, Graduate Assistant Coach
- 1985-86: Blinn JC, Graduate Assistant Coach
- 1986-91: Louisiana State, Assistant Coach (Throws)
- 1991-Pres.: Texas A&M, Assistant Coach (Throws)
TEXAS A&M COACHING ACHIEVEMENTS
- 65 All-Americans
- 26 Conference Champions
- 8 National Champions
- 4 Olympians
CAREER ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS
- 22-Time Mexican National Champion
- 5-Time World Championship Qualifier
- 2-Time Olympic Qualifier
- 2-Time All-American
- Mexican National Javelin Record Holder
- Texas A&M School Record Holder (Old Javelin Implement 268-2)
Juan De La Garza, also known as Chico, is in his third stint on a Pat Henry coaching staff. De La Garza also served under Henry at Blinn Junior College in 1986 and at LSU from 1987-90.
During his time at Texas A&M, De La Garza has produced 65 All-Americans, 26 conference champions and eight national champions. Proven to be one of the nation's best javelin coaches, he has produced a total of 27 All-Americans since 2008.
Post collegiate, De La Garza has had four athletes make appearances at the Olympics. Most recently, Maggie Malone '16 is the current American record holder and has risen as one of the best current javelin throwers in the United States. In 2021, Malone claimed the U.S. Olympic trials gold, defending her crown from the 2016 trials. Malone finished 10th place at the Tokyo Games, in 2016 she finished 25th. Shelbi Vaughan represented the United States at the Rio Olympics as well. Nery Kennedy '96 appeared at the 1992 and 2000 Olympics in the javelin for his home country Paraguay.
De La Garza has shown the unique ability to develop talented all-around athletes into elite javelin throwers. Leading De La Garza's success stories is Katy Doyle, who came to A&M with a softball background but finished her Aggie career with the 2004 NCAA javelin crown and three Big 12 titles.
In his previous 14 years at A&M, De La Garza has helped eight Aggies earn 13 All-America citations in the javelin (Nery Kennedy, 1996; Ty Sevin, 1993-94; Michelle Stirrett, 1994; Esther Eisenlauer, 1998; Travis Grasha, 1999; Katy Doyle, 1999, 2000, 2004; Luke Marrs, 2001, 2003; Rachel Walker, 2003, 2004) and 13 conference titles.
The Aggie throwers have been one of the top producers of points at the conference and national meets over the past five seasons.
In 2004, 14 A&M throwers advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional and eight of them moved on the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Led by Doyle's NCAA javelin crown, four Aggie throwers earned All-America honors at the meet.
The Aggie throwers shined in 2003, sending 10 qualifiers at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Three athletes took All-America honors, including NCAA men's discus runner-up Josh Ralston.
The 2001 season was a banner season for the Aggie throws corps, which produced conference champions in the men's javelin (Marrs), the women's hammer (Meshell Trotter) and a conference and national champion in the men's discus (Tolga Koseoglu). During the Aggies' run to the 2001 conference team championship, the multis crew produced 15 points, the javelin corps contributed 21 points, the shot putters posted seven points and the discus produced 16 points. All told, A&M's throwers contributed 59 of the team's 159 total points.
The 2005 meet saw De La Garza's shot put coaching come to the forefront as he helped Kasey Onwuchekwa break both the A&M indoor and outdoor school records en route to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He coached Jarrad Matthews to the Big 12 and NCAA Midwest Regional javelin titles as well.
De La Garza earned All-America honors as a javelin thrower at A&M in 1983 and 1984. After he completed his eligibility, he served one year as a graduate assistant at A&M under former head coach Charlie Thomas, then joined Pat Henry's staff at Blinn Junior College in 1986. De La Garza followed Henry to LSU when Henry was hired as the Tigers' head coach in 1987.
In De La Garza's four years at LSU, the Tigers won two national outdoor championships in men's track and four straight national outdoor titles in women's track. The LSU women's team also captured the national indoor crown in 1989. In addition, the Tigers won four consecutive Southeastern Conference outdoor championships in women's track and three SEC outdoor titles in men's track.
De La Garza represented Mexico at the World Championships in 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997. He won a bronze medal at the 1987 Pan American Games and won the Mexican national javelin championship 22 times. De La Garza owns the Mexican national record in the event at 260-6 and also is the A&M record holder (268-2 with the old implement).
Before transferring to A&M as a junior, De La Garza won the national junior college title at Wharton JC in 1982. Since 1988, he has been a lecturer for the track and field programs of Perpignan, France, Lauvain Laneuve in Belgium and Level III course in Mexico City.
De La Garza earned bachelor degrees from A&M in animal science in 1985 and in range management in 1987. De La Garza is married to the former Kristie Bahner, who is a scholastic supervisor for the Texas A&M Athletic Department. The couple has two children, Victoria and Ana.
