Leroy Burrell

Texas A&M Director of Athletics Trev Alberts has announced the hiring of Leroy Burrell as the 20^th head coach of the Aggies' track & field program.

Burrell spent the last four years as the head coach of Auburn where he led the Tigers to four top five finishes at the NCAA Championships
 
Burrell joins the Aggies following a standout four season at the helm of the Tigers, where he delivered four top-five team finishes at the NCAA Championships including a second and third place result. Under his guidance the men’s program delivered their best national indoor finish since 2003 and best outdoor national finish since 2008. He helped his athletes rewrite the record book during his final season on The Plains, as his athletes broke a pair of NCAA records at the outdoor championships and tied a third at the indoor national meet.
 
He joined Auburn following a decorated 23 seasons at his alma mater, Houston, where he claimed a staggering 44 conference titles with 31 coming on the men’s side and 13 on the women’s. Along with his conference titles, Burrell saw success on the national stage securing six top 10 results at NCAA Championship events with three of those squads placing top five. He was recognized for his coaching dominance during his time in Houston, as he was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Central Region Coach of the Year on three occasions, while also earning 23 Conference USA Coach of the Year nods and 11 American Athletic Coaching Staff of the year honors.
 
Burrell has guided his athletes to the pinnacle of collegiate competition, as he has coached 19 national champions, helped earn 266 All-America honors and delivered a staggering 376 conference champions. He carries plenty of momentum into his move to Aggieland following a standout 2026 campaign with Auburn. His Athletes this season won four individual national titles, six conference titles, garnered 31 All-America honors, while also breaking the collegiate record in the 4x100m and both NCAA and world record the 110m hurdles.
 
His coaching has helped six athletes land in contention for the most prestigious individual award in NCAA track & field, The Bowerman. Burrell has semifinalists for the award, two of which were this year with the Tigers. Ja’Kobe Tharp was his first semifinalist and took the nation and world by storm this season, sweeping the short hurdle NCAA and SEC titles. He broke the indoor collegiate 60m hurdles record at the national meet with a time of 7.32 which landed him third in world history, outdoors he made a statement in the 110m hurdles NCAA semifinals breaking the world and NCAA record with a time of 12.75 and then went on to win the final in 12.90. Kanyinsola Ajayi is his second semifinalist this season, he won the indoor 60m crown tying the collegiate record of 6.45, while also claiming the 100m title in a wind-aided mark of 9.72.
 
Helping his athletes reach the pinnacle of the sport, he has produced 19 Olympians during his career with 15 coming from his time in Houston and four in Auburn. He’s had an athlete compete in seven-straight summer games from 2000-2024 and also had two athletes participate in the 2018 winter games.
 
Burrell’s career started on the track, as he made a name for himself as one of the world’s premier sprinters. Throughout his career he broke world records across the 60m, 100m, 4x100m and 4x200m. He captured the title of ‘World’s Fastest Man’ after downing the 100m record for the first time in June 1991 with a time of 9.90, three-years later he recaptured the title after clocking 9.85 where he held that title for two years.
 
He delivered on the international stage for the United States, delivering a plethora of medals for his nation. He earned Olympic gold as a part of the 4x100m relay at the 1992 Games in Barcelona as well as earning fifth place individually in the 100m. Burrell also collected a pair of World Championship titles in the 4x100m relay and a silver in the 100m. During his collegiate career he earned three NCAA titles, winning one 100m crown at the outdoor championships with a collegiate-record time of 9.94 and two back-to-back indoor long jumps titles in 1989 and 1990.