George Watts begins his 13th season as coach of the Tennessee track distance corps and cross country squad. Previously, he served as the assistant coach since 1985. Watts distance corps has contributed greatly to Tennessee's success.

With the exception of two years away from campus, from the fall of 1975 when he arrived on campus to begin an All-America career until the present, Watts has been a vital part of growing the Vols proud distance
tradition.

As assistant coach, Watts played a crucial role on coaching staffs that directed the Vols to NCAA outdoor championships in 1991 and 2001, in addition to an NCAA indoor title in 2002. Watts has been on board as an assistant for 10 Southeastern Conference titles (six outdoor and four indoor), most recently helping the Vols claim the 2007 SEC outdoor title. Along with the 2001 and 2002 SEC outdoor titles, Watts athletes played a significant role in helping the Vols capture the 1996 SEC indoor championship. The team victory was sealed when the Tony Cosey-anchored distance medley relay team posted an exciting victory.
His track athletes have garnered 32 All-America certificates.

Last season, he led Tennessee s distance medley relay team of Jeff Day, Samdi Fraser, Andrew Dawson and Tyler DeVault to the SEC title, breaking Arkansas stranglehold on the event and claiming UT s first DMR conference championship since 1996. He then directed Day, Fraser, Yarrick Kincaid and DeVault to a school-record clocking of 9:33.61 in the event one week later. Outdoors, he coached Kincaid to All-America honors and 10th on Tennessee s all-time performance list in the 800.

Watts led three athletes to the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships in three different events. Following the season, he was named Mideast Region Male Assistant Coach of the Year (Distances) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Watts middle distance and distance runners were represented in the indoor and outdoor NCAA meets in 2005, as Paul Cross contested the indoor 800 meters and Zach Sabatino raced the steeplechase outdoors.

In 2004, freshman Cross and Marc Sylvester, both 800 men coached by Watts, led the Vols in scoring with a third and fourth-place finish at the NCAA outdoor championships. Cross also won the SEC outdoor 800 title.

In 2003, Watts athletes from the 800, the shortest race he coaches, to the 10,000, the longest distance he coaches, qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Three-time All-America Sylvester won the 2003 SEC 800
outdoor crown. Meanwhile, Patrick Gildea authored the finest season for a Tennessee 10,000 man in nearly a decade.

In 2002, Watts molded freshman Sylvester into an 800 force to be reckoned with. Sylvester captured All-America honors both indoors and outdoors, indeed mounting a charge that led to Tennessee s 2002 NCAA indoor title.
Additionally, Watts coached freshman Frank Francois to the 2002 world junior championships in the 800.

Watts coaching highlights include coaching 800 school record holder and 1992 and 1996 Olympian José Parrilla. Cosey, a Watts product, competed in the steeplechase in the 2000 Olympics. Watts also tutored 1,500 school
record holder and All-America selection Tim Pitcher.

In addition to coaching the current Volunteers, Watts continues to work with steeplechaser Anthony Famiglietti, 800 man Jebreh Harris and distance specialists Jeff Day, Gildea and Ben Lukowski. Harris finished the 2006 season ranked second in the U.S. in the 800, and Famiglietti was ranked sixth in the U.S. in the steeplechase and 10th in the 5,000 at the end of the 2007 season.

Watts directed Harris to a third-place finish at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in 2006 and Gildea to the World Cross Country Championships that same year. Harris also ran the first leg on the American-record breaking 4x800 relay team in 2006.

Famiglietti followed Watts tutoring to the 2004 Olympics after a runner-up finish in the U.S. trials. Famiglietti won the 2002 USA outdoor title and 2001 World University Games under Watts tutelage. Watts also worked with legendary Tennessee alum Todd Williams, a 1992 and 1996 Olympian and 10,000 school record holder, during his professional career.

The line of stars like Cosey, Famiglietti, Gildea, Harris, Parrilla and Williams continues a long tradition of Vols who choose to continue training in Knoxville during their post-collegiate careers.

In addition to his assistant head coaching duties for track, Watts heads the Volunteers cross country program. Likewise, Tennessee remains competing at its historically high level in cross country.

Under Watts leadership, the Vols have consistently finished near the top of the SEC, including three second-place finishes. His athletes have competed in eight NCAA championships either as a team or individually. In cross country, Watts has coached 25 All-SEC or All-America runners.

Recognizing his efforts in constructing a cross country resurgence, Watts earned South Region coach of the year honors in 2001 and 2002. Watts also took district coach of the year honors in 1995.

In the 2005 season, Tennessee bettered its pre-meet ranking to notch its best NCAA championship finish since 1998. The Vols posted improvement in each of the three postseason races. Sabatino earned All-SEC, All-South Region and All-America honors with a 23rd-place finish at the NCAAs, the best by a Vol since 1995. Tennessee won three straight meets to open the season, the first time accomplishing that feat since 1995.

In 2002, Watts led the Vols to the NCAA Championship for the second time in as many years. In one of Tennessee cross country's greatest days of the last decade, the Vols, ranked fourth in the region, stormed to first place at the 2002 NCAA South Regional. In 2001, the Tennessee harriers reached the NCAA championship for the first time since 1998 despite not having a runner on the roster who had ever been to nationals.

Tennessee s NCAA highlight under Watts came in 1995 when the Vols captured a 12th-place finish and the District III team championship. Watts was tabbed district coach of the year for leading his charges in 1995. He directed Cosey to a second district championship and a seventh-place, All-America finish at nationals in 1995.

Before he was named head cross country coach, assistant coach Watts proved to be an integral part of leading the Volunteers to three SEC titles in 1985, 1989 and 1990.

A native of Alexandria, Va., Watts graduated from Tennessee in 1983. During his days as a Vol, he established himself as an outstanding distance runner, earning All-America honors for cross country in 1977 and indoor track in 1978 (three mile). Watts captured four SEC crowns as a Vol, beginning with the 1976 outdoor three-mile and six-mile championships. He followed with the 1977 outdoor 10,000 and 1978 indoor three-mile titles. Watts remains the SEC record-holder in the three-mile run, clocking a 13:32.6 in 1978. He also holds three Tennessee freshman records in the indoor two-mile (8:42.6), three-mile (13:44.4) and outdoor 10,000 (29:04.05).

Watts distance athletes began what has become an annual tradition by helping out with event operations at The Race for the Cure, a race for those affected by breast cancer.

He and his wife, Karen, have a daughter, Katie.