Dec. 11, 2007

AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn track and field assistant coach Jerry Clayton has been named the Coach of the Year by the members of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Track & Field Coaches Association (NACACTFCA). In addition to helping Auburn record three top-five team finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2007, Clayton coached two former Auburn athletes to medals at the Osaka World Championships.

Clayton, now in his 10th season at Auburn, coaches the Tigers' throws, high jump, pole vault, multi-events and women's triple jump. In 2007, his athletes won two national championships (Donald Thomas in the indoor high jump and Jacob Dunkleberger in the hammer throw), six SEC Championships (Cory Martin in the weight throw, hammer throw and outdoor shot put, Thomas in the indoor and outdoor high jump and Michelle Vaughn in the indoor triple jump) and earned nine All-American honors. Following the outdoor season, he coached Thomas to the world championship in the high jump, and former Tiger Maurice Smith to a silver medal in the decathlon.

Thomas, who took the Newcomer of the Year award at last month's World Athletics Gala, took the athletics world by storm this year. Moving from junior college basketball to high jumping, the 23-year-old Bahamian in just his second season leapt to a personal best of 2.35m in Salamanca in July, and then replicated that mark in the World Championships Final in Japan in August to take the gold.