A Hall of Fame Coach
This story originally appeared in the December issue of Hurricane Magazine.
By Tom Symonds
HurricaneSports.com
The individual and team accomplishments under the direction of Miami’s Amy Deem are truly remarkable.
What’s even more remarkable is that prior to Deem’s appointment as the Director of Track and Field/Cross Country no Hurricane had ever recorded an NCAA qualifying mark.
“I’m one of those people that if you tell me that I can’t do something, I’m going to do everything I can to prove you wrong,” Deem said with a grin.
Deem’s can-do-anything attitude is what has elevated the Miami Hurricanes track and field program to unprecedented heights.
Since taking over the program 27 years ago, Deem and the Hurricanes have become a regular visitor to the NCAA Championships and her athletes have captured 14 national championships, while nearly 200 individuals have gone on to earn First Team All-America honors.
In addition to her team’s individual success, Deem has seen 14 of her teams win conference team titles.
On Dec. 13, Deem will take her place among the best of all-time, as she will be one of six coaches inducted into the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches Hall of Fame in the Class of 2017 in Phoenix, Ariz.
“Anytime you are chosen for something by your peers, it’s one of the greatest honors you can have because it’s the people out there, who are doing the same things you are doing,” Deem said. “For them to nominate you and put you in that position, it means a lot.”
Deem will join Peter Farwell, Jack Hazen, Bob Kersee, Fred Samara and Patrick Shane as USTFCCCA Hall of Fame Inductees. “It’s overwhelming,” Deem said. “I look at the people I am going in with and it’s really just a shock because I really just didn’t think I was there yet in my career. I still felt like I still needed to do more in my career before something like that came along.”
Rewind back to 1988 and it’s a fair bet that not even Deem could have seen her career path leading toward the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame doors.
“My career has been a dream because I never really thought I was going to be a college coach,” Deem said. “I always thought I was going to be a high school coach. I just thought it would be a great life. Coach during the year, then have the summers off.”
Deem, who was born and raised in the hardworking town of Parkersburg, W. Va. where she starred as a three-sport high school athlete would eventually move on to compete as a track and field student-athlete at Ohio University.
Following a collegiate career that was cut short due to injuries, Deem took a trip South to visit a friend during a break from school.
The result of the trip was a brand new tan and an unexpected offer to work in the Miami Athletics compliance office as an intern for six weeks.
During her internship, it didn’t take long for Deem’s love of track and field to come out.
Following her six-week internship in the compliance department, Deem was hired part-time to help out with Miami’s up-and-coming track and field program. Her internship was extended and she spent the next two years as an assistant track coach before taking over for good in 1990.
As a young coach looking to make an impact on the lives of her student-athletes, Deem resorted to her upbringing from her parents to lay the foundation of her track and field program.
“My parents were such a strong foundation,” Deem said. “They were complete opposites. My mom was a nurse – very compassionate and a very understanding person. My dad was someone who always said that you never take a day off. He is very driven and he never got sick. I’d like to think that I got a nice combination of both of them.”
Deem’s combination of a fierce competitive spirit, toughness and compassion is what has seen her take the duty of serving her country during the 2012 London Olympics, where she was the head coach of the United States women’s team where her team posted one of the most dominating performances in USA Olympic track and field history, as the team won 14 medals, winning six gold, four silver and four bronze.
“I had no idea that when I got into coaching that I would be an Olympic coach or that I would coach the World Championships,” Deem said.
In addition to coaching some of the finest athletes in the world, Deem also has been showered with numerous individual coaching honors, including ACC Coach of the Year and USTFCCCA South Region Coach of the Year.
Despite all the individual honors and accolades, Deem’s secret to success has always centered on putting her student-athletes first.
“For me, it was always about the overall development of the student-athlete,” Deem said. “Track is just a small part of being successful in life. For me, being able to provide opportunities to get a degree and put them in a situation to grow throughout this four-year process.”
Deem has also placed a strong emphasis on building relationships, which has translated into a strong relationship with her staff, which has been a key component to Miami’s success over her nearly three decades at The U.
“I’ve had some really great staffs,” Deem said. “I really believe that you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. To be able to be in a position to hire good people has been great and they have definitely made an impact on my life. They’ve taught me to be a better teacher and to be better mentors. You can’t win a track championship without good coaches.”
The USTFCCCA Hall of Fame is not the only place that has taken notice of Deem’s numerous accomplishments, as several other schools have presented job offers.
However, Deem still feels there is far more she can accomplish as the head coach of the Hurricanes.
“I’ve had other opportunities, but I just felt like I’ve never really finished the job here,” Deem said. “There’s still things that I feel like we can accomplish and I’m still extremely motivated to do that. As long as you’re motivated and you still have things to strive for then why move just to move.”
As she approaches her 28th season leading the Hurricane track and field program, Deem still has the same energy and enthusiasm she had as a college student when she first flew down to Miami.
“It’s an exciting time to be a part of Miami athletics because everyone is doing well and it’s fun to see the energy among the student-athletes,” Deem said. “I’ve been really fortunate to work with some really great people here and I’ve always felt like track is important here. To be able to work with people who are trying to support the mission has been great.”
