Irv Ray begins his fourth season at the helm of the Azusa Pacific men's cross country program. He also serves as an assistant coach on the men's track & field team, in charge of strength, 400-meter runners, middle-distance, steeplechase and long-distance runners.
Ray has built the Azusa Pacific men's cross country program into one of the premiere programs in both the Golden State Athletic Conference and NAIA District 3. In addition, APU is poised to make an impact on the national cross country scene. Last year, the Cougars placed second at both the GSAC and District championship races and for a portion of the season were ranked No. 7 in the NAIA. Those stats are especially impressive considering that prior to Ray's arrival, it had been 4 years since a complete APU men's cross country team had scored at either the conference or distract meets.
Ray brings an interesting background to his coaching, having spent 20 years in the food marketing business, most of the time as a group vice president of a major food marketing corporation. He started coaching as an extension of his own running. He was a national class runner in his own right, picking up major track and road race wins in distances spanning the mile to the marathon. His marathon victory came in the San Francisco area in 1983. He coached national- and master-level athletes for more than 12 years, including five years at Covina (Caif.) High School level, where his cross country and track teams were perennial league powers.
More recently, Ray has completed extensive study with 1992 Olympic and Australian national distance coach Tony Benson and the Austrialian Sport Institute. In addition, in September of 1992, Ray started coaching Steve Scott, the American record-older in the mile and a veteran of two decades of international competition.
Ray, 41, still competes at master's level races and several tail races, including The Dipsea Race, which he has finished 10 consecutive years. He and his wife, Carol, who is a neonatal intensive care nurse, live in Glendoar with sons Chris (an APU sophomore and member of the cross country team) and Ryan.
