Thornton tabbed Big 12 Indoor Coach of the Year
March 4, 2009 DALLAS -- Texas men's track and field head coach Bubba Thornton has been named the Big 12 Indoor Coach of the Year, the conference office has announced. This marks the fourth time Thornton has won the award and the third time in the last four years. "It is a great honor, but it is really about the team," said Thornton, who also has been named Outdoor Coach of the Year four times. "They were able to go out and give us the performances we needed to win our fourth straight title. It's been a lot of fun coaching this group, and hopefully, we can keep it up as we move towards the national meet." The Longhorns claimed this year's title by scoring 115 points, bettering Nebraska (102.5) and Texas A&M (84). The victory marked the first time in school history that the Texas men have won four-straight conference indoor titles. Overall, the Horns have won five Big 12 indoor titles under Thornton to go along with four outdoor conference crowns. In addition to his conference success, Thornton has led the Longhorns to top performances at the national meet. UT has finished in the Top Four at the indoor national meet in four of the last five seasons with third-place finishes in 2007 and '08 and fourth-place finishes in '04 and '06. Outdoors, the Horns have finished in the Top 10 in three of the last four years, including a third-place finish in 2006 and a fourth-place finish in '08. Coming into this season, Texas was the only team nationally to finish in the Top 20 at the NCAA meet in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field in each of the last three years.
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