Mike Mulqueen, a six-time conference coach of the year and five-time NCAA District Coach of the Year, begins 39th season as the head coach of the Rutgers men’s cross country team and 42nd season overall at the University in 2020-21. Mulqueen served as the head coach of the track and field program for 37 seasons as well.
Mulqueen has achieved a number of milestones during his decorated career as the head of the Scarlet Knights, which includes 30 Metropolitan team championships, 52 All-Americans, 281 Metropolitan Champions, 62 IC4A Champions, 12 Big Ten Champions, 434 All-East selections, and a BIG EAST team title in 2005.
Mulqueen's cross country and track and field teams have placed in the top five at the BIG EAST Championship 20 times, won 30 Metropolitan Championships and placed in the top three on 50 other occasions. He has seen his teams place among the top 10 in the IC4A 21 times, including as runner-up at the 2019 indoor track and field championships.
Since his appointment, Mulqueen has indeed developed Rutgers into one of the strongest programs in the college ranks. He had perhaps his proudest moment as a coach when former Scarlet Knight Balazs Koranyi participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 800 meters, ultimately reaching the semifinals. Koranyi later reached the semifinals at the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia. Other accolades include 364 All-East selections, five Junior National Champions, 108 BIG EAST Champions and 10 national sports festival participants. His athletes have set 77 school records.
The Scarlet Knights collected four Big Ten medals and two Big Ten titles in 2018-19. Izaiah Brown captured his fourth-straight Big Ten Championship title in the 400m, becoming the first Scarlet Knight at Rutgers to win four gold medals in a single Big Ten event. Chris Mirabelli became a three-time Big Ten javelin champion, going on to become a four-time All-Americah with Second Team stats in the event at the NCAA Championships. Taj Burgess picked up Honorable Mention All-America accolades in the 400m. Burgess also broke RU's 500m indoor record, which marked the fastest time in the nation at the time. Additionally, the 4x400m relay broke the indoor and outdoor program records in 2018-19.
Rutgers extended its streak of producing a first team All-American and Big Ten champion in the same year under Mulqueen for the third straight season in 2018. Rudy Winkler claimed the Big Ten Championship title in the hammer throw with a Rutgers and Big Ten Championship record toss of 73.85 (242' 3"). Winkler went on to pick up first team All-America status with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Also in 2018, the Scarlet Knights made history at the historic Penn Relays, setting a new school record in the 4x400 Championship of America. The quartet consisting of Griffith, Madeus, Brown and Burgess posted a time of 3:04.67 to set the new 4x400 record for the Scarlet Knights, finishing fourth in the field.
For the second consecutive year, Rutgers produced a first team All-American and Big Ten champion in the same year under Mulqueen in 2017. During the indoor campaign, Izaiah Brown set a Big Ten Championship record en route to a conference title in the 400m (45.32), winning the event for the second consecutive season. At the NCAA Championships, Jermaine Griffith finished seventh to capture first team All-America status in the 400m.
Christopher Mirabelli enjoyed an historic outdoor season in 2017, setting a school record in the javelin with a throw of 76.67m (251’ 6”) to capture the Penn Relays championships. Mirabelli also defended his Big Ten title in the event at the 2017 conference championships, and finished as a first team All-American with his eighth-place throw of 71.68m (235’2”).
Emeka Eze broke a school mark during the 2016 outdoor season when he produced a mark of 15.92m (52’ 2.75”) in the triple jump at the Metropolitan Outdoor Championships. Thomas Carr earned a bronze medal in the javelin at the Big Ten Championships, while six student-athletes were selected to compete at the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Florida.
In the 2018 outdoor season, Rutgers sent six athletes across five events to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Rudy Winkler collected First Team All-America recognition with a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw. Zo Aris, Izaiah Brown, Jermaine Griffith and Boaz Madeus collected Second Team All-America accolades in the 4x400m relay. Individually, Taj Burgess and Madeus earned Second Team All-America status in the 400m and 400m hurdles, respectively.
At the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Rudy Winkler claimed the hammer throw title and First Team All-Big Ten status. The 4x400 relay team of Brown, Burgess, Griffith, and Madeus claimed silver and Second Team All-Big Ten Recognition. Burgess notched silver in the 400m and Second Team All-Big Ten accolades, while Matt Krezmer earned bronze in the javelin.
The indoor season saw Brown collect his third consecutive Big Ten title in 400m, collecting First Team All-Big Ten recognition.
Additionally, Rutgers swept the Metropolitan Championships, claiming the 2017 Cross Country, 2018 Indoor and 2018 Outdoor titles. The 2018 Indoor Metropolitan Championship title was the fourth straight for the program.
Under the guidance of Mulqueen, Rutgers enjoyed an historic 2016 outdoor season on the national level, as six athletes represented the program in four events at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. At Hayward Field, Corey Crawford earned First Team All-America accolades when he finished fourth in the long jump, becoming a four-time First Team All-America selection in the event. Jermaine Griffith earned Second Team All-America designation in the 400m, Mirabelli secured Honorable Mention All-America status in the javelin, and the 4x400m relay team of Brown, Griffith, Rajee Dunbar and Calvin Knox finished as Second Team All-America performers.
In conference action, three athletes, Brown, Crawford and Mirabelli, all earned Big Ten Outdoor individual titles at the conference championships, placing first in the 400m, long jump and javelin, respectively. Brown flew to a first-place finish in the event with a school-record time of 45.27, while Crawford secured the long jump title with a school-record leap of 26’ 00.25” (7.93m). The three individual titles were the most at a Big Ten Championship event in the program’s history.
The 2016 indoor campaign mirrored the outdoor season in terms of success, as Brown and Crawford secured individual Big Ten Indoor titles in the 400m and long jump, respectively. With a school-record time of 45.62 in the 400m, Brown collected Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year honors and was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Track Athlete of the Indoor Championships. Crawford continued his strong season at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, where he earned his third First Team All-America designation in the long jump with an eighth-place finish.
Competing for the first time as a member of the Big Ten conference, the program witnessed a number of milestones during the Scarlet Knights’ inaugural season in the league. Eze captured the program’s first Big Ten title with a victory in the long jump at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Eze was named First Team All-Big Ten for his efforts while Josh Suttmeier garnered Second Team All-Big Ten accolades for his performance in the javelin. In the classroom, 14 athletes received Academic All-Big Ten honors, while Eze claimed the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
The 2015 outdoor season saw seven Scarlet Knights qualify for the NCAA Regionals, with three athletes – Griffith, Mirabelli and Carr – advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. All three would collect Honorable Mention All-American status. Mirabelli qualified for the 2015 Pan American Junior Championships during summer competition, where he captured gold in the javelin.
Rutgers also saw success under Mulqueen during the indoor season, where Rutgers captured first-place at the 2015 Metropolitan Indoor Championships. Eze, Dunbar and Joseph Valez all secured individual victories during the event, with Dunbar claiming titles in the 60m and 200m, as well as with the 4x400m relay team.
The Scarlet Knights enjoyed one of the most successful campaigns in program history during the 2005 season. Rutgers capped its outstanding year with victories at both the 2005 BIG EAST and IC4A Outdoor Championships. The team also won the 2005 IC4A Indoor Championships and finished second in the 2005 BIG EAST Indoor Championships.
The Scarlet Knights were also represented at the 2005 NCAA Championships in Sacramento, California, as Sam Segond and Marquis Allen garnered All-American status with their performances. In addition, Mulqueen and his staff earned their fourth BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors, capturing the trophy in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Mulqueen began his coaching career at St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen, N.J., his alma mater. While at St. Joe's, he helped coach several county championship teams, including a state championship squad. His athletes won numerous county and state championships; two went on to achieve national success and All-America accolades.
Mulqueen continued this success at Rutgers where he started as a volunteer assistant coach, working with the men's and women's hurdlers. He made his way up to part-time coach and continued to assist those hurdlers. Many of them earned national recognition including Debbie Deutsch, Julie Smithers, Lorie McCauley (an American record-holder in the 400 hurdles with a time of 55.69), Boris Pendergrass and Eugene Norman. These hurdlers and hurdle relay teams were ranked nationally on several occasions.
In 1982, Mulqueen was elevated to a full-time assistant position with the track and field team and assumed the cross country head coaching duties. In 1983, he took over the reins of the track and field program. Upon his hire as head coach, Mulqueen began building one of the most comprehensive and successful track and field programs in the East.
An accomplished track and field athlete himself, Mulqueen is a 1976 graduate of Manhattan College, where he earned a B.A. in English. While at Manhattan, he specialized in the 400 hurdles, earning four varsity letters with the Jaspers. He was also a member of the Jaspers' 1973 NCAA National Championship team. He was named to the Manahattan College Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019. In high school, Mulqueen was a county and conference champion and ran on several county and state championship teams.
Coach Mulqueen resides in Dunellen with his wife Tracey, and their children Danny, Sean and Emily Anne.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Five-time NCAA Regional Coach of the Year
- Five-time BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
- Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year
- Star Ledger 2005 College Track Coach of the Year
- 1980-81 4x800m relay team – National Champions
- 1893 Elliott Quow 200m – National Champion
BY THE NUMBERS
- 5 – National Champions (Elliot Quow, 4x800m relay team (4))
- 12 - Big Ten individual champions (Six outdoor, four indoor)
- 1 - BIG EAST Team Championship
- 3 - 2nd Place BIG EAST Team Titles
- 2 - 3rd Place BIG EAST Team Titles
- Over 20 times placed in the Top 5 at the BIG EAST Championships
- 3- IC4A Championships
- 11 - Top Three IC4A Team Finishes
- 55 - NCAA All-Americans (25 - First Team)
- 1 - American Record Holder (Lori McCauley - 400H)
- 1 - National College Record (4x200 Indoor Relay)
- 19 – All-Big Ten
- 113 – Individual Conference Champions (across BIG EAST, American, Big Ten)
- 281 – Individual Conference Medalists
- 24 - Big Ten Medalists
- 14 – American Athletic Conference Medalists
- 243 – BIG EAST Medalists
- 132 – Academic All-Big Ten selections
- USTFCCCA All-Academic Team – Track and Field 12 consecutive years (records dating back to 2007-08)
- USTFCCCA All-Academic Team – Cross Country 12 consecutive years (records dating back to 2007-08)
