Bobby Farrell is in his sixth season as Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. A 2001 Rutgers graduate, Farrell is in his 13th season with the track and field program. The men’s and women’s programs were merged for the first time in Rutgers history in 2019 with Farrell tabbed to lead as the program’s director.
Under his leadership, the track and field program has experienced historic success. Farrell helped the Scarlet Knights to a program eight qualifiers to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Chloe Timberg became an NCAA medalist in back-to-back seasons as she captured silver in the pole vault, highlighting three First Team All-American honors and a pair of Second Team All-American selections. The Scarlet Knights combined for 13 school records during the indoor and outdoor season in 2025.
Timberg gave Rutgers its first NCAA Championship in track and field since 1981, breaking the then-NCAA record in the process. She also became the first NCAA Champion on the women’s side in Rutgers history. Over the last four seasons, the Scarlet Knights have accounted for 16 individual Big Ten Champion performances, 76 NCAA Outdoor East First Round qualifiers, 11 NCAA Indoor Championship qualifiers, and 17 NCAA Outdoor Championship qualifiers.
The overall team scores within the Big Ten have continued to rise every year under Farrell, with the 2024 women’s team posting its highest score and overall finish at both the indoor and outdoor Big Ten Championships. The men’s squad posted the program’s best point total and finish at the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
At the 2024 Big Ten Indoor Championship, Rutgers had four individual Big Ten Champions while the women scored an all-time high of 61 points.
During the 2024 Outdoor Big Championship, both the men’s and women’s programs posted their best team finishes. The program sent a team record, 22 Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Preliminary Championships. This culminated with Timberg winning the NCAA Championship, putting together one of the greatest pole vault performance in women’s NCAA history.
At the 2023 Big Ten Indoor Championships, Rutgers led all schools with eight medals, including five championships. Sincere Robinson and Kristina Tossas gave the Scarlet Knights gold in both the men’s and women’s long jump, while Chloe Timberg added the pole vault title. On the track, Alex Carlson and Nadale Buntin claimed championships in the 3,000-meter and 200-meter, respectively. Timberg became a back-to-back Big Ten Championship when she won the outdoor medal in 2023.
In 2019, Farrell was promoted to Director during a very difficult time as he navigated the program through the adversity faced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those years saw a massive transformation within the program. Throughout that challenging period, Farrell was able to steadily improve the program, overseeing some of the best team performances in school history. Now entering his fifth year as the program’s director, Farrell looks to have his greatest teams yet.
Before being promoted to Director, Farrell oversaw the jumps and throwing events for the men’s program. The 2015 and 2019 Mid-Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year, coached some of the greatest athletes and performances in school history.
During his seven years as the men’s assistant coach, Farrell’s athletes broke nearly every field event record with14 school records total. He coached over 18 All Americans, 13 Big Ten Champions and 48 NCAA qualifiers. Farrell became one of the most successful assistant coaches in program history.
He coached Corey Crawford to a second-place finish at the 2016 Indoor Championship, as well as Emeke Eze as the very first men’s Big Ten Champion for the Rutgers Athletics department.
Before arriving at Rutgers, Farrell oversaw all sprints, hurdles and jumps at Lafayette College. While there, Farrell guided student-athletes to 12 Patriot League Championships, including the fastest men's 100m and 4x100m performances in Patriot League history. Under his tutelage, the Leopards placed in the top-six individually at the Patriot League Championships 52 times. He also mentored 71 performances that ranked among Lafayette's all-time top-10, with eight school records. In 2012, he coached the Patriot League Indoor and Outdoor Female Field Athlete of the Meet as well as the Outdoor Male Track Athlete of the Meet.
Farrell came to Lafayette after spending a year at Central Connecticut State, where he acted as the assistant women's track and field coach in charge of sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws. While at Central, his student-athletes broke six individual school records with 12 athletes qualifying for the New England Championships.
Prior to his arrival at CCSU, Farrell worked at Wagner College as an assistant coach for the men's and women's track and field teams. While in Staten Island, New York, Farrell tutored the Northeast Conference Long Jump Champion, the Most Outstanding Field Performer and the Most Valuable Performer. His athletes broke 12 school records during his tenure.
Before making the jump to college, Farrell coached six seasons and taught English at Toms River North High School from 2002-08. While at North, he coached 32 Ocean County Champions, 20 Shore Conference Champions, 44 State Qualifiers and five All-Americans. Twenty-eight school records were broken during Farrell's tenure.
The New Jersey native graduated from Rutgers with a BA in English, where he was a multiple-time Big East scorer, IC4A qualifier and Academic All-Big East selection. He earned a Masters in Sports Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He currently holds a USATF Level III certification in Jumps and a USTFCCCA Academy Special Certification in Sprints, Hurdles and Relays.
Farrell resides in Toms River, New Jersey, with his wife Jessica, their two sons, Tristan and Caden and two dogs, Lacey and Reece.
