Honorary Referees Announced For Kansas Relays
April 3, 2006
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Kansas Relays meet director Tim Weaver announced on Thursday the Honorary Meet Referees for the 2006 Kansas Relays. The men’s honorary referee will be Steve Rainbolt, head track and field coach at Wichita State University. Pat Becher, the head women’s coach at Hutchinson Community College, will serve as honorary referee of the women’s division. For the boy’s, Joe Amos of Blue Valley North High School will be the honorary referee and Randy Wells from Emporia High School will fill that role for the girl’s division.
“The honorary referee group for 2006 is as fine as any I have seen,” said Weaver. “All four of these men have accomplished much, both on and off the track. They have coached both successful teams and individuals. Most importantly, then have had a positive influence on thousands of young people over their years in track and field. It is an honor for our event to be associated with them.”
Rainbolt is in his sixth season as head coach of the Wichita State men’s and women’s track and field teams. He has been named the Missouri Valley Conference’s indoor and outdoor men and women’s Coach of the Year five times and produced 10 All-Americans and 27 NCAA national qualifiers. A decathlete at the University of Kansas, Rainbolt was the NCAA Championships record setter in the decathlon high jump (7-0 3/4) and had a personal best in the event of 7-2. He was the 1977 Big Eight indoor high jump champion, a 1980 NCAA All-American in the decathlon and he competed at the 1980 United States Olympic Trials in the decathlon. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in coaching from Kansas and a master’s degree in educational administration from Nebraska.
Now in his 21st season as the head men’s and women’s track and field coach at Hutchinson Community College, Becher was named the 2003 NJCAA Men’s National Coach of the Year. He is currently the vice president of the NJCAA Track Coaches Association and has been president of the Region VI Coaches Association three times. Becher has been voted the region’s top coach on seven occasions and has been nominated for the national award four times. Under his watch, Hutchinson has seen 350 All-Americans, 17 national runners-up and 13 national champions — including Olympian Steve Fritz. The team has won 90 academic All-American awards in the past five-years alone. Becher has been married to his wife, Jan, for 30 years. The couple have three children and one grandson.
Amos served as head track and cross country coach at Blue Valley North from 1993 to 2002 where his team won state championships in 1993 and 1999. His teams were also East Kansas League champions in 1993, 1999, 2000 and 2001. He has had 31 athletes go on to compete at the college level, including six who were ranked in the top 20 of their event. Amos has also had head coaching positions at Lincoln Middle School and Burlingame High School in Burlingame, Kan., as well as Marysville High School in Marysville, Kan. In 2005, Amos was awarded the Sunflower Ambassador Award Winner for Blue Valley North. He has also been the recipient of the KU Excellence in Teaching Award and been recognized by the Kansas City Star for his service to the educational community.
Currently in his eighth year as the head men’s and women’s track and field coach at Emporia High School, Randy Wells has 13 total years of track and field coaching experience. In those eight years his teams have combined for six Centennial League Championships and five second place results. Wells’ 2005 men’s team finished third in class 6A. He has USA Track & Field Level 1 certification, is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength Coach and has a USA Weightlifting Certification in Olympic Lifts. Wells received his BA from Bethany College and his master’s degree in physical education from Emporia State.
The 79th Kansas Relays will run from April 20 – 22; GOLDZONE II is Saturday, April 22, from 2 – 5 p.m. GOLDZONE II will feature Olympic Champions Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin in a head-to-head match up as they anchor their teams in the Invitational 4×100-meter relay. In all, over 30 Olympians will compete on Saturday afternoon. For more information on the Kansas Relays, a complete GOLDZONE II schedule and ticket information, visit http://kuathletics.collegesports.com/sports/c-relay/.
