Don Marsh is in his 21st year as an assistant coach at the University of South Florida specializing in the pole vault and high jump.
During his long tenure at USF, Marsh has coached seven All-Americans, 14 national qualifiers, 16 conference champions and 44 regional qualifiers.
Most recently, Marsh coached David Shepherd to a 16th place finish in the pole vault at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn Second Team All-America honors. Emily Clay and Winston Perry joined Shepherd as regional qualifiers. Both Clay and Shepherd were all-conference honorees during the indoor season.
Under his guidance, high jumper Jimmy Baxter earned three All-America honors in four years highlighted by a third-place finish at the NCAA meet with a clearance of 7-5. In addition, pole vaulter Jonathan Miller won the Conference USA Championship for three-straight years while setting the conference and school record with a height of 17-4.5. He also coached freshman Megan Malone to a Conference USA indoor title in the pole vault with a height of 12-5.5 in 2005. In 2008, Marsh helped Denise VonEynatten to a Big East Indoor Championship and a place in the NCAA Indoor National Championship achieving All-America honors in the pole vault with a jump of 13-11.75. Also in 2008, Sean Young won the Big East Title in the event and advanced to the NCAA Outdoor finals with a clearance of 17-2.75.
Marsh coached Dana Webb and Stephanie Duffy to the regional championship in the pole vault two straight years. VonEynatten returned to USF in 2011 and swept the Big East pole vault titles setting record in both while also breaking the USF record with a jump of 14-1.75. She also placed fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championship for her second All-America honor. She was joined by Duffy who cleared 13-6.25 outdoors to pick up All-American status. In 2013, he coached Drew Volz to a Big East Indoor Championship in the pole vault.
Errol Blackmon cleared 7-1 and advanced to the NCAA Championships three times in four years while Michael Kursteiner made it to three-straight regional championships and Loutisha Hall set the USF record with a clearance of 5-10. In 2013, he coached Chase Meyers to a Big East Conference indoor title with a high jump of 7-1.
Marsh was a member of the Conference-USA Coaching Staff of the Year in 2003 and remains an active community advocate for track and field, serving as a top official in four Special Olympics International Games.
Prior to his position with the Bulls, Marsh spent three years (1995-97) as an assistant coach at Saginaw Valley State University and as an extremely successful high school coach in Michigan.
During his time at SVSU, Marsh helped Cardinal athletes to several top finishes in the NCAA Division II Championships in the high jump, long jump, decathlon and 100 meters. In addition, he coached four All-Americans in the high jump, hurdles, pole vault and 400 meters.
In 25 years at Flint Kearsley High School, he molded one of the premier track and field programs in the state, regularly winning conference, regional and state titles. He was named Michigan’s Track Coach of the Year in 1974, 1978 and 1992. He was also named Midwest Track Coach of the Year in 1992 and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year that same year. He became a member of the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame in 1996, the Michigan Track Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006, the Michigan Sport Sages in 2011 and the Flint Kearsley High School Inaugural Hall of Fame in Michigan in 2014.
Marsh was a high school state champion himself and a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State University where he ran the 400m. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a Master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University.
Marsh and his wife Betty have four children – Jeff, David, Tim and Leigh Anne – and five grandchildren.
