Charles Ryan - a former USTFCCCA Coach of the Year and two-time national champion - was named as San José State's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country in August of 2021.
Ryan comes to Speed City with 14 years of NCAA coaching experience, most recently serving as an assistant coach specializing in men's and women's sprints, hurdles and relays at UC Berkeley. A former All-American student-athlete at South Carolina, Ryan competed for the Gamecocks for two years after transferring in from UCLA. This marks the Bay Area native's third program in Northern California, enjoying previous stints with the Golden Bears and Academy of Art (2010-2015).
Ryan joined the Golden Bears after spending four years at Alabama State, helping lead the Hornets to 10 SWAC championships while on staff. He also coached individuals to 33 conference titles, eight school records and 37 NCAA Championships berths.
As the head coach at Academy of Art, the Urban Knights took home two NCAA Division II championships under Ryan's guidance. He received the 2013 NCAA DII National Head Coach of the Year award from the USTFCCCA after leading the team to a sweep of the NCAA women's indoor and outdoor titles in the squad's first season of postseason eligibility.
Ryan has worked with a number of professional athletes, most notably former Academy of Art star Vashti Thomas. Thomas was named as the NCAA's National Athlete of the Year in 2013 while also taking fifth place in the long jump at the USA Olympic Trials and earning a gold medal at the World University Games.
Succeeding both on the track and in the classroom, Ryan's student-athletes garnered multiple D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards while he was with the Urban Knights. In addition, Ryan co-founded a sports educational project in 2005 titled Track Knoxville for high school students looking to pursue college athletics. In the three years of the program, he helped over 90 percent of his student-athletes find a path to a university education.
Prior to his stint at Academy of Art, Ryan led the men's and women's sprints and hurdles as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech from 2007-10. During his three years in Ruston, the Bulldogs produced 25 individual WAC champions, 59 NCAA Championships qualifiers and earned 72 All-WAC awards.
Graduating from South Carolina in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in sociology, Ryan left Columbia with All-SEC and NCAA All-American honors.
Ryan has continued his professional education, earning IAAF Level five coaching distinction in sprints/hurdles. He is also USATF Level II certified in the jumps and received a USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Coach Certificate in 2016.
Ryan comes to Speed City with 14 years of NCAA coaching experience, most recently serving as an assistant coach specializing in men's and women's sprints, hurdles and relays at UC Berkeley. A former All-American student-athlete at South Carolina, Ryan competed for the Gamecocks for two years after transferring in from UCLA. This marks the Bay Area native's third program in Northern California, enjoying previous stints with the Golden Bears and Academy of Art (2010-2015).
Ryan joined the Golden Bears after spending four years at Alabama State, helping lead the Hornets to 10 SWAC championships while on staff. He also coached individuals to 33 conference titles, eight school records and 37 NCAA Championships berths.
As the head coach at Academy of Art, the Urban Knights took home two NCAA Division II championships under Ryan's guidance. He received the 2013 NCAA DII National Head Coach of the Year award from the USTFCCCA after leading the team to a sweep of the NCAA women's indoor and outdoor titles in the squad's first season of postseason eligibility.
Ryan has worked with a number of professional athletes, most notably former Academy of Art star Vashti Thomas. Thomas was named as the NCAA's National Athlete of the Year in 2013 while also taking fifth place in the long jump at the USA Olympic Trials and earning a gold medal at the World University Games.
Succeeding both on the track and in the classroom, Ryan's student-athletes garnered multiple D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards while he was with the Urban Knights. In addition, Ryan co-founded a sports educational project in 2005 titled Track Knoxville for high school students looking to pursue college athletics. In the three years of the program, he helped over 90 percent of his student-athletes find a path to a university education.
Prior to his stint at Academy of Art, Ryan led the men's and women's sprints and hurdles as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech from 2007-10. During his three years in Ruston, the Bulldogs produced 25 individual WAC champions, 59 NCAA Championships qualifiers and earned 72 All-WAC awards.
Graduating from South Carolina in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in sociology, Ryan left Columbia with All-SEC and NCAA All-American honors.
Ryan has continued his professional education, earning IAAF Level five coaching distinction in sprints/hurdles. He is also USATF Level II certified in the jumps and received a USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Coach Certificate in 2016.