WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - Jack Warner, a former longtime assistant coach at Ohio State University, has been appointed Purdue's head track and field and cross country coach. Warner will begin working at Purdue on July 19.

Warner succeeds Lissa Olson, who resigned following the NCAA Outdoor Championships, in order to take care of her newborn twins.

"It's hard to leave Ohio State, but Purdue has made a commitment to track and field and cross country that will enable my teams to compete at the highest level," said Warner. "Given its academic reputation, location in the Midwest and tradition, Purdue is poised to win in recruiting, win in events and win championships."

As a frequent visitor to West Lafayette as a coach, Warner is familiar with the Boilermakers' facilities. One of his last visits to Purdue was in May for the Big Ten Championships at Rankin Track and Field.

"I was here for the Big Ten outdoor championships, and I liked what I saw," said Warner. "Purdue has a great foundation for indoor and outdoor events and cross country."

Purdue competes at Lambert Fieldhouse for indoor events and at the Varsity Cross Country Course on McCormick Road. The Big Ten cross country championship and NCAA Great Lakes Regional cross country championship were both held at Purdue in 2002. The men's Big Ten indoor championships will be held at Lambert Fieldhouse in February of 2005.

Before accepting the job at Purdue, Warner spent the last 12 years in Columbus assisting the track and field team. Warner's main area of responsibility was with the male and female jumpers, but he also assisted with the cross country/distance runners and throwers.

"Jack Warner has had the ideal on-the-job training to be the Purdue head coach, almost since he was a youngster," said Athletics Director Morgan Burke, alluding to Warner's days as a boy, when his father was the Cornell track and field coach.

"Thanks to my dad, I learned how to work a stopwatch at the age of five," said Warner, who would later serve as an assistant track and field coach at Cornell from 1978 to 1981. "I've been around track and field for my entire life; it's in my blood."

Warner's father, Jack Warner, Sr., coached the Big Red from 1967 to 1990. He was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

In addition to guiding the careers of Ohio State's finest, Warner has also been appointed to several international coaching assignments with USA Track and Field. In 2005, Warner will be part of his third international team in four years, when he joins Team USA in Helinski, Finland, for the World Championships. Warner will serve as sprints and hurdles coach.

Following the 2002 season, Warner served as a coach on the United States World Junior Team, where the U.S. set an all-time mark in the overall medal count standings. In the event, Warner guided four jumpers to personal records, while also helping to set a junior American mark in the high jump. In 2003, Warner was part of the staff at the Pan American Junior Games in Barbados.

Warner was heavily involved with all aspects of the Ohio State program, coaching every event, directing track meets and camps, working with alumni, and recruiting. He also recognized the need for academics by developing an academic assistance program to help student-athletes who were struggling in the classroom.

During his tenure at Ohio State, Warner also was a member of the executive board for the "Majority of One" program, which assists minority student-athletes.

In his final outdoor season as a Buckeye coach, Warner helped guide seven student-athletes to All-America status at the NCAA Championships, with the men's team tying for fourth place. It was the Scarlet and Gray's highest finish at the NCAA meet since 1993.

Junior jumper Rosalind Goodwin, who worked directly under Warner, achieved her All-America citation in the triple jump with a sixth-place leap of 44 feet, 7 1/2 inches. Goodwin's leap eclipsed her own Ohio State record of 43-7 3/4, which was set at the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.

Warner has coached All-American talent at Ohio State almost every year since his arrival. In his first few years as a Buckeye coach, Warner coached Shandi Boyd-Pleasant to three All-America showings in the triple jump. In 1994, Warner coached Boyd-Pleasant to an OSU and Big Ten record in the triple jump, while helping her to become a Big Ten Champion.

Warner has been equally successful coaching his athletes in the distance and multi-events. During the 2003 campaign, Warner mentored Nicholette Chambers to Big Ten crowns in both the indoor and outdoor multi- events, including a school record in the indoor pentathlon (3,793 points).

While working with the distance runners, Warner coached current Ohio State cross country head coach Robert Gary to All-America status and a spot on the 1996 Olympic team. Earlier that season, Gary set a Big Ten Indoor record in the 3,000-meter run record. Another of Warner's pupils was Chris England, who set school records in the 5,000 and 10,000- meter runs, and later received All-America status in both events.

Warner's overwhelming success rate in coaching both male and female athletes, along with his skills in the running of major track and field meets for head coach Russ Rogers at Ohio State helped Senior Associate Athletic Director Roger Blalock choose Warner as Purdue's newest head coach.

"By being a key member of the Ohio State coaching staff, Jack possesses the level of expertise that will serve Purdue well for years to come," said Blalock.

Just as Warner's experiences at Ohio State helped him land the job at Purdue, it was his experiences at the United States Military Academy that helped him secure the job in Columbus.

Warner came to Ohio State after serving as an assistant coach under Ron Bazil at West Point, coaching 21 All-Americans, including Diana Wills-Orange, the second-highest-ranked triple jumper in the United States in 1989 and a 1996 Olympic Team member.

Numerous cadets established academy marks in the high jump, long jump and triple jump during Warner's tenure. West Point's men's and women's teams won six Patriot League Championships in the eight years he was there, dominating the last two seasons. In 1993, the coaching staff at West Point was named the NCAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

Warner attended college at Middle Tennessee State University, where he was a member of the track and field team. He was an Ohio Valley Conference champion in the pole vault his junior season. Warner received a bachelor of science degree in business in 1977. Prior to graduating from Middle Tennessee, Warner attended Cornell from 1972 to 1974.

Following his graduation, Warner stayed in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and served as an assistant track coach from 1978 to 1981.

Warner and his wife, Carol, have been married for 27 years. They have three children: John (22), Joseph (20) and Kelly (17). Joseph is currently a student at Ohio State. John graduated from Ohio State in 2004 and is now an ensign with the U.S. Navy.