INDIANAPOLIS - University of Louisville track and field head coach Ron Mann has been named the men's middle distance coach for Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, USA Track & Field announced Wednesday.

During his 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Mann has produced six NCAA champions, 118 NCAA All-Americans, 19 NCAA Top 10 team finishes, 60 conference titles and 59 conference coach of the year awards.

In his fourth season at Louisville, Mann's teams have earned three NCAA top 10 finishes, 11 All-American honors - including two NCAA individual champions - two BIG EAST team titles, 36 conference champions and the school's first bids to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Mann previously spent 24 years as the head coach at his alma mater, Northern Arizona University, where he guided the Lumberjacks to a combined 58 Big Sky Conference championships in cross country and track and field and 16 top 10 NCAA finishes. He produced 107 All-Americans, five Olympians and four individual national champions and earned 57 league coach of the year awards.

An assistant coach for Team USA at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships, Mann served as Team USA's head coach at the 1993 Pan American Junior Championships.

On the Olympic Team staff for Beijing, Mann replaces John McDonnell, who resigned his position in order to devote more time to coaching individual athletes at the Games. He joins an Olympic coaching staff that includes Head Coach Bubba Thornton, Head Manager James Li, and Assistant Coaches Harvey Glance, Joe Vigil, Irving "Boo" Schexnayder and Criss Somerlot.

"We are disappointed John won't be part of the staff, but we understand his loyalty to the athletes he coaches," said Thornton. "We are extremely excited that Ron Mann has joined us and look forward to the expertise he will bring to our staff and Team USA athletes at the Olympics."