LBSU Track and Field Welcomes Sheldon Blockburger to Coaching Staff
9/22/2021 2:38:00 PM | Indoor Track, Track and Field
Blockburger joins the Beach after spending 17 years coaching in the Pac-12.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Sheldon Blockburger joins the Long Beach State coaching staff for the upcoming 2022 season. Director of Track and Field, Andy Sythe, announced the news on Wednesday.
Blockburger will serve as the Pole Vault and Combined-Events coach.
"I'm very excited to announce the addition of Sheldon Blockburger to our Track & Field coaching staff at Long Beach State," said Sythe. "His prior experience and success as a coach in both the Big West and PAC-12 conferences position him to have an immediate impact on our program, and more specifically, our student-athletes."
A three-time USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year, Blockburger brings extensive experience to LBSU after 25 combined years as an Assistant Coach with Arizona, USC, and Cal Poly.
He joins the Beach after his second stint with Arizona, a three-year span from 2018-20. In 2019, he helped guide his jumpers to All-American status in both the indoor and outdoor seasons as well as developing a USATF U-20 National Champion.
Prior to his return to Tucson, Blockburger spent three seasons with the USC Trojans as the assistant coach for jumps and combined-events. His athletes earned a total of 11 All-America honors, two individual Pac-12 titles and seven MPSF indoor titles as well as seven school all-time top 10 marks. Through his recruiting, and coaching, his athletes contributed to multiple PAC-12 team titles and an NCAA team championship in 2018.
During his first 10 seasons as the combined events/jumps coach at Arizona, he helped guide his athletes to 16 individual Pac-12 conference titles and 11 individual NCAA titles, including two NCAA Decathlon Champions and an NCAA runner-up. In all, his athletes garnered 39 All-America honors during his time at Arizona.
Blockburger started his coaching career in the Big West, spending nine seasons at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he led athletes to 14 Big West individual titles and two NCAA Pole Vault titles. He coached 15 of his Mustang athletes to All-American status.
Many of the athletes he has coached have gone on to achieve international success, including high jumper, Brigetta Barrett, the 2012 Olympic and 2013 IAAF World Championship Silver medalist. In addition, Barrett earned Gold at the 2011 World University Games.
Blockburger was an outstanding multi-event athlete himself. In 1987, he established a world record in the Pentathlon and became the USATF Heptathlon Champion in 1995. He placed second at the 1989 USA Track & Field Championship in the decathlon followed by another top three finish in 1990 where he established his decathlon personal best of 8,301 points.
As a student-athlete, he won the 1985 California Junior College decathlon title at Orange Coast College before transferring to LSU and placing fifth in the decathlon at the 1987 NCAA Championships. He graduated from Newport Harbor High in 1983 and won CIF division titles in both the long jump and triple jump during his senior season.
Blockburger will serve as the Pole Vault and Combined-Events coach.
"I'm very excited to announce the addition of Sheldon Blockburger to our Track & Field coaching staff at Long Beach State," said Sythe. "His prior experience and success as a coach in both the Big West and PAC-12 conferences position him to have an immediate impact on our program, and more specifically, our student-athletes."
A three-time USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year, Blockburger brings extensive experience to LBSU after 25 combined years as an Assistant Coach with Arizona, USC, and Cal Poly.
He joins the Beach after his second stint with Arizona, a three-year span from 2018-20. In 2019, he helped guide his jumpers to All-American status in both the indoor and outdoor seasons as well as developing a USATF U-20 National Champion.
Prior to his return to Tucson, Blockburger spent three seasons with the USC Trojans as the assistant coach for jumps and combined-events. His athletes earned a total of 11 All-America honors, two individual Pac-12 titles and seven MPSF indoor titles as well as seven school all-time top 10 marks. Through his recruiting, and coaching, his athletes contributed to multiple PAC-12 team titles and an NCAA team championship in 2018.
During his first 10 seasons as the combined events/jumps coach at Arizona, he helped guide his athletes to 16 individual Pac-12 conference titles and 11 individual NCAA titles, including two NCAA Decathlon Champions and an NCAA runner-up. In all, his athletes garnered 39 All-America honors during his time at Arizona.
Blockburger started his coaching career in the Big West, spending nine seasons at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he led athletes to 14 Big West individual titles and two NCAA Pole Vault titles. He coached 15 of his Mustang athletes to All-American status.
Many of the athletes he has coached have gone on to achieve international success, including high jumper, Brigetta Barrett, the 2012 Olympic and 2013 IAAF World Championship Silver medalist. In addition, Barrett earned Gold at the 2011 World University Games.
Blockburger was an outstanding multi-event athlete himself. In 1987, he established a world record in the Pentathlon and became the USATF Heptathlon Champion in 1995. He placed second at the 1989 USA Track & Field Championship in the decathlon followed by another top three finish in 1990 where he established his decathlon personal best of 8,301 points.
As a student-athlete, he won the 1985 California Junior College decathlon title at Orange Coast College before transferring to LSU and placing fifth in the decathlon at the 1987 NCAA Championships. He graduated from Newport Harbor High in 1983 and won CIF division titles in both the long jump and triple jump during his senior season.
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