Fred LaPlante
	Position: Head Coach Experience: Third Year

Fred LaPlante is in his third season as head coach for the Michigan men's track and field team. Prior to being named the head coach in 2008, he spent the previous 11 seasons as the associate head coach with the program.

LaPlante's main focus has been the development of the Wolverine sprint and hurdle athletes. He has guided two separate hurdlers to appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the past two seasons - Carl Buchanon (2010) and Ali Arastu (2011) - both in the same event (400-meter intermediate hurdles). LaPlante has also been instrumental in developing young talent, as Michigan had one of the youngest rosters in the country in 2011, with only four seniors on the roster.

The U-M sprints and hurdles corps enjoyed tremendous success in 2008. In all the sprinters won six Big Ten sprint titles and had All-Americans in the 60-meters (Adam Harris) and the 4x400-meter relay (Andre Barnes, Andrew Wechter, Dan Harmsen and Stann Waithe). For his work with the group LaPlante was named the 2008 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.

LaPlante has amassed 32 years of coaching experience. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Columbia University (1977-78) before earning his first head coach position as the head coach of the women's cross country and track and field program at San Diego State University, where he coached from 1978-83. While at San Diego State LaPlante's teams were ranked in the top 10 nationally for five consecutive years and they compiled a 25-1 dual meet record. In his five years, LaPlante led the Aztecs to their first WCAA track title, he coached All-Americans in eight events and his athletes broke national collegiate records in three different events.

After his success at San Diego State, LaPlante moved on to USC where he was the women's head coach for both cross country and track and field from 1983-88. LaPlante developed one of the nation's best women's track programs in the nation during his five years at USC, compiling three NCAA top-four finishes and a dominating 27-2 dual meet record.

After 10 successful years as a women's head coach, LaPlante slid over to the men's side when he became the assistant coach for men's track and field at Eastern Michigan, a post he held from 1988-92. While at EMU, LaPlante coached the sprints, hurdles, relays and jumps. The team won four consecutive MAC titles during LaPlante's tenure and he coached All-Americans in four different events. In 1992, LaPlante returned to the head coach role as he took over Lehigh University's men's and women's track programs (1992-97). LaPlante led the women to their first ever Patriot League title in cross country and he lifted the men to second-place finishes in the Patriot League in both cross country and track, the highest finishes in team history to that point. LaPlante's athletes also won individual league titles in nine events and a relay title in the 4x100-meter relay.

Over his 32 seasons, LaPlante has contributed to 17 athletes earning Olympic berths and has coached 25 national champions and 77 All-Americans. His head coaching success includes track and field teams that finished as high as second at the NCAA Indoor meet, third at the NCAA Outdoor meet and seventh at the NCAA Cross Country Championship.

A three-time NCAA District Coach of the Year, LaPlante has earned four USA national coaching assignments and has served as the meet director for several major cross country and track and field events, including the 1993 NCAA Cross Country Championship.

A Toledo, Ohio, native and 1972 graduate of Eastern Michigan University, LaPlante was a 1972 NCAA College Division 1500-meters All-American, helping Eastern Michigan to the 1972 NCAA College Division national title. He was a member of the EMU distance medley relay team that won the 1972 Drake Relays title. LaPlante was inducted into the (Toledo) Bowsher High School Hall of Fame. He resides in Ann Arbor with his wife, Nancy.

Coaching Record

Coaching Honors & Awards

• Has coached 17 Olympians
• Has coached 25 national individual champions, three relays
• Has coached 77 All-Americans
• Four USA national coaching assignments
• Three-time NCAA District Coach of the Year