Jon Murray
Exceptional runner and coach
Jonathan Chad Murray was an award-winning runner in high school and college and has been an exceptional cross country and track coach for over 30 years.
Jon graduated from Carthage High School in 1986, where he broke the school records for the 1600 and 3200 meter runs multiple times. Including a time of 9:25:19 in the 3200, a CHS school record that stood for 34 years. As a junior, Jon placed 6th in the state in the 3200 meter and 2nd as a senior. Murray was also a member of the 3200 relay that placed 3rd state in 1986, with a record time of 8:02.67. Jon’s split was 1:56 according to the Carthage Press. He was the high-point scorer in track events as a senior and named Most Valuable Player.
In Cross Country Jon was named All-State after placing 3rd at the state meet in the 5k run as a junior and was 6th his senior year.
Jon attended Harding University in Searcy, AR where he was an All-American in 1989 and 1990. He was National Champion in the NAIA marathon race in 1990. Jon was inducted into the Harding Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
After a year as a graduate assistant coach at Harding, he moved to Abilene Christian University where he spent 14 years as head coach of the cross-country program, five years as head track and field coach, and nine years as assistant track and field coach. His teams at ACU won 11 NCAA Division II National Championships and eight Lone Star Conference Championships. His Wildcat men's team was undefeated in 10 NCAA Division II indoor and outdoor national meets, and his women's team won the indoor title in 2000. At ACU he was Lone Star Conference Coach of the year in men’s and women’s cross country and men’s track and field and served as President of the NCAA Division II Cross Country Coaches Association.
At Texas Tech since 2006, now head cross-country coach, Murray has guided the Lady Raiders to multiple Big 12 Championships. He also serves as assistant coach for the men’s track and field team which won the NCAA Division I National Championship in 2019. During his time at Texas Tech, he has guided the development of 4 NCAA Champions, 14 First team All-Americans, 8 Big 12 Champions, 3 Big 12 Track Championships, and 3 Big 12 Cross Country Championships.
