Missouri Southern Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Coaches

Tom Rutledge
Head Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Coach
16th Year at Missouri Southern

The 2004-05 academic year is Tom Rutledge's 16th as head men's cross country/track & field coach at Missouri Southern. He has guided the MSSU men's cross country team to four straight (2000-03) Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championships and in each of those years his squad qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships. His 2000 squad finished sixth in the nation.

For his efforts, Rutledge was named MIAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2000, 2002 and 2003. Rutledge was also honored as South Central Region Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2004 for his contributions to the sport. His 2004 men's track & field squad won the MIAA Indoor Championship. In the spring and summer of 2000, he coached Tongula Givens, a former Missouri Southern national champion in the triple jump, as she made her bid for the U.S. Olympic Team.

Rutledge became head cross country coach in 1989 when Southern first developed its men's and women's teams. Prior to the he had served as offensive line coach and special team coordinator the Lions during the 1988 season.

Prior to joining the staff at Southern,, Rutledge spent one year as an assistant football coach at Fort Lewis College (Colo.), after spending two years as women's cross country and track coach and assistant football coach at Adams State College. (Colo.). At Adams State, he led the cross country squad to a fourth-place finish in the 1985 NAIA championships, followed by a third-place national showing in 1986. He was named District Coach of the Year in 1985.

From 1980-85, Rutledge served as head cross country and track coach and assistant football coach at Arkansas Tech, where he led the Wonderboys to five top-three conference finishes and five top-15 national finishes. He was also twice named conference coach of the year.

An assistant professor of kinesiology, Rutledge received a bachelor's degree in physical education and social studies from Ouachita Baptist University in 1974 and a master's degree in physiology of exercise from Henderson State University in 1976.

Tom is married to Karen, a local State Farm Agent. They have two sons, Chad and Kyle. Chad and his wife Becky live in Omaha, Neb., and Kyle is an All-American pole vaulter on the MSSU track and field team. .

Jamie Burnham
Assistant Cross Country Coach
Seventh Year at Missouri Southern

Jamie Burnham is in his seventh year as a full-time assistant with the Lions cross country and track & field teams. He works with the distance runners.
An accomplished runner himself, Burnham was a five-time All-American for Missouri Baptist College, and in 1987 was national runner-up in the 10,000-meter run.
He holds Missouri Baptist school records in the 5,000-meter run (14 minutes, 3.00 seconds), 10,000 (29:30.00), and marathon (two hours, 26.00 minutes).
Burnham also has had his share of success since completing his collegiate eligibility. A native of Carl Junction, Mo., he competed in the Dallas White Rock Marathon and New York City Ekiden Marathon Relay in 1987, finishing third and 25th, respectively, and in 1988 was 50th in the Los Angeles Marathon before competing in the United States Olympic Trials Marathon.
In addition to his duties with the cross country and track & field teams, Burnham is the Southern Athletics equipment manager, and works for the Missouri Southern Physical Plant as a driver.