Bob Braman Hometown: Tampa, Fla. Position: Men's Head Coach Experience: 11th Season Alma Mater: University of Florida '80

With each passing season Bob Braman seems to find a new way to redefine the continued success he has enjoyed as Florida State's cross country and track & field coach. The 2010-11 academic year brought unprecedented success in both areas, cementing the Seminoles' standing as a year-round national championship contender.

It began last fall when Braman's FSU men's cross country team captured its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship - after 19 years of league membership - and didn't stop there. The Seminoles followed a runner-up finish at the NCAA South Region with a second-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, which sent reverberations throughout the ranks.

Not only was it the highest finish in FSU history, it was the best finish by both an ACC and in-state program.

Braman's program had been building toward that moment. The Seminoles are on of just nine Division I teams in the country to make eight consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, joining perennial powerhouses like Arkansas, Oregon, Indiana and Stanford.

The runner-up finish launched a remarkable year for the Seminoles as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named Florida State the winner of the John McDonnell Award, presented to the top overall men's program. The Seminoles followed their cross country finish by placing fifth at NCAA Indoor Nationals before coming up one point shy of the NCAA Outdoor title.

While Braman remains the architect of a modern-day track & field dynasty - the Seminoles have won two NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and finished fourth or better eight times in the last 10

years - his background remains deeply-rooted in cross country and the distance events.

The remarkable 2010-11 school year began with the Seminoles capturing their first ACC Cross Country Championship in 19 years of league membership and was followed in the spring with a seventh consecutive ACC Outdoor track title. Braman earned ACC Coach of the Year honors at the conclusion of both seasons, pushing his career total to 28 combined national, regional, district and conference coach of the year awards.

Since taking over the reins as the head coach for both cross country and track field following the 2003 season, Braman's teams - men and women - have turned out 34 NCAA Division I individual national champions. Moving beyond the borders of the United States, Florida State had an impact on the track's world stage during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Twelve current and former student-athletes competed at the Olympics, highlighted by sprinter Walter Dix who brought home a pair of bronze medals.

Before joining the Florida State family, Braman enjoyed 17 years of national success at the University of South Florida where he began his coaching career as a men's cross country assistant in 1983. He was promoted to head coach in 1985 and initiated the women's cross country program in 1987. When USF began its track program in 1991, Braman assumed head coaching duties for that sport as well. Under Braman's guidance, the USF men's cross country team won three Conference USA titles (1997, 1998, 2000) while the women's team was also the Conference USA champion (1998-99).

While at USF, Braman's men's cross country teams also won six-straight conference titles between 1988 and 1993. Braman was honored as Coach of the Year 14 times. His men's cross country teams earned national rankings in 10 of his last 12 years, including a No. 5 national ranking in 1991, while the women's teams were ranked four of his last six years. Braman coached 41 national qualifiers on the track, including two-time NCAA champion Jon Dennis (5000m, 1992 and 1993).

Braman graduated from the University of Florida in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting. He was the captain of the Gators' cross country team for three seasons and garnered All-SEC honors in cross country (1979 and 1980) and indoor track (1979). He was also the University of Florida's record holder in the indoor three-mile run.

Braman is married to the former Debbie Turner and has two sons, Steven and Tyler.