TJ Pride, an acclaimed assistant coach who has worked with National Junior College Athletic Association National Champions at Iowa Western, is now in his fourth season with the Governors. Prior to the 2021-22 season, he was elevated to the role of associate head coach.
During his tenure with the Governors, Pride has coached a multitude of events, including working with the jumpers, pole vaulters and hurdlers. Since joining the program in 2018, Pride has worked with 10 individual OVC champions, with Savannah Amato (pole vault), Maya Perry-Grimes (long/triple jump), Karlijn Schouten (pole vault) and Lennex Walker (hurdles) earning multiple titles during that time. During Pride's tenure, 14 different program top-10 marks have been set across the indoor and outdoor hurdles, jumps and pole vault.
Just at the 2021 OVC Outdoor Championships, Pride was an instrumental part of the development of both Schouten, who set the OVC Outdoor Championship meet record in the pole vault, and Hill-Tate, who won Austin Peay's first high jump title since 2014.
Pride was an assistant at Iowa Western since March 2015, working with the jumps and pole vault groups in addition to his services as home meet director and recruiting. Overall, he worked with 34 individual regional champions, including NJCAA Division I pole vault runner-ups Salome Brugier (2017 Indoor), Monique Apuakehau (2017 Outdoor) and 2016 Indoor men's pole vault National Champion Lens McKeown. In addition, he helped lead Iowa Western to a Region XI outdoor championship in 2017.
Prior to his time in Council Bluffs, Pride spent five seasons on the staff of Mississippi College, his alma mater, first as a graduate assistant and then as a volunteer. During this era, he coached sprints, jumps and hurdles in addition to his duties recruiting, coordinating workouts and marking academic progress of the student-athletes.
In total, Pride has directly coached or assisted 30 All-Americans at the NJCAA and Division II level.
As an athlete, Pride's accomplishments are as impeccable as those during his time as a coach. A dual-sport athlete at Mississippi College, he was a top-five national finisher in the pole vault in 2010 and was member of the 2009 American Southwest football champions. He was a four-time Division III All-American in pole vault, long jump and triple jump and reached 5.47m in the pole vault in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials.
