The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

From a street race with his sister in Brooklyn to leading Eastern Washington’s program in the Big Sky, Erin “Tuck” Tucker’s journey is full of grit, lessons, and growth. In this conversation, Tuck pulls back the curtain on coaching under Mouse, learning the hard way at Illinois, building something special at Kentucky, returning to Florida, and finding his home at EWU.

🏙️ Brooklyn circle-block race → first taste of sprinting

🐊 Florida years: Ralph, Mouse, behavior-mod moments, and a 46-split epiphany

🎯 Retiring on his own terms → stepping into coaching at Illinois

🧰 First lessons: “more is better,” breaking school records, recruiting hurdlers, and mistakes that became teaching points

🏟️ Kentucky: from five walk-ons to SEC-level success, coaching women, and balancing swagger with growth

🤝 Mentorship & humility: evolving with Mouse, learning from Weber, and leaning into staff dynamics

🦁 Penn State years: becoming the glue, associate head coach experience, and preparing for the top chair

🦅 Eastern Washington: culture-building, scholarships, and a vision for Big Sky greatness

🔊 Signature “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!”—where it came from and why it stuck

👨‍👩‍👧 Fatherhood, leadership maturity, and coaching with empathy

“Having a son changed me. If I wouldn’t curse around my own kids, why would I curse around someone else’s?” — Erin Tucker

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.

📲 Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

Back in August Randy Anderson of the Illinois Top Times Speed Lab hosted a one day track clinic featuring the great Boo Schexnayder and Vince Anderson. Coaches were treated to six amazing talks (and a free dinner!) and walked away more prepared for the 2026 season! For the month of October and September in 2025, we’ll be publishing each presentation in a two-part format. Every Wednesday and Thursday you’ll hear one of five talks from Boo and Vince: Week 1-Teaching the Long Jump, Week 2-Training the Hurdlers, Week 3-Plyometric training, Week 4-400m training, Week 5-Relays and Week 6-Hamstrings!

Welcome to Gill1918, the track & field coaching podcast powered by Gill Athletics. Since 1918, Gill has been dedicated to empowering coaches with innovative equipment—now, we're bringing elite coaching education straight to your ears.

Our goal is to create the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts bringing the annual track clinic to your ears DAILY! Topics will include but are not limited to covering key strategies, techniques, and training principles to help you improve athlete performance, structure better workouts, enhance team culture, and more!

Whether you're a high school, collegiate, or club coach, Gill1918 is your go-to resource for quick, high-impact coaching education from the best minds in the sport.

📩 Want to contribute an episode? Submit your 10-30 minute coaching talk to [email protected] or read ⁠⁠⁠THIS LINKEDIN ARTICLE⁠⁠⁠ for information on how to get started. All coaches are invited to participate!

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Gill Athletics for more expert coaching insights!

#TrackAndField #CoachingEducation #Gill1918 #ByCoachesForCoaches #TrackCoach #TedTalksOfTrackFieldPodcast

Back in August Randy Anderson of the Illinois Top Times Speed Lab hosted a one day track clinic featuring the great Boo Schexnayder and Vince Anderson. Coaches were treated to six amazing talks (and a free dinner!) and walked away more prepared for the 2026 season! For the month of October and September in 2025, we’ll be publishing each presentation in a two-part format. Every Wednesday and Thursday you’ll hear one of five talks from Boo and Vince: Week 1-Teaching the Long Jump, Week 2-Training the Hurdlers, Week 3-Plyometric training, Week 4-400m training, Week 5-Relays and Week 6-Hamstrings!

Welcome to Gill1918, the track & field coaching podcast powered by Gill Athletics. Since 1918, Gill has been dedicated to empowering coaches with innovative equipment—now, we're bringing elite coaching education straight to your ears.

Our goal is to create the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts bringing the annual track clinic to your ears DAILY! Topics will include but are not limited to covering key strategies, techniques, and training principles to help you improve athlete performance, structure better workouts, enhance team culture, and more!

Whether you're a high school, collegiate, or club coach, Gill1918 is your go-to resource for quick, high-impact coaching education from the best minds in the sport.

📩 Want to contribute an episode? Submit your 10-30 minute coaching talk to [email protected] or read ⁠⁠THIS LINKEDIN ARTICLE⁠⁠ for information on how to get started. All coaches are invited to participate!

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Gill Athletics for more expert coaching insights!

#TrackAndField #CoachingEducation #Gill1918 #ByCoachesForCoaches #TrackCoach #TedTalksOfTrackFieldPodcast

Along with being a 3-time Olympian, Angela is a 2-time World Indoor Champion at 60m. After her stellar sprinting career, she became an internationally respected coach from pros all the way down to youth. You can see a chart of the improvement of Angela's athletes HERE.

If you’d like to contribute an episode, contact David Mitchell at [email protected] to learn more about how you can get involved.

From the basketball courts of Oakland to the sprint lanes of Eugene, Curtis Taylor’s coaching journey is as inspiring as it is impactful. In this episode, Curtis shares how being cut from varsity basketball led him to track and eventually to a career shaping some of the nation’s fastest athletes at the University of Oregon.

We dive deep into:

• 🏀 Growing up in Oakland’s basketball culture before discovering track

• 🎓 Lessons from UC Davis, kinesiology, and the science of coaching

• 🏆 Building East Oakland track programs with community support

• 👟 Mentorship from the legendary Tony Wells

• 🎯 Goal-setting and athlete accountability at Oregon

• 🌍 Busting myths about recruiting and development in Power Four programs

  
  

💬 “You’ve got to figure out the WHY of everything you’re doing. If you can’t explain the why, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.” – Curtis Taylor

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.

📲 Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

We're excited to partner with Glazier Clinics for a FREE Track and Field Clinic in December of 2025. This online coaching education opportunity will bring some of the greatest coaches around the country and include all track/field disciplines. To whet your appetite, here is a former Glazier Clinic Presentation by David Neville. Look out for the sign up for December's clinic in the near future.

***

Welcome to Gill1918, the track & field coaching podcast powered by Gill Athletics. Since 1918, Gill has been dedicated to empowering coaches with innovative equipment—now, we're bringing elite coaching education straight to your ears.

Our goal is to create the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts bringing the annual track clinic to your ears DAILY! Topics will include but are not limited to covering key strategies, techniques, and training principles to help you improve athlete performance, structure better workouts, enhance team culture, and more!

Whether you're a high school, collegiate, or club coach, Gill1918 is your go-to resource for quick, high-impact coaching education from the best minds in the sport.

📩 Want to contribute an episode? Submit your 10-30 minute coaching talk to [email protected] or read ⁠⁠⁠THIS LINKEDIN ARTICLE⁠⁠⁠ for information on how to get started. All coaches are invited to participate!

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Gill Athletics for more expert coaching insights!

#TrackAndField #CoachingEducation #Gill1918 #ByCoachesForCoaches #TrackCoach #TedTalksOfTrackFieldPodcast

We're excited to partner with Glazier Clinics for a FREE Track and Field Clinic in December of 2025. This online coaching education opportunity will bring some of the greatest coaches around the country and include all track/field disciplines. To whet your appetite, here is a former Glazier Clinic Presentation by David Neville. Look out for the sign up for December's clinic in the near future.

***

Welcome to Gill1918, the track & field coaching podcast powered by Gill Athletics. Since 1918, Gill has been dedicated to empowering coaches with innovative equipment—now, we're bringing elite coaching education straight to your ears.

Our goal is to create the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts bringing the annual track clinic to your ears DAILY! Topics will include but are not limited to covering key strategies, techniques, and training principles to help you improve athlete performance, structure better workouts, enhance team culture, and more!

Whether you're a high school, collegiate, or club coach, Gill1918 is your go-to resource for quick, high-impact coaching education from the best minds in the sport.

📩 Want to contribute an episode? Submit your 10-30 minute coaching talk to [email protected] or read ⁠⁠THIS LINKEDIN ARTICLE⁠⁠ for information on how to get started. All coaches are invited to participate!

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Gill Athletics for more expert coaching insights!

#TrackAndField #CoachingEducation #Gill1918 #ByCoachesForCoaches #TrackCoach #TedTalksOfTrackFieldPodcast

DeeDee is not only a 3-time Olympian, she's also an Executive Pastry Chef, a global motivational speaker, and she's the author of the inspirational new book I Can. I Must. I Will!. DeeDee is truly an expert on goal-setting and goal-getting!

If you’d like to contribute an episode, contact David Mitchell at [email protected] to learn more.

From dirt tracks in Georgia to leading one of the nation’s powerhouse high school programs, Jason Cage’s journey is a story of resilience, faith, and servant leadership. As head coach at Westlake High School, he’s built more than a track program—he’s built a culture that attracts 200+ athletes every season, state championships, and even Gatorade Athletes of the Year.

In this episode, Coach Cage opens up about:

🏃 His late start in track & field and the coach who changed his life

🌍 Lessons learned from running with international teammates in junior college

📚 The power of coaching education and why he hosts clinics for fellow coaches & parents

🏆 How Westlake built a culture of pride, discipline, and community

💡 Balancing family, teaching, and leading one of the largest HS programs in the country

“Track saved my life. The discipline, the relationships, the lessons—it all shaped who I am today.” – Jason Cage

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.

📲 Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

Coach Emeott's East Kentwood HS teams have won 8 State Titles and a National Team Championship. He's coached 7 HS PV boys over 15' and 7 girls over 12', including NCAA Champ/Puma pro Gabi Leon. He's a coach, event director, and author with a wealth of experience to share! If you’d like to contribute an episode, email David Mitchell at [email protected].