Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mike Holloway has a simple plan as head coach of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team that opened competition Friday at the Tokyo Games.

It's the same strategy that earned him the position and one he packed with him when his wife, Angela, saw him off at the airport last weekend for the long trip to Japan.

"I'm going to coach my butt off and come back home,'' he said. "That's what I'm going to do."

As the longtime head coach of the Gators men's and women's track teams, Holloway is no stranger to international competition. He was an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2012 London Games and head coach at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Still, in a coaching career that is nearing 40 years at the high school, collegiate and Olympic levels, the spotlight has never glowed brighter on Holloway.

He has won nine national championships at Florida, coached an array of Olympians, and has been a regular at the Olympic Games since 1996 in Atlanta when he attended his first Olympics as the personal coach of former UF runner and elite American sprinter Dennis Mitchell, who finished fourth in the 100 meters and won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. 4x100 relay team.

"My guy was the first one out of the medal count, but it gave me reason to come back stronger later on,'' Holloway said of Mitchell's performance in the 100. That was 25 years ago. At the time, Holloway was transitioning from head coach at Gainesville's Buchholz High to an assistant's job with the UF men's team. He was trying to make a name for himself — and a living. Today, he is one of the most respected coaches in the sport.

What a journey it's been, from his early days as a volunteer high school coach and working shifts at a local Krystal to managing a Taco Nacho franchise to make ends meet as he pursued his dream.

"The thing I remember about Taco Nacho the most was that the food was too good and I ate too much,'' he said. "I put on a lot of weight. It was a good time and it was humbling. Back then I didn't have much. I remember having to walk to work sometimes and I remember having to walk home after work at 1 o'clock in the morning. Definitely something I don't ever want to have to do again if I can avoid it."

Holloway doesn't mind looking back, but he prefers not to stare.

That mentality has led him to where he is.

"I'm a grinder,'' he said. "If I wake up in morning, I'm coming in to get better. I'm very grateful and very blessed that I was able to move on from that situation, but it took a lot of hard work and dedication on my part. I never worry about things that are out of my control."

Being head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team is in many ways ceremonial. Holloway is the personal coach to several UF-connected Olympians, including Grant Holloway, the 2019 NCAA champion in the 110-meter hurdles and the favorite to win gold in Tokyo (see video below). But with track primarily an individual sport, many of Holloway's tasks leading up to the Games focused on planning and organizing to make sure the U.S. athletes had what they needed to succeed.



The real fun for Holloway is over the next week as the events unfold and the athletes pursue Olympic glory.

"I never thought about being the head Olympic coach. I always wanted to a coach of Olympians. When I got the call and it was official that I was going to be the head coach, it's very humbling,'' Holloway said. "When you're asked to lead the best team on the planet, it's just an incredible honor. Yeah, you get little goosebumps when you think about stuff like that.

"It's not about medals. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if we go out there and perform well, we're going to have a lot of great performances with this team. If we do that, we're going to have a great Games."

Five members of the U.S. Olympic Team competed for the Gators. Besides Grant Holloway, long jumper Marquis Dendy, sprinter Taylor Manson, distance runner Cory McGee and two-time Olympic triple-jumper silver medalist Will Claye first starred for the Gators. Nine other Gators are competing for their native countries.

Dendy made the Olympic Team in 2016 but could not compete due to a leg injury. When he first arrived at UF in 2012, Holloway was in the process of hiring assistant coach Nic Petersen to coach the jumps. Dendy said long talks with Holloway about the direction of the program made him a believer in the man who is once again his head coach in Tokyo.

"One of the most important things I think that Mouse [Holloway's nickname] gave me when I came here was just trust and accountability,'' said Dendy, a Delaware native who made the leap to Florida from high school. "If you just trust me, I'll bring in a new coach and he'll take you where you need to go. A lot of my success probably comes from my trust in them."

There are plenty of Gators who echo Dendy's sentiments.

Holloway has created a culture of unity and respect that is evident to anyone who stops by Percy Beard Track on a weekday to watch Holloway, his staff and athletes practice. His track record as a coach speaks for itself.

There are many great stories at the Olympic Games, several with a Gators twist. Mike Holloway is one of them. He started at the bottom and is now at the top of his profession.

He is head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team.

His goal: to maximize each athlete's potential as their leader. Holloway said if he can do that, he'll return home content.

"It's no different than my role here at the University of Florida,'' he said. "My job is to make sure they have everything they need to come out there and compete at a high level so they can go after their dreams."

Holloway chased his dreams and caught them. Now look at him.