Elvis Forde - Women's Cross Country Coach

Elvis Forde

Title:
Head Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Coach
Email:
elvis.forde@temple.edu
Phone:
215-204-8258

Elvis Forde, who has a quarter century of experience as a head track and field/cross country coach at the NCAA Division I level, was named the track and field/cross country coach at Temple University in August of 2014.

A native of St. Andrew, Barbados, Forde has dedicated his life to the sport of track and field, helping student-athletes succeed not only in competition but in the classroom.

Forde, a four-time All-American and two-time Olympian, came to the Owls after spending a dozen years as the head track and field coach at Illinois State. He had previously served 13 years as the head track and field coach at Austin Peay State.

Under Forde’s leadership, the women’s track and field team produced a program’s best third place finish at the 2020 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships. Marissa White continued to show consistency under Forde’s training, finishing fourth overall at the meet in the 400m with a personal best time of 54.47. The 4x400m relay also recorded their best time since 2016, clocking in at 3:44.81 and finishing in sixth place.

The 2018-19 track and field seasons demonstrated the bright future ahead for Forde’s student-athletes. Freshman Marissa White made a statement early on in her career by qualifying for finals at both the indoor and outdoor American Athletic Conference Championships in the 400m. White finished fourth at the indoor championships and fifth at the outdoor meet, clocking a personal best time of 54.62 that season. Sophomore Sydney Williams placed sixth in a deep field in the 100m hurdles, notching a PR of 14.14 along the way. Forde also continued to show the depth amongst his sprint athletes, as the 4x400m relays placed at both the indoor and outdoor conference championships, finishing eigth and sixth, respectively.

The 2018 outdoor track season was special as Temple hosted their first annual Temple Invitational under Forde’s tenure at the Dan and Shelly Boyce Track in North Philadelphia. The meet combined high school and collegiate events and featured several professional athletes, in addition to setting the stage for strong performances from the Temple squad. At the conference level, Forde’s 4x400m relay teams picked up points at both the outdoor and indoor conference championships.

Between the 2016 and 2017 track and field seasons, Forde saw many developments amongst his athletes. In outdoor competition, Crystal Jones showed her versatility at the American Athletic Conference Championships, placing second in the high jump and eigth in 400mH. Sylvia Wilson placed seventh in the 100mH at the event, showing depth amongst the hurdles. The 2016 Indoor American Athletic Conference Championships featured a large group of finals qualifyers. Crystal Jones bore the biggest responsibility, taking fifth place in the pentathlon and coming back to score 5 additional points in the high jump. Sylvia Wilson, a freshman, shined in her first conference competition for the Owls, placing first in the 60mH in a time of 8.40 seconds. Additionally, Bionca St. Fleur took second in the long jump, Sydney Jackson placed fifth in the triple jump and the 4x400m relay placed fourth overall.

In Forde’s first year with the Owls, he coached many athletes to personal bests and All-Conference performances. At the outdoor American Athletic Conference Championships, Kiersten LaRoche finished fifth in the women’s long jump and Kaitlyn McSurdy finished sixth in the 400mH. Additionally, the Temple women’s 4x400m relay had an impressive performance at the historic Penn Relays. The quartet of Hollis Coleman, Demeshia Davis, Kenya Gaston and Kiersten LaRoche took first place and were crowned Penn Relays Champions in the College Women’s Division, improving their time from 3:53.88 to 3:42.75 in the process.

In his 12 years at ISU (2002-14), Forde was able to foster a successful environment, and coached many outstanding student-athletes including 10-time All-American and Capital One Academic All-American Brittany Smith, NCAA javelin champion Tim Glover, and two-time Missouri Valley Conference Female Student-Athlete of the Year Devon Williams, who amassed 11 conference titles and set four school records and one MVC mark.

Named the 2001 Ohio Valley Coach of the Year during his 13-year tenure at Austin Peay State (1989-2002), Forde coached four Capital One Academic All-Americans, an NCAA Outdoor All-American and three conference Student-Athletes of the Year.

A successful runner in his own right, Forde started his collegiate career at Murray State, where he earned All-America honors as runner-up in the 600-yard dash at the 1982 NCAA Indoor Championships. He later transferred to Southern Illinois Carbondale where he earned multiple All-America honors for the Salukis. In 1984, as a member of the SIUC 1600-meter relay team, he helped set NCAA records during both the indoor (3:07.15) and outdoor (3:00.78) seasons. Named the Southern Illinois Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior in 1984, he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1995.

Following his successful college career, Forde competed in both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, representing Barbados. He was a two-time national champion at 600 yards at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships and he still owns the Barbados national record in the 400-meter dash.

Forde owns a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Southern Illinois (1986) and a Master of Science degree in athletic administration from Austin Peay State (1994).

Forde, and his wife Beverly, are the proud parents of two children, Chante' and Kevin.