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Paul Rice

Position: Men's and Women's Cross Country/Track Head Coach Experience: 14th Season Alma Mater: Oakland, 1993

Paul Rice enters his 14th season as head coach for Oakland's men's and women's cross country programs. In the summer of 2006, Rice was named the first full-time coach in the program's history as well as taking on head coaching duties for the new men's and women's track teams.

Under Rice's guidance, Golden Grizzly cross country has become one of the premier programs in The Summit League, producing 27 all-conference runners who have won 53 total conference awards, three runners of the year, two newcomers of the year and three Summit League championships in just nine seasons. Rice has earned Summit League Coach of the Year accolades four times.

During the 2010 season, Rice led the women's team to their first-ever Summit League Championship. Oakland placed four runners in the top eight to score 45 points edging out defending champion Southern Utah by five points. Lia Jones, Brittni Hutton and Sara Lieblein earned All-Summit League first team honors and Kelsey Carmean earned second team honors. Rice earned his first Women's Cross Country Summit League Coach of the Year award, the fourth coach of the year accolade of his career.

In 2005, Rice led the men's team to its second conference championship in four years, as Oakland placed all five of its scoring runners in the top 15 to compile 38 points, edging Southern Utah (42) for the title. The Golden Grizzlies were paced by Summit League Runner of the Year Adam Frezza who won the event. Four runners earned all-conference honors: Frezza and Paul Kulisek were named to the first team while Andrew Lawrick and Jason Young were second-team selections. The team also earned its first-ever regional ranking when it was 14th in the United States Cross Country Association Great Lakes Region poll.

Another successful season, 2003, saw both the men's and women's teams place second at the Summit League championships. The women were led by two-time Summit League Runner of the Year Kristie Kieffer (2003, 2000), who became the first Golden Grizzly runner to qualify for the NCAA championships since Oakland joined Division I when she placed 13th at the NCAA regional.

In 2002, Rice and the Golden Grizzly men captured their first conference championship, breaking Southern Utah's streak of five straight titles. A record six runners earned all-conference recognition on the men's side while the women placed two on the all-conference team and had the newcomer of the year in Sarah Drouillard. Rice was named Summit League Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Rice took the helm in 1997 after serving one year as Oakland's assistant coach. He graduated from OU in 1997 with a BA in general studies/human resources. Rice ran cross country at Oakland from 1990-93 and was a three-year captain, earning all-conference honors 1991 and 1992, as well as all-region recognition in 1991.

A resident of Eastpointe, Mich., Rice and his wife, Shannon, have three children: Olivia (8), Ethan, (5) and Abigail (2).