TRADITION For more than two decades,Ted Lloyd, former track and field and cross-country coach,had coached numerous championship teams and inspired student athletes along the way.On February 23,2007,Lloyd was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame,a fitting honor for a world-renown coach and a man who set the standard for track and cross-country coaches everywhere. Lloyd was honored in a ceremony held at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Other inductees honored at the ceremony included Little Rock native Jermain Taylor who was an undisputed Middleweight boxing champion of the world, Denver Broncos receiver Rod Smith and Willie Roaf who was a former offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints as well as the Kansas City Chiefs. Lloyd began his coaching career at Harding Academy, serving as the school’s basketball, football and track and field coach before being hired as Harding University’s head track and field coach in 1964. Later, Lloyd was named cross-country coach in 1968 and continued from 1970 to 1995.During Lloyd’s tenure at Harding, he coached 22 men’s cross-country teams and 10 women’s teams to championships in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC). Under Lloyd’s leadership, the men’s track and field team won the AICTrack and Field Championships six times, and the women’s team clinched the title three times. Coach Lloyd also coached 75 All-American athletes and six national champions. According to the current head track and field and cross-country coach Steve Guymon, the value of Lloyd’s coaching went far beyond the track. “Coach Lloyd has made an impact on thousands of lives,” Guymon said.“He has guided many students in the right direction and is always full of wisdom.” Lloyd was also named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) District 17 coach of the year 40 times, named to the NAIAHall of Fame in 1983, and the Harding Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989. Lloyd was inducted into the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1999. “My time coaching at Harding has been a dream come true,” Lloyd said.“I have had the opportunity to coach great athletes,meet great people and travel while coaching international teams.” ThoughCoach Lloyd’s records while at Harding were impressive, perhaps even more impressive was his involvement in coaching internationally. Lloyd travelled to the Caribbean, Brazil, Japan, Canada and Scotland coaching teams from around the world. Scott Goode,Harding’s Sports Information Director, said that he believed Lloyd established a legacy at Harding that would continue on. “Coach Lloyd was able to spread the good news about Harding track and field through his international experience,”Goode said. “Under Coach Lloyd’s leadership, Harding went from a team that people knew about around the AIC to an internationally recognized program.” In addition to coaching,Lloyd presented track and field lectures in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. “I admire Coach Lloyd’s willingness to give people opportunities that they might not have otherwise had,” Goode said. “He had an amazing ability to make people better than they thought they could be just by instilling confidence in that person. He showed that you can be an outstanding coach and a high-quality person at the same time.” [Tyler Neese] Track and field coach leaves lasting legacy Sophomore sprinter Kreg Kell runs in the 4x100 relay on May 4, 2007 during the NCAA II South Region Championships at Ted Lloyd Track. In addition to the 4x100 relay, Kell competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump and javelin throw during the meet. [Craig Rainbolt] [track] 263
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