Head Coach Ritchie Beene will enter his eighth year at the helm of the men’s and women’s cross country program and his 18th season overall with Alabama State University.
He served as the ASU assistant coach under legendary Horace Crump for 10 seasons before taking over the reins upon Crump’s retirement. He also serves as head coach of the men’s and women’s track and field program.
After taking over both programs in 2007, Beene has led the women’s cross country and track and field teams to 10 conference titles and has led the men’s teams to two.
During his tenure as assistant coach, he helped lead the women’s cross country and track and field teams to 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships and the men’s team to two. He led the women’s cross country team to four championships and three top finishes for the men’s team.
As the mid-distance and distance coach, Beene has coached seven SWAC MVP’s, 36 different All-SWAC athletes, 27 NCAA Regional Qualifiers and eight nationally ranked relay teams.
In 2011 he led the women’s cross country team to their six overall conference title, while five members of the team were named to the All-SWAC teams. He led an undermanned men’s team to a surprising seventh place finish. For his accomplishments, he was named the 2011 Women’s SWAC Coach of the Year.
He pulled of the trifecta when track season rolled around as the women won both the SWAC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field titles. Beene was named the Women’s Coach of the Year in both sports.
Again, he rallied a short-handed men’s team for a sixth place finish at the indoor championship and a strong fifth place finish at the outdoors.
In 2010 he led the men’s and women’s cross country teams to third place finishes in the SWAC Championships while having four of his runners named to the All-SWAC teams.
His women’s indoor and outdoor track teams won the SWAC Championship in 2011, while the men’s team finished third at the indoor championship and finished second at the outdoor championship.
He was also named the SWAC Indoor and Outdoor Coach of the Year and was named Chairman of the SWAC Coaches.
He coached four runners this season that qualified for the NCAA Regional’s and had one conference MVP at the indoor championships and two MVP’s at the outdoor championships.
During his second year as head coach his teams made history again, as both the men’s team won the indoor championship in the same year. For his efforts, Beene was named both the men’s and women’s SWAC Coach of the Year.
The women’s team won the 2010 Outdoor Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship and the men’s team tied for third. The men’s 4x800 team held the second fastest time in the NCAA for three weeks. Five individual student-athletes and the men’s 4x400 relay team went all the way to the NCAA Regional Championships. Beene had won 21 SWAC Championships by the end of the 2010-11 seasons.
Beene also is an instructor of health and physical education and co-adviser to HPER Club. He enjoys being an active member of the Alabama Education Association and Alabama State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Beene is a graduate of Alcorn State University, where he was named cross country MVP and was selected for inclusion in Who’s Who Among College Athletics. He also is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., and the Sounds of Dynamite Marching Band.
Beene is married to the former Yolanda Flowers, and they are the parents of Jordan.
