Joe Piane Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: Loras College '69

In 1889, track and field became the second varsity sport in school history. One hundred and 18 seasons later, student-athletes continue to represent the Fighting Irish across the nation on the track, in the field and on the cross country course.

For the past 32 campaigns, Joe Piane has been leading the program - and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. The longest active tenured coach at Notre Dame, Piane begins his 33rd season under the Golden Dome in the fall of 2007, having recently inked a multi-year contract extension that will keep him with the Irish through at least the end of the decade.

The 2007-08 season will be a landmark for Piane as he is third in Notre Dame athletic history for longest tenure, no longer tied with former Irish tennis and wresting coach Tim Fallon (32 seasons from 1955-87). Only legendary baseball skipper Jake Kline (42 seasons from 1934-75) and fencing mentor Mike DeCicco (34 seasons from 1962-95) spent more time with their programs than Piane.

"I'm thrilled to know that I'll be here at Notre Dame for the next several years and hopefully well beyond that until my retirement," Piane says. "My family and I truly enjoy living in South Bend and being a part of the community here. I also value and appreciate the opportunity I have had to work at a place like Notre Dame because of the quality of the people I've been fortunate enough to work with. I have coached many very special student-athletes during my time here and seeing their development has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my job -- one that I'm eager to continue well into the foreseeable future."

"Joe's record here at Notre Dame speaks for itself," director of athletics Kevin White notes. "The Irish cross country and track & field teams are annually among the nation's elite and that's a testament to the leadership and expertise Joe has brought to the table. He is universally respected, not only in the athletics family here at Notre Dame, but also in national and global coaching circles. We are pleased to know that Joe will remain with us to further build upon the foundation of success he has worked so hard to create."

When White says Piane's record "speaks for itself," it's no exaggeration. Just consider the accomplishments Notre Dame athletes have made under Piane's watchful eye:

• Men's cross country runners have earned All-American status 24 times, with Patrick Smyth taking home the honor in 2006.

• A Notre Dame cross country runner has appeared at the NCAA Championship meet in each of the past 17 years, while the team has made the trip 16 out of the past 20 years.

• The Notre Dame men's cross country team has finished in the top 10 at the NCAA meet in 11 of the past 20 seasons, highlighted by third-place finishes in 1990 and 2005 (matching the program's best showing since winning the 1957 NCAA title).

• The Irish men's cross country team has won five BIG EAST Conference titles since joining the league in 1995, including two crowns in 2004 and 2005. What's more, Notre Dame men's harriers have earned all-BIG EAST honors 36 times, with a school-record five runners receiving that distinction in `05.

• The Irish men's track & field team has earned 66 All-America citations since 1974 (including Jake Watson and Thomas Chamney in the indoor season and Kurt Benninger, Patrick Smyth and Todd Ptacek in the outdoor season), while the women's team has received 38 such accolades since 1994 (most recently Molly Huddle in the 5,000m in 2007). Combined, Piane has helped mentor 104 track & field All-Americans (and 128 overall when including cross country honorees) during his tenure.

• Both the Notre Dame men's and women's track & field teams were champions in 2007 with the Irish men taking the indoor title and the Irish women claiming their first outdoor team championship. Overall the men's team has won seven BIG EAST titles (three indoor/four outdoor), while the women's squad has hoisted the hardware three times (two indoor/one outdoor).

• In the school's 11-year BIG EAST membership (1995-96 to present), Notre Dame athletes have won 102 conference individual or relay titles in track & field and cross country, with eight student-athletes going on to be named the conference's outstanding track or field performer award at its indoor or outdoor championship meets.

A distance-coaching specialist, Piane is recognized across the nation as one of the best in the business. He has been named NCAA Division I National Cross Country Coach of the Year on two different occasions (1987 and 2001) while garnering five district/regional coach-of-the-year honors and nine league cross country coach-of-the-year plaques (most recently as part of the '05 BIG EAST Men's Coaching Staff of the Year). In total, Piane has earned or shared 26 league coach of the year awards (indoor track, outdoor track or cross country), including 13 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year accolades in the past nine years (1999-2007). In 2007 alone they earned two of those BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors, one for men's indoor track & field and one for women's outdoor track & field.

As the Irish track & field program continues to assert itself on the national stage, Piane has led from the front every step of the way. In 2007, the Notre Dame men won the BIG EAST indoor title, marking the sixth time in eight seasons that the Irish took home either the conference indoor or outdoor trophy. The Irish women's indoor performance earned them the second-place trophy, just ten points shy of the championship title. Persistence paid off for the women as they came back in the outdoor season and won their first BIG EAST outdoor championship.

Piane and his assistants were once again recognized for their guidance on the Notre Dame men's and women's track teams. They were honored as the BIG EAST Men's Indoor Track Coaching Staff of the Year as well as the Women's Outdoor Track Coaching Staff of the Year. Piane and his staff now have earned 13 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year awards.

Individually, Piane and his assistants at Notre Dame produced six All-Americans on the track in 2007 with two during the indoor season and four during the outdoor season. Molly Huddle led the team, earning her tenth All-America honors with her third-place performance in the 5,000m. Other All-America performances came from Kurt Benninger (1,500m), Patrick Smyth (5,000m) and Todd Ptacek (3,000m steeplechase) at the NCAA outdoor championships and from Jack Watson (mile run) and Thomas Chamney (800m) at the NCAA indoor championships.

Huddle finished her career under Piane with her tenth All-America certificate, a record for the most All-America selections by a Notre Dame athlete in any sport. The Elmira, N.Y., native had seven career BIG EAST championship, including back-to-back double victories in the 5,000m and the 10,000m in her last two seasons. Her seven championships are the most by any Irish woman and she joins former athlete Liz Grow to be named the BIG EAST Outstanding Outdoor Track Performer in two consecutive years (2006/2007). She currently holds four Irish school records (indoor 3,000m & 5,000m/outdoor 5,000m & 10,000m).

Piane's success has not just been in the present with ten-time All-American Huddle and five-time All-American Kurt Benninger. Two of the more successful Piane pupils in recent years have been nine-time All-American Ryan Shay and eight-time All-American Luke Watson.

In 2001, Piane helped distance specialist Shay compile one of the greatest track seasons in Notre Dame history. The Central Lake, Mich., resident won the BIG EAST indoor 5,000 meters, the conference outdoor 5,000 and 10,000 meters and finished off the season in legendary style by becoming Notre Dame's first individual NCAA champion since 1972 by taking first place in the 10,000 meters (29:05.44) at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in Eugene, Ore. Shay has since moved on to become one of the best marathon runners in the country, winning five U.S. titles as well as USA Running Circuit (USARC) titles in 2003 and 2004.

Shortly after helping steer Shay to the top of the college running mountain, Piane had similar success with Watson. Both men had set their sights on breaking the four-minute mile barrier at the Meyo Invitational in 2002, hoping that Watson would become just the second runner to crack the mark. Piane helped assemble an outstanding field for the race and it ended up as arguably the highlight of the collegiate indoor season. Watson did his part, scorching past the field in the final straight away to win in 3:58.83, easily a school-record time and briefly the fastest mile run in the world during the indoor season. Watson eventually moved on to garner All-America honors in the indoor mile, indoor 3,000 meters and outdoor 5,000 meters - as well as taking home BIG EAST Championships in the mile, 3,000-meter steeplechase and outdoor 5,000 meters. In the summer of `06, Watson returned to his alma mater as a member of the Irish men's distance/cross country coaching staff.

With Piane at the helm, the Notre Dame men's cross country team has enjoyed five of its most successful seasons in the program's history during the past seven years. In 2000, Piane helped the Irish recover from the loss of Shay due to injury and earn a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championship meet.

With Shay back on the team in `01, Notre Dame achieved its highest-ever national ranking (fourth), won the BIG EAST Championship (Piane and his staff earned the league's Coaching Staff of the Year award) and ended up sixth at the national meet to give the Irish (at the time) their highest team finish since 1993.

In 2004, Notre Dame threatened to eclipse its best-ever ranking, as Piane deftly guided his charges from an unranked start all the way to a BIG EAST title and a No. 5 national ranking before placing 11th at the NCAA Championship. For his efforts, Piane and his aides garnered a second BIG EAST Men's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year plaque. That set the stage for last year's successful run that culminated in Notre Dame's return to the NCAA awards podium for the first time since 1990.

In 1985, Piane was named a member of the United States National Track staff. As such, he was one of 40 collegiate coaches given the opportunity to coach a United States squad in international competition. During the summer of 1987 he did just that, guiding a team of American all-stars in meets held in England and Ireland. Upon the conclusion of the 1991 Notre Dame track season, Piane once again faced international competition as he was appointed coach of the U.S. Pan American juniors team for the games in Kingston, Jamaica.

Piane became Midwest regional chairman for United States Olympic Development in the area of track and field in 1984. Piane's other Olympic preparation experience came in `85 when he coached the North team in the National Sports Festival. He also coached the U.S. team against England in Birmingham, England.

Piane has produced a winning record in all but one season with the Irish men's cross country team and is also the creator of Notre Dame's National Catholic Championship, an annual meet held on campus since 1980. The Irish running program continues to be a rapidly-growing entity thanks to Piane's achievements. Continually searching for greater challenges, he also founded the Meyo Invitational and the Alex Wilson Invitational, both traditional indoor Notre Dame track & field meets. The Meyo Invitational has turned into a prime breeding ground for record-setting performances, with the 2007 meet resulting in 85 NCAA provisional or automatic qualifying marks, six meet records and three Meyo Track standards broken. The 2006 meet had similar results with 76 NCAA provisional or automatic qualifying marks hit and seven meet records and three Meyo Track records falling. At the same time, the Alex Wilson Invitational has developed into one of the top indoor "last chance" meets in the nation, hosting the nation's best performers just prior to the NCAA Championship.

A 1969 graduate of Loras College, Piane ran both track and cross country for four years at the Dubuque, Iowa, institution. He captained Loras' undefeated cross country squad as a senior, while excelling in middle distance events during the track season. He was inducted into the Loras College Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of `02.

Piane began his impressive coaching career in 1970. Working for the Peace Corps, he coached track & field and cross country at both the regional and national levels in the North African country of Morocco. Piane guided a top-ranked junior cross country team, sending three runners to Cambridge, England, for the International Cross Country Championship (now known as the IAAF World Championship) in 1972, where Morocco finished third. Several of those Moroccan runners went on to compete at the '72 Summer Games in Munich, Germany, and one advanced to the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, Canada.

After returning to the United States in July 1972, Piane assisted the track and cross country programs at Western Illinois. During that time he earned a master's degree in physical education.

Born Aug. 6, 1946, in Westchester, Ill., Piane joined the Notre Dame staff in 1974 as an assistant track coach and physical education instructor with plans to stay on for just one year. He was named head track and cross country coach the following season.

Piane and his wife, Mimi, reside in South Bend, with their son, Nick.