Every State’s Top High School Track and Field Team

The track and field events at the Olympics showcase the greatest sprinters, long-distance runners, throwers and jumpers the world has to offer. And they all had to start somewhere. 

In the United States, that start often comes with an elite high school track and field program. While track and field may not grab the headlines other high school sports get, track and field has had a great impact on sports history. 

These are the greatest high school boys outdoor track and field programs of all time, ranked by the most team state championships in all 50 states. 

Location: Mobile, Alabama

State championships (23): 1981-83, 1990, 1991, 1997-2000, 2002-06, 2009-16, 2021

Notable coaches: Pat Galle

Notable athletes: Donnell Hill, John Megginson, Brandon Gibson

Bottom line: Any conversation about UMS-Wright Prep’s record-setting track and field team begins and ends with head coach Pat Galle. 

Galle has been the head coach for track and cross country at UMS-Wright since 1972 and has won a whopping 69 Alabama state championships in that time across different sports, with the most recent coming in 2021. 

UMS-Wright made the correct decision in 2011 when they renovated their track stadium and renamed it Galle-Leatherbury Track. He’s joined in the UMS-Wright Athletics Hall of Fame by his daughter, Corey Steele. 

Note: All-time state records for boys track and field are not available for South Carolina.

Location: Anchorage, Alaska

State championships (17): 1979-86, 1989-92, 2001, 2008-10, 2012

Notable coaches: Larry Whitmore

Notable athletes: Richard Madison, DeWayne Ingram, Doug Herron, Jordan Clarke

Bottom line: Legendary Bartlett High track and field coach Larry Whitmore is in the Alaska High School Hall of Fame for good reason. Whitmore, who retired in 1991 after 24 years, won 11 state championships in boys track and field as part of the 23 total state championships he won and was named Alaska Coach of the Year 14 times.

Bartlett also owns the state record in two relays — the 400-meter relay and the 800-meter relay, with the 800-meter record standing since 1990. In the throwing events, Jordan Clarke owns state records in both the discus and shot put. 

Location: Tucson, Arizona

State championships (18): 1923, 1927, 1928, 1936, 1938-41, 1943-49, 1953, 1970, 1971

Notable coaches: Doc Van Horne, Don Anderson, Bud Doolen

Notable athletes: Joe Batiste, Abdi Abdirahman

Bottom line: Tucson High School — now known as Tucson High Magnet School — dominated the early eras of boys outdoor track and field in Arizona, including winning at least one state championship in every decade from the 1920s through the 1950s. 

The greatest trackster from those early years was Joe Batiste, who set a national record in the hurdles that stood for decades. The people of Tucson famously pooled their money to send Batiste and his coach, Doc Van Horne, to the AAU national championships in 1939.

That’s where he defeated world-record holder and Rice University star Fred Wolcott.

Location: LIttle Rock, Arkansas

State championships (50): 1921, 1922, 1926-45, 1947, 1949-58, 1960-65, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1979

Notable coaches: Clyde Horton

Notable athletes: Doug Spencer, Dariel Johnson, Bill Runyan, Derek Russell, Bruce Fullerton, Ralph Brodie, Mike Hoffman, Randy Taylor

Bottom line: Little Rock Central High School’s 50 state championships in boys outdoor track and field are a national record — even more incredible considering they haven’t won a state championship since 1979. 

The most well-known of Little Rock Central’s head coaches was Clyde Horton, who coached the Tigers from 1963 until 1987, winning a combined 25 state championships between track and field and cross country. 

Two of Little Rock Central’s relay teams, in the 800-meter and 1600-meter relay, still own state records. The 800 record was set in 1985, and the 1600 record was set in 1968.