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Track & Field

Assistant Coaches

2011 -- Willie Hoffman has been the Eagles’ main assistant the past 12 years. Hoffman heads the off-season workouts, tutors the jumpers and multi events. He also handles some of the recruiting and much of the record-keeping and computer activities for the track and field program.

He earned his master’s degree in secondary education from CSC in December 2004 and works as a professor in the HPER Department.

Hoffman was a CSC high jumper who had a career best of 6-feet-7 and placed second in the event at the RMAC Outdoor Meet in 2001 by clearing 6-6. He was selected as Chadron State’s RMAC male scholar-athlete for 2000-01.

He is married to the former Blakelee Binning, who was an All-American in volleyball and a track standout at Black Hills State.

Willie and Blakelee have two children.

Coaching Accomplishments
(2001-Present at Chadron State College)
All-Americans
High jump (6)
Triple jump (5)
Long jump (3)
Multi event (4)
National Qualfiers
High jump (14)
Triple jump (11)
Long jump (10)
Multi event (5)
RMAC Champions
High jump (3)
Long jump (4)
Triple jump (3)
Multi event (3)
Hurdles (10)

Brad Gamble was hired as an assistant cross country and track and field coach in November 2011.

Gamble, a native of Eagle, Colo., will assist CSC track and field head coach Ryan Baily with men’s and women’s cross country, while also helping coach track and field events, including the multi events, hurdles and jumps.

Cross country was added early this fall and begins competition in the fall of 2012.

Gamble is no stranger to Chadron State. Despite only competing for the Eagles’ track and field team one year, he distinguished himself both indoors and outdoors. He set a Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championship meet record while winning the heptathlon in March and he followed that up with a runner-up finish in the decathlon at the outdoor national championships.

He hopes his triumphs as a student-athlete translates to coaching.

“I’m excited to help the program grow and to help the team win conference titles and to compete for national titles,” Gamble said. “It’s a good opportunity to work under Coach Baily and to continue to grow as a coach.”

Gamble also had a solid career at Hastings College, becoming a two-time All-American before graduating with a degree in physical education in 2010. Following his graduation, he taught at Eagle Valley High, his alma mater, and coached the throws. While he was at the Colorado State Meet that spring he became acquainted with Baily and decided to use his final year of eligibility at Chadron State.

Steve Nelson, a 1974 graduate who was a tight end and punter for the CSC football team, is a volunteer assistant. He retired from teaching at Alliance High in 2003, but still coaches the pole vault and high jump. He also drives to Chadron to help the Eagles several times a week. Nelson was on the staff at Alliance more than 30 years. He was the head boys’ track coach for 22 of those years and also the head girls’ coach nine years. Several athletes that he coached in high school have become standouts at CSC, including his son, Chris, a sub-two-minute 800 runner for the Eagles in the mid-1990s.

Coaching Accomplishments
(Volunteer Assistant at Chadron State College)
Provisional Qualifiers
Pole vault (1)
RMAC Champions
Pole vault (1)
School Records
Pole vault (3)