Former LSU track & field head coach and USTFCCCA Hall of Famer, Billy Maxwell, passed away peacefully early Monday morning at the age of 80.
In over 50 years Maxwell coached 28 NCAA Champions and more than 350 All-Americans throughout a distinguished career dating back to 1970 that also includes coaching stints at Tennessee, Texas and most recently Nebraska. In his five seasons as LSU’s head coach, Maxwell coached the Tigers and Lady Tigers to 189 All-America honors while also winning 26 NCAA event championships.
The 1983 season was Maxwell’s first in Baton Rouge as the head coach of LSU’s men’s and women’s teams following a 12-year stint as a men’s assistant coach at Tennessee.
In five seasons leading the LSU Track & Field program, Maxwell helped kick start an era of dominance by the Lady Tigers while leading them to their first national championship with a win at the 1987 NCAA Indoor Championships. The Lady Tigers nearly took top honors by tying for second place at the NCAA Outdoor meet in 1985, while they also placed third in 1985 and fifth in 1986 at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Lady Tigers also captured their first SEC title under Maxwell’s guidance with their victory at the SEC Indoor Championships in 1985. They would actually sweep SEC Indoor and SEC Outdoor titles in 1985 and 1987 as the SEC’s emerging power in the sport.
A native of Cairo, Ga., Maxwell received his bachelor’s degree from Florida State and began his coaching career at Columbia (Ga.) High School. He was named Georgia Coach of the Year in 1967, leading Columbia to two state titles in four seasons before moving to the collegiate ranks.
Near the end of his coaching career, Maxwell was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015.
“Coach Maxwell was the engineer behind leading the women’s program to a long streak of dominance at the NCAA Championships,” said LSU track & field Head Coach Dennis Shaver. “He was a great recruiter and hired outstanding assistant coaches to produce championships. Coach Maxwell was a great story teller and admired by all who knew him. The sport will certainly miss his presence.”