HAYWARD, Calif. - Cal State East Bay announces the hiring of Norm Alston, Pioneers Hall of Fame Class of 2018, as head coach of the university's men's and women's cross country and track programs.
"I'm happy to be back home," stated Alston on his new position.
"I am thrilled to welcome Coach Alston BACK to the Pioneer program," said Cal State East Bay associate vice president/director of athletics Allison Kern. "How often do we get the opportunity to bring a decorated Hall of Famer back to continue the legacy of our program? Coach Alston has had success at every stop of his coaching career, and the connections he brings in the Track & Field community will put us in a position to continue to grow our program.
"When we say #BuildtheBrand in Pioneer Athletics, that stems from the foundation built by student-athletes and coaches like Coach Storm. The outpouring of support we have already seen from alumni and those that built our legacy has been incredible. Pioneer Athletics is better today because Coach Alston has joined our team."
Alston returns to Hayward after most recently serving as the head track & field coach at Merced College.
In addition to his illustrious career as a jumper for the Pioneers, Alston has coached track at many levels. Below are his notable coaching roles throughout his career.
- In 1984 at Fresno City College, focusing on jumps through 1986. He also coached the Rams more recently in 2019 and 2020.
- Staying in Fresno, Alston coached at Roosevelt High School where he led the sprinters and jumpers.
- Alston also coached at Clovis West High School.
Competitively, Alston was an outstanding jumper. With the Pioneers, he was a three-time All-American, helping Cal State East Bay to back-to-back Far Western Conference championships. Individually, he twice was the individual FWC Champion in the long jump (1980, 1981) and was in the top-three both seasons in the triple jump. He holds the Pioneer record in the long jump, and qualified twice for the US Olympic Trials. Before coming to Hayward, Alston jumped at Fresno City College.
Alston earned a bachelor's degree in Recreation at Cal State Hayward and a master's in Exercise Science from Concordia University.