SHAWNEE – The time to step away as leader of the Oklahoma Baptist track and field teams has come for decorated coach
Ford Mastin.
Mastin, a recognizable face around OBU and Shawnee and in the track and field world for the past 27 years, will relinquish his head-coaching duties and move to an assistant role following the conclusion of competition this spring.
"
Ford Mastin will be missed as the Head Coach of the OBU Track and Field program," Director of Athletics Robert Davenport said.
"He has devoted countless hours to the Track and Field programs and to OBU. His fingerprints are all over every aspect of the rich heritage that is OBU Track and Field. I was an assistant basketball coach when he came back to OBU as the Head Coach and am honored to be a part of this recognition as he steps down. Ford has coached hundreds of student-athletes over the years but more importantly he has poured himself into their lives. That is the part of his legacy that will live on for years to come. Thank you, Coach Mastin, for the championships and All-Americans, but I want to say a special thank you for the things that most people did not see. His commitment to Christ and the way he served OBU and his teams is outstanding."
A celebration of Mastin's career as head coach will be held March 25 at the Eddie Hurt Jr. Memorial Track during his program's last OBU Invitational as head coach. For the OBU Invitational schedule click
Here.
Since joining OBU during the 1996-97 season, Mastin has produced stunning results including:
2007 NAIA Indoor National Champions (Women) & Outdoor National Champions (Men)
2013 NAIA Men's & Women's Indoor National Champions
10-time National Coach of the Year
Eight NCCAA National Championships
Over 1,100 All-America selections
9 National Records under Mastin
106 National Champions in relay and individual events
16 consecutive Sooner Athletic Conference Women's Championships
Eight straight Sooner Athletic Conference Men's Championships
11-time NAIA National Coach of the Year
10 NAIA National Championships
Oklahoma Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2008)
Oklahoma Baptist University Athletics Hall of Fame (2009)
SAC Coach of Character Award (2012)
NAIA Hall of Fame (2014)
NAIA Coach of Character Award (2014)
Drake Relays Hall of Fame (2019)
Before coming to Bison Hill, Mastin spent 14 years (1982-1996) at Prague High School in Oklahoma. There, he began to master his craft as a track coach and ended up coaching 13 All-State award winners while being named Oklahoma Track Coach of the Year and USA Track and Field representative for Olympic development in 1994.
Off the track, Mastin has a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Theological seminary and a master of education degree from East Central University. He was named OBU's Most Promising Teacher in 2001 and received the OBU Meritorious Award in 2017. He is a third generation Bison – a 1977 graduate of OBU. He lettered in track from 1973-1977 and was Team Captain and Most Valuable Athlete in his senior season. All three of Ford and Terri's children are OBU Graduates; Linsey, Trevor, and Kaeley.
