Halter Adds TJ Harris to Staff as Jumps Coach
8/25/2025 3:15:00 PM | Track & Field
Harris comes to Mizzou after coaching multiple national champions and over 40 All-Americans.
Mizzou track and field head coach Brett Halter announced the addition of TJ Harris to the Tigers' staff as an assistant coach to oversee the horizontal jumps and the high jump on Monday.
Harris comes to Columbia after spending the past four seasons as Associate Head Coach and Field Events Coordinator at San José State. While with the Spartans, he guided student-athletes to school records in the long jump, triple jump and high jump, while coaching 19 NCAA National Championship First Round qualifiers. He was also the program's lead recruiting presence in California.
"We are blessed to have coach T.J. Harris join our team," Halter said. "His proven track record, combined with his innovative approach to coaching and development, aligns perfectly with our vision. Coach Harris brings not only a wealth of experience but also a relentless work ethic and a commitment to fostering a winning culture. We're thrilled to have him on board and look forward to the energy and leadership he'll bring to our program."
Before his time at San José State, Harris spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Campbell University (2015–21). There, he coached the first female NCAA First Team All-American in school history and guided athletes to 30 individual Big South Conference championships, along with multiple conference records in the jumps. His student-athletes also qualified for the Jamaican National Championships in the women's high jump and triple jump.
Harris previously coached at his alma mater, Southwestern College (2008–14), where his athletes claimed 20 individual Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference titles, and at Johnson County Community College (2006–08), where he mentored two national champions and 14 NJCAA All-Americans. In 2008, he was the only junior-college coach to have athletes finish top three nationally in all four jump events (long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault).
Over the course of his career, Harris has coached four NJCAA national champions, 23 All-Americans and more than 40 conference champions. His athletes have established school records in the long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault at multiple institutions.
A standout student-athlete, Harris competed at Southwestern College, where he was a three-time NAIA All-American and a five-time KCAC champion in the long jump, triple jump and 4x100m relay. He was part of two conference title teams during the Moundbuilders' 29-year championship run.
A native of Winfield, Kansas, Harris graduated from Southwestern College in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in general studies. He also holds USATF Level I and II certifications in the jumps and is a USTFCCCA-certified event specialist in sprints, hurdles and relays.
Harris and his wife, Amanda, have two daughters, Sydni and Leyla, and a son, Maxwell.
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