University of Missouri Athletics

Robert Weir, who was hired on July 15, 2020, enters his fifth season on the Mizzou coaching staff with two exceptional seasons in Columbia under his belt. In his first two seasons at the helm of the throws program, his throwers have notched an SEC title, eight NCAA outdoor preliminary appearances, one NCAA Championships appearance.

Weir joins Mizzou with a wealth of experience on the international coaching circuit, having spent time with both the United Kingdom and United States national teams. He served as the head coach of the USA team at the 2006 World Junior Championships and was the USA senior throws coach in 2005 and 2007.

As an athlete, Weir won 12 Great Britain national championships and represented his home country at the 1984, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games. At the Sydney Games, Weir was named captain of the Great Britain Track & Field Team. Weir also represented the U.K. at six IAAF World Championships and was a two-time gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, winning the 1982 hammer and 1998 discus titles.

A native of Birmingham, England, Weir competed collegiately at SMU where he was a three-time NCAA champion and 10-time NCAA All-American. While at SMU, Weir set the collegiate record in the hammer throw and the world record in the indoor weight throw. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from SMU in 1985. In 2022, he was inducted into SMU Athletics Hall of Fame.

In addition to his illustrious track & field career, Weir played professional football in the Canadian Football League from 1986-92 and competed in the 1997 World’s Strongest Man competition.

In his second year with Mizzou, the Tigers improved from Weir’s debut year in Columbia and continued at a strong trajectory through the outdoor season. Highlighted by Mitch Weber’s SEC championship and four more Tigers qualifying for the NCAA West Prelims, the Tigers put forth a quality season under Weir.

After earning SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2020-21 and finishing runner-up at the SEC Outdoor Championships in his redshirt freshman year, Weber topped the podium in the discus throw at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a throw of 60.30m. The performance made Weber the first Mizzou athlete to become SEC discus champion. With his strong performance throughout the season, Weber earned his second consecutive appearance at the NCAA West Prelims.

Rece Rowan put forth a strong campaign in the discus as well, finishing on the podium with bronze-medal finishes at the Ole Miss Classic and Rock Chalk Classic. At the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Rowan set a personal record in the discus with a throw of 56.77m to claim fifth place. Rowan advanced to the NCAA West Prelims, where he finished in the top 20.

Sydney Oberdiek also qualified for NCAA West Prelims in the hammer throw on the back of a consistent senior campaign. Oberdiek earned top-10 finishes in all competitions she threw in, including a podium-topping performance at the Ole Miss Classic. She set a personal best in the event at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships to finish sixth.

Emily Stauffer was the fourth member of Weir’s throw squad to qualify for NCAA West Prelims by throwing in the top-10 of all her shot put competitions in the regular season. The senior won an event in the regular season by throwing 15.44m to claim the shot put gold at the John McDonnell Invitational.

The 2020-21 season was highlighted by Mitch Weber being named the SEC Newcomer of the Year for his performance in the discus. Weber, who competed in his redshirt-freshman season in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His season-best throw, 60.99m (200' 1"), catapulted him to No. 2 on the program record book in the men's discus throw.

Other Tigers experienced large strides forward during Weir's inaugural season. Jordan Speer increased her personal best 45.12m to 56.91m (186' 8") in the women's hammer throw, Emily Offenheiser increased her personal best throw from 48.18m to 51.31m (168' 4").

Weir joined Mizzou with a wealth of experience on the international coaching circuit, having spent time with both the United Kingdom and United States national teams. He served as the head coach of the USA team at the 2006 World Junior Championships and was the USA senior throws coach in 2005 and 2007.

Most notably, Weir guided Adam Nelson in his post-graduate pursuit of becoming an Olympian. Under Weir, Nelson stretched his personal bests by two and a half meters between 1998 and 2000. His 22.12m mark earned him the 2000 U.S. national title and sent him to the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he placed second in the shot put.

Prior to Mizzou, Weir spent three seasons at Weber State (2017-20), where he coached Wildcat throwers to one All-America honor, four school records and 16 program top-10 marks.

Prior to Weber State, Weir spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Clemson (2013-17) and one season as an Associate Head Coach at Hawai’i (2012-13). While at Clemson, the Tigers women’s team captured the 2014 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

From 2010-12, Weir was an assistant coach at Oregon, where the Ducks men’s and women’s programs combined for six Pac-12 championships and three NCAA team championships.

The veteran throws coach spent 16 seasons in multiple capacities with the Stanford Track & Field program from 1993-2008, including a five-year stint as the head coach of the Cardinal from 2004-08. In addition to numerous All-America honors during his time with the Cardinal throwers, Weir coached Michael Robertson to the 2005 NCAA title in the discus. Robertson set a school record throw of 64.02m at the USATF National Championships in 2007. He'd go on to represent the U.S. at the 2007 World Championships.

Weir was named the 2001 NCAA West Regional Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year and helped lead Stanford to Pac-10 titles in 2001 (men outdoor) and 2005 (women outdoor). Weir first joined Stanford in 1993 as a part-time assistant coach before being elevated to an assistant coach in 1994, associate coach in 1997, associate head coach in 2001 and head coach in 2004.

While at Stanford, Weir helped numerous throws athletes reach ceilings they did not think were possible when they arrived on campus. For some, such as Stanford thrower Adam Connolly, personal bests were expanded by up to 14 meters from 58m to 72.37m in four years.

Weir's time across his coaching stops is highlighted by helping his athletes realize and reach their potential. He believes that by fostering positive, honest relationships on and off the field with his athletes, they not only become better physically, but overall athletes due to the extenuating factors in personal growth.

In addition to his work with the Stanford Track & Field program, Weir designed the strength and conditioning training for Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres, both future Olympians who competed at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Weir's daughter, Jillian Weir, serves as a volunteer assistant for the Tigers throws program. A graduate from Oregon, she competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics representing Canada.

Development Chart

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

• 1 NCAA Championship Qualifier
• 1 SEC Newcomer of the Year
• 1 SEC Medalist 
• 5 NCAA Preliminary Qualifiers
• Three-time Olympian
• Two-time Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist (1982 hammer throw, 1998 discus throw)
• Three-time NCAA National Champion
• 10-time NCAA All-American