Mac Wilkins

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mac-wilkinsMac Wilkins, 2016 Olympic Coach: Throws

Mac Wilkins’ career spanned 21 years, four Olympic teams and four world records in the discus. He set three of those records on a single day, on three consecutive throws in 1976, during which he raised his prior world record from 226′ 11″ to 232′ 6″. A 1973 graduate of the University of Oregon, Wilkins also had lifetime bests of 69′ 1 1/4″, 1977 National Indoor Champion in the shot put, 208′ 10″ in the hammer throw and 257′ 4″ in the javelin. He was nationally ranked in three events, but it was in the discus where he achieved his greatest glory. In 1976, Wilkins not only shattered the world record in the event but won the gold medal at the Olympics after setting an Olympic record of 224′ 0″ in the preliminaries. He was also on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that didn’t compete, placed second at the 1984 Games and was fifth at the 1988 Games. In addition, Wilkins was the 1979 Pan-American Games champion, was second in the 1977 and 1979 World Cups and was 10th at the 1983 World Championships. He was top-ranked in the world in 1976 and 1980 and was the top-ranked U.S. discus thrower eight times, including six in a row from 1976 through 1981. In international competition, Mac achieved 13 throws over 70m.

From 2006 through 2013 Wilkins coached the throws at Concordia University, an NAIA school, in Portland, OR. His throwers won 26 individual National Championships and earned 94 All-American honors.

In August 2013, Wilkins left Concordia University to coach for USATF in Chula Vista California where he worked with Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Mason Finley and Andrew Evans to name a few.