Former Bucs star McGregor tabbed as new Samford assistant
Former Hoover High School standout distance runner Patrick McGregor has been hired as an assistant coach for cross-country and track field at Samford University, the university’s athletic department announced via press release on Monday, July 25.
McGregor, a 2009 Hoover graduate, will oversee the Bulldogs’ men’s and women’s distance programs. He replaces former distance coach Kevin Ondrasek, who took a similar position at the University of Oklahoma.
"I am really excited to add Pat to our staff. He brings a wealth of knowledge from some of the top coaches in the country, none better than his Hoover High School coach Devon Hind, and he has personally experienced many of the top collegiate races in the country," Samford head cross-country and track and field coach Rod Tiffin said in the press release. "I feel that with his hometown connections and intense love of the sport that it will be a perfect fit for him and Samford.”
McGregor ran at Hoover from 2006 to 2009, a time period in which he captured seven individual state titles.
He was named the Gatorade Alabama Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2007 and 2008 and the Gatorade Alabama Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2009.
Although McGregor posted a high school personal best of 15 minutes, 13 seconds for the 5K distance, his best events were the 800 meters, 1,600 meters and 1 Mile.
As a Hoover senior, McGregor ran 1:51.96 for the 800, 4:05.26 for the 1,600 and 4:07.07 for the mile. He still holds school records at all three distances.
McGregor signed with the University of Kentucky out of high school, but transferred to the University of Texas after one season.
Running for the Longhorns, he competed three times at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships and twice at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
According to the Samford press release, McGregor garnered Second Team All-America honors in both of his NCAA track and field championship appearances.
Notably, he has broken four minutes in the mile, and owns a personal best of 3:58.70.
"These things added together means his guidance and leadership will make an immediate impact on our program,” Tiffin said in the press release. “I look forward to helping him become a great coach and lead this program to even greater heights."
Following his Texas graduation in the spring of 2013, McGregor enjoyed a brief professional running career. He also interned as a coach with the Bulldogs’ distance program in the fall of 2013.
At Samford, McGregor will inherit a distance squad that boasts a pair of former Hoover-area stars.
Brandon Hazouri, a 2012 Spain Park High School graduate, and Presley Weems, a 2016 Hoover graduate, will both train under McGregor’s guidance starting this fall.