Curtis Frye (born October 20, 1951, in

Vass, North Carolina Vass is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 952 at the 2020 census, up from 720 in 2010. Vass grew up along the railroad in the late 19th century. It was originally named "Bynum" and later "Winder", before b ...

) is the head coach for the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

Track and Field teams. He served as an assistant coach for the United States women's track and field team at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Fry's coaching specialties are the

hurdling Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...

events, sprints, and relays. These are also his areas of responsibility on the US Women's Olympic team. Before coming to South Carolina, Frye was an assistant coach at

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

, the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

, and the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. At Florida he coached

Dennis Mitchell Dennis Allen Mitchell (born February 20, 1966) is an American former college and international track and field athlete, who was a member of the gold medal-winning team in the 4 × 100 metres relay race at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Athletics car ...

, who went on to win the bronze medal in the 100 meter dash at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. At North Carolina, he coached athletes such as

Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track-and-field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 ...

and

Allen Johnson Allen Kenneth Johnson (born March 1, 1971) is an American former hurdling athlete who won the gold medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also a four-time world champion. Born in Washington, D.C., ...

. Johnson still trains with Frye in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

and is a volunteer assistant coach for the

Gamecock Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term " ...

s. At South Carolina, some of his most successful athletes include

Terrence Trammell Terrence Trammell (born November 23, 1978) is a retired American track and field athlete who was the silver medalist for the 110 meter hurdles at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, and three time silver medalist for the World Championships. He w ...

, Demetria Washington, Miki and Lisa Barber,

Otis Harris Otis Harris Jr. (born June 30, 1982, in Edwards, Mississippi) is an American track and field athlete. He won the silver medal in the Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres, 400 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Harris atte ...

Aleen Bailey Aleen May Bailey (born 25 November 1980) is a retired Jamaican track and field sprinter who competed in the 100 metres and 200 m. Career She competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal as a member of the 4 × 100 m relay team ...

Lashinda Demus Lashinda Demus (born March 10, 1983, in Inglewood, California) is a retired American hurdler who specialized in the 400 meter hurdles, an event in which she was the 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, becoming the first woman from ...

Natasha Hastings Natasha Monique Hastings (born July 23, 1986) is a retired American 400 meter track and field sprinter. Career Hastings began her track career at a very early age and made a first place win at the USATF Junior Olympics in the 400 metres in the ...

and Tiffany Ross-Williams. His teams have consistently finished high in the four

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

championship events and the women team won the national title in the 2002

NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for women organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make ...

, the school's first NCAA Championship title. That year he was named the national coach of the year. Frye also formed the Speed Elite, a group of high quality athletes like Johnson and

Monique Hennagan Monique Hennagan (born May 26, 1976, in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American athlete who mainly competes in the 400 metres. She won her first relay medal at the 1999 World Indoor Championships and her second in 2003. Monique Hennagan gradua ...

, that have the goal to compete in and win national and international competitions. Curtis Frye puts a high value on education and ensures that all of his student athletes graduate from college. Of the almost 200 individuals he has coached at the University of South Carolina, all but one have finished their undergraduate work and earned a degree from the school. In 2015, Frye was investigated by South Carolina for allegations of assault by one of his players. He was given a light reprimand, and the player was allowed to sit out the next season without losing her scholarship. On June 15, 2023, Frye announced that he was retiring, effective June 30 of that year.

Achievements

* 2008 Order of Ikkos medallion * 2002 Women's NCAA Championship * 1999 & 2002 Women's Outdoor SEC Championship * 1999 & 2002 USTCA Women's Outdoor National Coach of the Year * 1999 USTCA Men's National Indoor Coach of the Year * 1999 & 2002 SEC Women's Coach of the Year * In 2002 coached athletes who won 7 NCAA titles and 4 gold and one silver medal at the World Junior Championships. In addition had 2 named National Athlete of the Years and 1 named Men's National Scholar-Athlete of the Year * 2001 Nike Coach of the Year * U.S. Men's Head Coach at 2001

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

* 1999 Assistant Coach for the US at the World Track and Field Championships * 1997 USOC Track and Field Coach of the Year * Assistant coach of 18 ACC Championship Teams * Coached 6 Olympic medalists * Coached 25 Olympians (that have won 11 medals) * Coached over 60 NCAA Champions * Coached over 415 NCAA All-Americans * Coached over 100 SEC Champions * Coached over 75 ACC Champions

References

Sources

Fry's Bio at GamecocksOnline.com

Fry's Bio at USA Track & Field
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frye, Curtis East Carolina University alumni South Carolina Gamecocks track and field coaches East Carolina Pirates track and field coaches Florida Gators track and field coaches NC State Wolfpack track and field coaches North Carolina Tar Heels track and field coaches American track and field coaches Living people 1951 births