Phil Lundin has developed an expectation for success in his 12 seasons as men’s track and field coach. Under Lundin’s direction, the Golden Gophers continually set a standard for excellence in the Big Ten and on the national scale, largely due to the accomplishments and progression of local athletes.

Lundin has led his squads to numerous accomplishments, including winning four Big Ten Championship titles—outdoor titles in 1998, 1999, and 2003, plus an indoor title in 1998. Additionally, the team has either placed first or second at the outdoor championships in eight of the last ten seasons.

Golden Gopher athletes have also reset 22 school records, captured 38 Big Ten titles and earned 62 All-America certificates in just the past seven seasons. Yet perhaps even more notable than the long list of achievements is who has been earning the awards. Nearly all of the honors have been garnered by what Lundin refers to as “homegrown talent.”

“It’s goes with our mantra,” Lundin said. “We develop Midwest kids. They don’t always come in highly-touted, but if they stick with the program and are patient, we have athletes who sometimes rise to pretty high levels. That’s what we want.”

A perfect example of an athlete thriving under the Minnesota system was sprinter Aaron Buzard. The Rochester, Minn. native has developed into one of the premier college runners in the country, earning five All-America citations. Buzard was the national runner-up in the 400 meters at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2006, Buzard was named the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association 2006 Midwest District Track Athlete of the Year, and placed in the top eight at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

With Lundin’s direction last season junior sprinter Ibrahim Kabia finished fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which earned Kabia his first All-American honor. Kabia also set a school record in the 60 meters with a time of 6.63.

The remarkable progress of Gopher athletes and the Minnesota program as a whole was clearly on display throughout the 2003 campaign, which marked arguably the finest-ever season for the Golden Gopher Men’s Track & Field Program. Minnesota captured the 2003 Big Ten outdoor title while posting the highest team score in conference history in the process, 168.5 points. The Gophers finished in the top 10 at both 2003 NCAA Championships; seventh at the national indoor meet and ninth at the outdoor. Minnesota also won the Midwest Regional outdoor team crown for the first time in school history in 2003.

 Under Lundin’s tutelage, Adam Steele became Minnesota’s first sprinter to ever win an NCAA individual title, capturing the 400-meter national crown. Steele also became the Gophers’ first individual NCAA champion since 1971. Additionally, eight of Lundin’s student-athletes earned All-America honors in 2003, and three relays—the distance medley and both the indoor and outdoor 4x400-meter relays—ran to All-America distinction. Nine Gophers were crowned as Big Ten Champions, and over the course of the 2003 season, nine school records fell a total of 11 times. Sprinter Mitch Potter was named the Big Ten Men’s Athlete of the Championships and also honored as the NCAA Midwest Region Indoor and Outdoor Athlete of the Year. The 2003 squad had 10 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Championships, and six earned All-America honors. Eight Golden Gophers qualified for the Indoor Championships, and all eight left with All-America accolades.

Lundin also earned an impressive list of coaching honors during the 2003 season, including being named the United States Track Coaches Association Coach of the Year. The national award capped off a triumvirate of accolades for the head coach. He was also named the Midwest Region Coach of the Year as well as Big Ten Coach of the Year for a third time in his career.

Lundin has established Minnesota as a perennial conference title contender while also maintaining the high standards that are now expected of the program by recruiting exceptional student-athletes and having the assistance of top-notch coaches. All told, student athletes have earned 84 All-America certificates, 97 Big Ten Conference gold medals, eight Academic All-America selections and 81 Academic All-Big Ten awards while Lundin has been a coach at the University of Minnesota.

Another testament to the development and depth of Minnesota Men's Track & Field Team is the national success of the Gopher relay squads. The 4x400-meter team was a surprise qualifier for the NCAA Championships in 2006, after placing third at the Midwest Regional. In 2004, the 4x400-meter team was the national runner-up at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. With the additional national-caliber performances of the 4x800 and distance medley relay teams, three relay squads ranked among the nation's best according to Track & Field News. T&FN listed the Gophers third overall in the National Relay Rankings based on the 2004 season performances. Notably, every member of the three squads was a native of the state of Minnesota. In the past five seasons, Minnesota’s 4x400-meter relay team has garnered All-America status six times—three indoor awards and three outdoor awards. Over the same time span, the Gopher distance medley relay team has also claimed three All-America certificates.

Lundin led the Golden Gophers to prominence beginning in the 1998 season when Minnesota captured its first Big Ten Outdoor Championship title since 1968 and the first Big Ten Indoor title in the 88 year history of Minnesota Track & Field. The Golden Gophers also placed 14th at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where Vesa Rantanen won the pole vault, becoming Minnesota’s first NCAA Champion in track & field since 1993. Lundin was subsequently named the 1998 Big Ten Indoor Coach of the Year and was also the unanimous choice for Outdoor Coach of the Year after leading Minnesota to its first conference title in 30 years.
The Golden Gophers cruised to their second consecutive outdoor title during the 1999 season, scoring a Big Ten record 142.5 points. Minnesota brought home a school-record five individual champions and for his team’s accomplishments, Lundin was honored as the Big Ten Outdoor Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.

Before joining the staff at the University of Minnesota, Lundin taught physical education and health, and was the assistant cross country and track and field coach for 12 years at Burnsville High School. At BHS, he helped build the Blaze into a state powerhouse claiming the state track & field title in 1978, while also assisting the cross country teams to three straight Class AA state titles (1978-80).

Lundin earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Augsburg College in 1974, where he was captain and letter winner in football and track & field for the Auggies. He went on to earn his master’s degree in physical education from the University of Minnesota in 1976, and then added his Ph.D in biomechanics from the U of M in 1983.

Lundin and his wife, Sue, reside in Apple Valley and have two children, Dan and Teresa.