The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Texas Hall of Honor coach Terry Crawford named Honorary Referee for 98th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays
02.11.2026 | Texas Relays, Track & Field / Cross Country
Hall of Honor coach celebrates Longhorn legacy at Texas Relays.
Texas Hall of Honor member and trailblazing coach Terry Crawford will serve as the Honorary Referee for the 98th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays presented by Truist.
Crawford and members of her historic 1986 teams will be recognized during the Grand Ceremonies on Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
During her 10-year tenure at Texas from 1984 to 1993, Crawford led the Longhorns to five NCAA team national championships. Her 1986 women's squad became the first program in NCAA Division I track and field history to capture the Triple Crown in the same calendar year, winning national championships in indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and cross country.
Texas' 1986 cross country title remains the only national championship in program history in that sport. Crawford's teams also claimed NCAA indoor championships in 1988 and 1990.
"At the time, the Triple Crown really wasn't the ultimate goal, nor was it something that the coaches and athletes had at the front of our minds day in and day out," Crawford said. "I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment because it speaks so highly of the caliber of athletes we had on our team and the commitment and dedication of the coaches and athletes in pursuing excellence.
"When I think of Texas athletics, I think of excellence. No other word could describe Texas better, and I think the Triple Crown signifies that we did what every team at Texas has the desire to do every year."
Crawford's success on the Forty Acres extended well beyond the historic 1986 season. Along with three NCAA indoor titles, her Longhorns also captured the 1982 NCAA outdoor championship. Texas teams under Crawford won four Southwest Conference cross country titles, six SWC outdoor championships and eight SWC indoor championships.
During her tenure, Longhorn athletes claimed 10 NCAA outdoor individual titles and nine NCAA indoor individual titles, including four Olympians. In recognition of her impact on the program, Crawford was inducted into the Texas Hall of Honor in 2007.
Crawford is widely regarded as one of the pioneers in the evolution of women's collegiate athletics. The introduction of Title IX in 1972 helped reshape opportunities in women's sports and played a key role in Crawford's path into coaching.
A former standout athlete at University of Tennessee, Crawford was able to compete at a national championship meet because of opportunities created by Title IX. That experience ultimately sparked her interest in coaching.
Crawford later built an extensive international coaching résumé, serving on staffs for the World University Games, the Pan American Games, the World Championships, the World Cross Country Championships and the 1988 Olympic Games.
Over the course of her career, she coached 12 Olympians and more than 125 All-Americans. In 1996, she was inducted into the USA Track & Field Coaches Hall of Fame.
Crawford also held several leadership roles within the sport, including serving as president of the Women's College Cross Country Association and president of the United States Track Coaches Association.
Before arriving at Texas, Crawford was the head coach at University of Tennessee, where she guided the Lady Volunteers to a national championship. She was later inducted into the Lady Vols Hall of Fame in 2002.
Crawford concluded her coaching career at Cal Poly, serving as director of the track and field and cross country programs through 2009. She later joined USA Track & Field as director of coaching and in 2024 received the organization's Legend Coach Award.
