J.D. Evilsizer is in his 17th full year as head cross country coach at Columbus State University entering 2019-20. In 2010, he was named the first head track and field coach in CSU history.
Since then, Evilsizer earned the title of Director of Cross Country/Track & Field.
After taking over a program that never produced a team or individual Peach Belt Conference Championship, Evilsizer put the Columbus State cross country program on the national map. From 2006-2010, the Cougars won five straight PBC titles while adding banners in 2012 and 2014.
In addition to the team titles, Evilsizer has produced four individual PBC champions, including All-American Meshack Koyiaki. Koyiaki finished second at the 2010 NCAA Championship in Louisville, Ky. In 2012, CSU made program history by winning the NCAA Southeast Regional title for the first time.
In all, Evilsizer has taken the men’s cross country program to four NCAA Championships including three in a row from 2008-10. CSU’s best result came in 2010 when the Cougars finished in 18th place.
On the women’s side, Evilsizer had an equally challenging task to turn CSU into a winner. Evilsizer wasted no time winning the program’s first PBC championship in his third season at the helm. He continued racking up the trophies capturing six straight conference titles from 2005-2010. During the dominant run, the Lady Cougars captured the 2009 NCAA Southeast Regional, the first in school history. Evilsizer has also produced three female individual PBC Champions.
The Lady Cougars went back to the NCAA Championship in 2012 after capturing the NCAA Southeast Regional title once again. Evilsizer also took the team back to the national meet in 2013.
In all, the Lady Cougars have competed in three NCAA Championships (’09, ’12, ’13) with their best finish coming in 2009 when they finished 24th.
In total, Evilsizer has won five PBC Coach of the Year awards (men’s: ’06, ’09, ’10, ’13, women’s: ’10), including sweeping both the men’s and women’s honors in 2010, becoming just the second coach in PBC history to accomplish the feat. He has also coached six PBC Runners of the Year and Freshman of the Year award winners. In all, Evilsizer has coached 77 All-PBC runners, 31 All-Region Runners and three All Americans.
Evilsizer was also named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) men’s and women’s Southeast Region Coach of the Year in 2012. He also earned the award on the women’s side in 2009.
In 2010, Evilsizer was given the task of starting up a track and field program from the ground up. Just like with the cross country program, Evilsizer has not disappointed.
During the first year of the program, CSU sent two student-athletes to the NCAA Championships with Shan Crawford becoming the program’s first All-American finishing in fifth place in the 100-meter dash.
2011 was even more impressive as the Lady Cougars competed in three events at the national meet. Once again, Crawford garnered All-American status, this time in the 200-meter dash.
The trend continued in 2012 with Evilsizer sending student-athletes in three different events at the 2012 National Championships in Pueblo, Colo. For the first time in program history, a relay team captured All-American awards as the Lady Cougar 4x100-meter relay team finished in third place with a school record time of 45.17. Once again, Crawford performed well individually finishing in fourth place in the 200-meter dash receiving her fourth career All-American award.
In 2013, the PBC hosted its first ever conference championship and CSU has performed well in the now annual event. Evilsizer was named the first ever PBC Coach of the Year for women’s track and field in 2013.
In 2017, Evilsizer broke through with the CSU men, as the Cougars picked up their first ever All-Americans in track & field. Five student-athletes received All-American honors in total.
Prior to coming to CSU, Evilsizer coached the Smiths Station High School program for 17 years and amassed 11 state team championships and numerous individual state champions. Among those individuals were six national All-America runners.
Evilsizer was a two-year letterman at Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) where he was the first-ever Gulf South Conference cross country champion in 1971. After Livingston dropped its program, he transferred to Auburn University where he earned a scholarship and was a two-year letterman in track and cross country. He went on to obtain his bachelor’s degree in 1977, followed by a master’s degree in 1984, and an advanced sixth-year degree in 1988, all from Auburn University.
Evilsizer and his wife Debra have two adult children - James and Michelle, who both ran in the CSU program. They also have two grandchildren - Autumn and Sterling Evilsizer. Autumn attended Columbus State and participated in volleyball and track while graduating in December of 2018 with a degree in Secondary Education while majoring in Biology. She will be coaching full time this fall at Smiths Station High School. Sterling just graduated high school in 2019 and will be attending Wallace State at Hanceville on a baseball scholarship with the hope of eventually moving to a four-year institution.
