Eastern Florida State College’s Doug Butler Named Cross Country Atlantic Region Coach of Year

Butler is a two-time inductee into the Space Coast Hall of Fame as a coach and a runner

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – First-year Eastern Florida State College head cross country coach Doug Butler was named the NJCAA Division I Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by the NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association.

Butler has led the Titan men’s cross country program to a JNJCAA Region 8 title and the team is ranked 18th in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Coaches Poll.

He started both the men’s and women’s cross-country programs this season for Eastern Florida State College and both have had successful first seasons.

Butler was honored for his coaching career in 2020 as the first-ever two-time inductee into the Space Coast Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was inducted for his accomplishments as an elite amateur runner.

He is one of the most decorated coaches in Brevard high school sports history, as he’s been at the helm of an incredible 17 state champion cross country teams and six track & field squads.

He’s also coached over 30 individual state champions and 65 runners that have gone on to compete at in college, Butler says. Included among them is Kayla Hale, who is another Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

“Talent overcoming coaching,” said Butler on why he’s had so much success.

“I’ve had a lot of great kids over the years. I have a huge passion for running and track, cross country. I’m a hard worker. I was raised by two great parents that taught me the value of hard work. I’ve had kids from the very beginning that brought into the program.”

The word “culture” is a term used by Butler to describe what he has successfully brought to his teams as a coach.

“It’s not about motivating kids, it’s about building a culture and teaching discipline because motivation kind of comes and goes so if you teach them the discipline of just training every day and they want to be successful, kids wants to be successful,” Butler said.

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“You’ve just got to show the kids that you care about them regardless of them being successful or not, and if they know that you’re a friend to them and you want them to be successful both on the track and off the track, they’re going to work hard,” Butler added.

Academics are also at the forefront of Butler’s mind, as he not only instills those virtues in the mindsets of his players but also as a teacher at Satellite, where he serves as a social studies instructor.

“Academics, that’s far more important than running because they’re going to be ladies and gentlemen their entire life,” Butler noted.

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