Dr. Mark Stanbrough returns to Emporia State as an assistant coach in track and field in charge of the middle distance and distance runners and will be in charge of the cross country program. Stanbrough coached the Hornets and Lady Hornets as the head men’s and women’s track and field and cross country coach from 1984-1992. During that span the Hornets were a national powerhouse. Stanbrough was named NAIA District 10 Coach of the Year 11 times, coached 28 Athletes to 60 NAIA All-American Honors, and coached eleven national champions. The cross country harriers had two top five national finishes, with the women national runner-ups and the men placing fifth.

Stanbrough obtained his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Emporia State University in 1977 and his master’s degree in physical education in 1979. He completed his Ph.D. in exercise physiology at the University of Oregon. He competed internationally for the Oregon Track Club.

As a student athlete at Emporia State, Stanbrough placed in the top eight in the 800 meters at the NAIA National Championships and left ESU ranked third on the ESU all-time performance list. Stanbrough set conference records in the 800 meters and 4 x 400 relay and ran on two distance relays that placed in the top six nationally. He is a member of both the ESU Athletic Hall of Honor and the Emporia State HPER Hall of Honor.

Stanbrough has made significant contributions as a faculty member at Emporia State University. Currently a full professor, he is the Director of Coaching Education. Emporia State is only one of 10 universities in the nation that have been accredited by the National Committee for the Accreditation of Coaching Education. Besides coaching education courses, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in exercise physiology and sport psychology. He was a co-founder of the first online course in HPER, which led to Emporia State HPER becoming the first physical education graduate program in the nation to offer a program completely online. He is a national leader in coaching, currently serving as a board member on the National Committee for the Accreditation of Coaching Education and has also served as a national committee member for the National Association of Sport and Physical Education Sport Steering Committee.

While continuing to teach, Stanbrough has stayed involved in coaching and the sports of cross country and track and field. He was the head coach of the Emporia High School cross country program for 13 years while also serving as the distance coach in track. In cross country, his teams had seven top three finishes, including five second place finishes and a state championship. He has coached individuals to 14 state high school championships. He served as the president of the Emporia Track Club and has directed the Emporia Spring Migration Triathlon for over 20 years.

Dr. Stanbrough has served as a head referee for NCAA, NAIA and Junior College national cross country and track and field championships, as well as serving as a head referee for USATF Track and Field Championships. Stanbrough has given over 200 presentations and authored 17 books on track and field, running games, mental skills, and character development.

Stanbrough has served as the Missouri Valley USATF president and is USATF Level II certified in both distance and multi-events. He is also a certified 3Dimensional Coaching presenter. As the founder of Roho Performance, which focuses on developing life skills for enhanced performance, he has presented numerous presentations and workshops on coaching and mental skill development. He has worked with middle, high school, and collegiate teams in basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball in developing mental skills to enhance performance.

His wife, Wendy, is an elementary instructional strategist. The couple has three children, Bethany, Leslie and Jenna.