National Champion, All-American and Former Professional Jumper Doakes Joins Little Rock Track and Field Coaching Staff

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Ray Doakes, a high jump national champion and All-American that won all 16 NCAA and Southeastern Conference team championships during his collegiate career, has joined the Little Rock Track and Field coaching staff as an assistant coach working with the jumpers.
 
The announcement was made Friday by J.P. Behnke, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country, Head Coach, of the Trojans. Doakes was most recently inducted into the Hall of Honor Class of 2022 for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He has been serving as a personal and volunteer coach since 2000, training and guiding Olympic athletes such as Tora Harris and Inika McPherson, along with several Texas state champions.
 
Doakes' coaching career came after he retired as a professional athlete, competing for Adidas – Germany, as he twice won a Diamond Spike meet and also claimed bronze at the World University Games in 1995.
 
A standout field athlete at the University of Arkansas, Doakes was a part of Razorback teams that dominated collegiate track and field. During his time in Fayetteville, Arkansas won all 16 SEC and NCAA Championship meets in indoor and outdoor track and field, including four SEC Triple Crowns and three NCAA Triple Crowns from 1991-95. As a Razorback high jumper, he cleared 7-7 ¼ (2.32 meters) indoors in 1994. Doakes' mark remains the school record and ranks tied for 11th on the all-time collegiate list. He also established the Arkansas outdoor school record at 7-6 ½ (2.29 meters) in 1995 that has been equaled by only three other Razorbacks.
 
He was a six-time first-team NCAA All-American who scored in all four NCAA Outdoor team titles for Arkansas. Doakes won the 1995 NCAA Outdoor high jump after placing second once and fourth twice. Indoors, he was a silver medalist two times in the NCAA high jump on Razorback national championship teams in 1994 and 1995. Doakes became the first person to claim four consecutive SEC Outdoor high jump titles with winning heights of 7-1 (1992), 7-4 ½ (1993), 7-5 ¾ (1994), and 7-4 ½ (1995). He also won three consecutive SEC Indoor high jump titles with marks of 7-2 ¼ (1993), 7-7 ¼ (1994), and 7-4 ½ (1995). His winning jump of 7-7 ¼ in 1994 remains the SEC Indoor Championship record. Doakes finished fifth twice at the USATF Championships.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Track & Field, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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