 "Photo: Courtesy TexasSports.com")
 "Photo: Kevin Sanders (Associated Press)")
A fourth-place finish in outdoor nationals, a third-place finish in indoor nationals, three individual outdoor championships, becoming the U.S. Olympic track team head coach - it's been quite a year for Texas head coach Bubba Thornton.
For those of you who are curious, his real name is Charles G. Thornton.
The Texas track program has been one of the nation's best throughout Thornton's tenure as head coach.
What has been his secret to success? His likability, leadership and task delegation have been quite remarkable. All it takes is one practice to see why Thornton has been so effective.
Thornton acts as a father figure for his athletes and commands their respect. He shows interest not only in their success on the track, but in their lives off the track. He's fair with the athletes and expects much from them. In return, they work hard.
While Thornton is a friendly guy, when it comes down to gearing up for the meets, he is all business. His practices include intense workouts, and he expects consistent results.
The runners know he has their backs. At the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Thornton filed a protest on behalf of senior Darren Brown. Brown fell to the ground in a crowded 1,500-meter run, and Thornton protested that Brown was impeded. The meet official ruled in favor of Brown, and the senior was able to finish his career with an All-American honor and a seventh-place finish in the 1,500-meter run.
One of my favorite anecdotes about Thornton involves last season when Hamza Deyaf installed warning lights, a siren and a loudspeaker on the golf cart that Bubba uses to drive around practice. Thornton wasn't afraid to take advantage of all its features.
Thornton's likability explains his recruiting success. Rowlett junior Marquise Goodwin, SportsDay's 2008 Track Athlete of the Year and winner of three different events at the state track meet in May, has committed to Texas.
With a very limited number of scholarships to disperse, Thornton has brought the state's top athletes in year after year.
He has brought in top-notch assistants and allowed them to coach in their expert areas. Mario Satenga has instructed the athletes in the field events, and assistant coach Jason Vigilante has specialized in distance runners while coaching the cross country team.
In his senior season last year, where he leaped a personal-best 7 feet 7 inches and three quarters, Olympic hopeful Andra Manson praised Satenga for helping him work on technique. After setting a personal best in the hammer throw last year, John Rouse made sure to thank Satenga as well.
Every distance runner in the country probably would like to run for Vigilante. "Coach Vig" as he's called, is well-liked by the athletes. If Thornton's like a father to them, Vigilante is like a brother. Vigilante expects a lot out of the athletes and pushes them to do their best. After Leo Manzano broke the meet record in the Texas Relays for the Jerry Thompson mile and Darren Brown broke four minutes to become a part of the first father-son duo to run a mile under four minutes, Vigilante was one of the first people on the track, hugging them both.
If there's one bad thing you can say about Thornton, it is that he hasn't won a national championship yet. But when that's the worst of things somebody has to say about you, it probably means you're doing something right. And Bubba Thornton is.
