Former Golden Bear Athlete, Coach Chris Coffee Passes Away

BERKELEY – Chris Coffee, a member of the Cal track & field program as both a student-athlete and a coach for more than a decade, tragically passed away earlier this month.

As an athlete, Coffee was a walk-on four-year member of both the Cal cross country and track & field teams, specializing in the 3000m steeplechase. He placed sixth in the steeple at the 2001 Pac-10 Championships, scoring for the Bears. Coffee graduated from Cal in 2001 with a degree in architecture and remained in the Bay Area, then returned to the Bears' track & field program in 2006 for the start of an eight-year tenure as a volunteer assistant coach. From 2006-13, Cal distance runners posted 80 new top-10 marks and 12 school records.

"Chris was a nice guy with a great smile," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Robyne Johnson, who was on the Golden Bear coaching staff during Coffee's college years. "His passing is a tremendous loss."
 
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