Brigadier General Michael Bozeman enters his first season as a volunteer assistant for the VMI track and field programs.
“Coach Bozeman has a long list of qualifications and knowledge to assist our team to compete to win, that includes former Commandant of the Corps of Cadets, VMI Athletic Director and retired Director of VMI Track and Field for 26 years,” said VMI Director of Track and Field Zack Scott. “He will offer an additional set of eyes to VMI cross country and track and field after directing the Keydets to 12 team championships and earning 13 Coach of the Year awards between the Big South and Southern Conference. Before his arrival at VMI, Bozeman spent the previous six seasons as the field events coach for the University of Florida. Sixteen Gator athletes were named All-SEC during Bozeman's tenure and 15 participated in the NCAA Championships with four attaining All-American status.”
He coached previously on the collegiate level at South Carolina where he was an assistant coach for three years while earning his master's degree at UofSC.
He also headed the men's and women's track program at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C., where he was twice named Coach of the Year. Four of his athletes were named All-Americans, including Ernest Marvin, who was the No. 4 high school triple jumper of all-time.
He was a charter instructor in the Athletic Congress Certification Program (USATF) for coaches and has conducted many clinics throughout the country. He has been a leader in decathlon development in the U.S. and has led U.S. squads to international competitions in Cuba, Japan, and Germany. One of his former athletes, Jim Wooding, was a member of the 1984 Olympic team.
A retired Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Reserve, his awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, and the Ranger Tab. He is also a 1992 graduate of the U.S. Army War College.
After commissioning in 1967, he spent three years on active duty including a year in Vietnam, where he served with distinction as a platoon leader and commanded a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Unit.
He is married to the former Carol Kennon. They have two children, Gioia (John) and Robert (Jennifer), six grandchildren (Luke, Wade, Caroline, Reilly, Ashley and Tina), and one great grandchild, Jenny.
