Cannon Named Head Cross Country, Track And Field Coach At Richard Bland College

Rashad Cannon, a heralded track and field performer as a student-athlete at Coffeyville Community College and at Norfolk State University, has been named head cross country and track coach at Richard Bland College of William & Mary. The announcement was made by Scott Newton, Director of Student Life & Athletics.

Cannon is no stranger to Richard Bland, having served as the assistant track coach during the 2014-15 season. While on staff, he helped the Statesmen earn seven National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American honors in the men's short sprints (including seven national qualifiers in that event), and three national qualifiers in women's short sprints. The 2014 Statesmen men's indoor 200-meter team was a National Championship runner-up. The 2015 men's outdoor 200-meter team was also a national runner-up.

"Richard Bland College is excited to welcome Rashad back to campus," says Newton. "He knows the junior college environment as a student-athlete and coach. Those attributes will serve him well in recruiting the best student-athletes to RBC."

RBC suspended its track & field program following the 2015 season. Under Newton's leadership, the program has been reinstated starting in the 2022-23 season. Richard Bland has also added women's soccer, beach volleyball, baseball, women's basketball to its athletics offerings the past two years.

Cannon arrives at RBC after one season as the head men's and women's track and field coach at Virginia Union University. He was an assistant coach from 2019 to 2021. Prior to Virginia Union, Cannon was a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Richmond where he focused on the women's horizontal and long jumps.

Cannon's prior tenure at RBC will have an immediate impact on the program that looks to rekindle previous success. "I am coming back to where my coaching began," says Cannon. "I am excited to be back at RBC and looking forward to building a strong program. In track parlance, we'll take it one lap at a time until we reach the finish line."

Cannon is a 2008 graduate of Coffeyville (KS) Community College where he earned his associate of arts degree in Physical Education. He was a four-time NJCAA All-American in the long jump. He earned two Regional and four Jayhawk Conference championships as a long jumper. He earned All-American accolades in the triple jump.

Cannon earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Norfolk State in 2012. A stalwart in both the long and triple jump, he was a three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion in the long jump and an indoor national qualifier where he placed ninth in the nation