Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Track & Field mourns passing of former head coach Dick Weis
December 31, 2025 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER – Former Oklahoma State Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Dick Weis passed away Tuesday morning, he was 87 years old.
Weis began his coaching career at the high school level in New York before eventually becoming the head coach at the University of Missouri, where he spent four years from 1979-82. He then moved to Stillwater as the head coach at OSU, serving in multiple capacities from 1983-2009.
During his career at Oklahoma State, Weis returned the men's cross country team to national prominence, culminating in team-high finishes of third in 1995 and fourth in 1996. The 1995 squad also won the final Big 8 title as he was named Big 8 Coach of the Year that season. In addition to the team success, Weis produced individual cross country All-Americans Joe Metcalf (1985), Steve Fury (1989), Solomon Kariuki (1993-95), Patrick Kiptum (1995), Kim Critchley (1995), Jon Wild 1993-95), Christian Nicolson (1996), Christopher Kebenei (1996), Chuck Sloan (1999), and Mindi Pukstas (2003).
On the women's side, Weis quickly turned the Cowgirl program around, winning the Big 8 championship in just his fourth season with the program in 1986. During that time, the Cowgirls crowned six consecutive Big 8 individual champions from 1984-89 and coached All-Americans Christine McMiken (1984-85), Jackie Goodman (1986-89), Sonia Barry (1988) and Heather Garrett (1989). Jackie Goodman's runner-up finish at the 1987 NCAA Cross Country Championships remains tied for the highest-ever by a Cowgirl. McMiken would also later go on to qualify for the 1988 Olympics for her native New Zealand in the 10,000 Meters.
During his entire time at OSU, Cowboy and Cowgirl Track & Field produced 86 All-Americans, nine NCAA champions, five NCAA runners-up, one world-record holder and two Olympians. Two of his sons, Joe and Ray, competed for OSU as members of the track and wrestling teams, respectively. Joe was a two-time Big 8 champion in the 1,000 Meters and Ray was a member of the wrestling team in 1993 and 1996.
"Coach Weis will be remembered as an extraordinary coach and a true friend to every athlete, assistant coach and colleague fortunate enough to know him," Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Dave Smith said. "An eternal optimist with a deeply generous heart, he always put his student-athletes first, guiding them with integrity and unwavering belief. His leadership returned OSU's cross country teams to national prominence and laid the foundation for the program's continued success. His legacy lives on in the countless lives he shaped and the excellence he inspired. Personally, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity he provided me at Oklahoma State, the potential he saw in me and the many, many lessons he taught me over the last 30 years."
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