MBA Student Tonie Campbell Faces Hurdles Head-on
Three-time Olympian Tonie Campbell, an avid golfer, had just finished a round when he was asked why he decided to go back to school for a Nichols College MBA. The very busy 48-year-old said it was an easy decision; an MBA with a concentration in Sport Management would give him a leg-up landing an executive position in the sport industry.
"I realized that I love the management side of the sports business," says Campbell, who in 1992 earned a bachelor's in communications from the University of Southern California (USC). "Getting a Nichols MBA will open opportunities outside of coaching and make me a better manager and facilitator.
For the last six years, Campbell has been head track & field coach at Southwestern College (SWC) in Chula Vista, Calif., and an adjunct professor in sports theory at SWC's School of Health, Exercise Science and Athletics. In 2005, he expanded his coaching duties and accepted the position of managing director for USA Track & Field's High Performance Center at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.
Campbell has had an extraordinary athletic career, including being captain of the USC Track Team, the 1981 Recipient of the NCAA Scholar Athlete Award, and in 1982, a member of Runner's World All American Team. In 1990, Campbell was inducted into the Heritage Hall of Fame at USC and in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was a torch runner.
Campbell thinks it's time to expand his options within the sport industry. After an extensive online search for business schools, Campbell found that Nichols' program is tailored to sport management, as well as to accounting, marketing, and management best practices. "I love the program and professors and really enjoy the flexibility of online classes."
A strong believer in life-long education, Campbell tells his own children that "grades are everything" and if they are not cutting it in class, they are not playing sports. He says that one of the most important lessons passed down from his parents was that not everyone is going to be a professional athlete, but everyone's got to have a job. "It's important to meet your academic commitments so that you can provide for a better life."
Campbell resides in San Diego with his wife, Deborah, and has three sons-Callen, Lucas and Jeremy-and one daughter, Taylor Rebecca. His children have learning differences, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, and have been the inspiration for his published children's books, JUST RUN! and THE HIGHEST STAND.
"My two adopted sons, Lucas and Jeremy, were born to a drug addicted mom and my wife has been an incredible advocate for educational services for our children. I realized that my literary voice could serve a purpose and help." He is the founder of the Tonie Campbell Project for Literacy, a non-profit organization whose mission focuses on increasing literacy.
The Olympic Spirit
Campbell, a bronze medal winner in the 1988 Seoul Olympics men's 110m hurdles, had plenty to say about the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He predicted that USA's David Oliver would take the gold in the men's 110m hurdles, but in fact, Cuba's Dayron Robles won the gold in 12.93 seconds, with USA's David Payne winning silver and David Oliver winning bronze on August 21st at the Bird's Nest.
Campbell says he's disconcerted to see Olympic athletes jog through the finish line in the early rounds. "It's disrespectful to the Olympic movement and to the fans," he says. "You never know when a world record is going to happen; so, you shouldn't rob yourself on that potential. Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson ran full-out and broke records."
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) surprised Campbell when it ordered Swedish Greco-roman wrestler, Abrahamian, to forfeit his bronze medal in the 84-kg category after he threw it down on the mat in protest at the refereeing of his semi-final bout. "We live in America and have the right of free speech, but to actually disqualify Abrahamian and take his medal away, well...that was really interesting," he says.
Campbell is no stranger to Olympic controversy. He never got to compete in 1980 Moscow Olympics because of the U.S. boycott. Then, the Eastern Block boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. In Seoul Korea, Campbell learned to rest between qualifying rounds and relax, but when the start gun went off in the finals, his feet remain glued to the starting blocks; he thought Arthur Blake had false-started in the lane next to him.
"There were already a couple of false starts, and NBC was trying to get the officials to hurry up. Due to human error and subjectivity, the recall gun was never sounded. I'm just grateful that I recovered well enough to earn a bronze medal." In fact, a computer readout after-the-fact showed that Blake's reaction time was 00.00, clearly a false start.
Campbell is philosophical about the missed chance to take silver from Colin Jackson. "Even with electronic blocks, mistakes are made," he says. "I was with the U.S. team for the 2008 IAAF World Track and Field Championships held in Spain when Robles got left in the blocks in the semi-finals of the men's 60 meter hurdles. He just stood there and cried. It was heartbreaking to watch."
Campbell coached Toni Li, who is now one of the coaches for Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang. "At first I thought Xiang was faking the injury in Beijing, but I soon realized how serious his hamstring injury was to the lead leg." Xiang, who is considered the new standard of excellence in the high hurdles, has brought back the importance of technical precision. "He is the one whose form we all need to critique," says Campbell.
When asked what the biggest changes have been in hurdling, Campbell is clearly in awe of the new facilities. "The tracks don't absorb your energy, but enhance it, and the hurdles are light-weight. I have left many of my DNA specimens on the old hurdles."
Campbell, who didn't start running track until 10th grade, doesn't seem fazed about starting his MBA late in life. "Hurdlers learn early on in their careers that they cannot run around hurdles. Obstacles must be faced head on. I'm ready to get down to business."