University of Arizona Athletics

Bob Myers enters his second official season as Arizona’s high jump assistant coach, after being elevated to the position in 2023-24 from a volunteer coach. He has been with the Wildcats since 2012 (with the exception of the 2017 season).

In 2024, Myers coached Emma Gates to a Pac-12 Championships victory in the high jump, alongside a third-place finish for Paris Mikinski, to total 16 points for the Wildcats. At the competition, Gates posted a personal best clearance and Mikinski nearly matched her personal best as well. The pair both qualified for and competed at the NCAA First Round Championships, as well as the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Gates and Diana Ramos also won high jump competitions during the 2024 indoor season.

In 2023, Myers coached Alexa Porpaczy to a 14th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships that earned her Second Team All-America honors. Porpaczy then placed 20th in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Additionally, at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships, the Wildcats had two top finishers for the women in Talie Bonds, who placed third, and Porpaczy, who placed sixth. On the men’s side, Kristjan Sigfinnsson finished third overall. During the season, the women’s high jump group was ranked as high as second in the country by the USTFCCCA’s Event Squad Rankings.

Prior to that, in 1977-78, Myers was a graduate assistant coach for the Arizona Track and Field program. He became an Assistant Coach for the program in 1979 and held that position until 1985 when he was named an Associate Head Coach, which he remained until 1992.

In 1989, he was named Western Regional USATF Coach of the Year.

Myers was a U.S. Olympic Coach/Manager for Track and Field in Atlanta in 1996 and he coached various other U.S. National teams in the 1980s and 90s, including being the Head U.S. Coach for the World Cup of Track and Field and assistant coach for the World University
Games.

From 1992-2011 he was the Dean of the School of Human Performance and Human Development at Solano College where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. 

Myers returned to Tucson in 2012 where he taught a Business of College Athletics course at the Eller College of Business until 2014.

In 2014, he was inducted into both the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame as well as the National Alliance of Two-Year Collegiate Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into five Halls of Fame as a student-athlete, College administrator and Athletic Director.

Myers received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education-Kinesiology/Pre-Physical Therapy from California State University-Chico. He went on to get a Masters in Kinesiology- specializing in Biomechanics from the University of Arizona and has his doctoral degree from California Coast University.

In his career he has coached four collegiate record holders in the high jump, many collegiate and U.S. national champions, Olympians and world ranked athletes. He has published thirty-one articles in kinesiology and athletic professional journals throughout the world, two books
and six one-hour instructional technique videos.

He has been married to Arizona-grad Gloria Myers for 36 years and his son and daughter-in-law also attended The University of Arizona.