Track & Field and Cross Country: Coach
Jim Nesbitt
jnesbitt(at)svsu.edu
989.964.7322
Jim Nesbitt begins his 21st year as the SVSU cross country coach, structuring his energetic programs with an emphasis on local recruiting. Nesbitt served as the President of the NCAA Division II Track Coaches Association and the Vice President of the United States Track Coaches Association for four years.
Nesbitt also directs the Cardinal Track & Field Programs. He has spurred the Cardinals into contention for conference and district championships on a frequent basis. In addition to the 17 titles, SVSU has won under Nesbitt’s leadership are 36 runner-up finishes.
After graduating from Handy High School in Bay City, Nesbitt went on to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Central Michigan University in 1968 and 1974, respectively. At CMU, he played freshman basketball, lettered three years in track and once in cross country. As a senior, Nesbitt was a captain of the CMU track team. He held CMU records in the indoor 400, 600, 880 and 1,000 yard runs and set an NAIA indoor record while winning the 880 yard run in 1967. He concluded his career by placing sixth in the 1968 college division 400 meter finals.
Nesbitt spent 17 years teaching and coaching in the Michigan public school system. After a year at Riverside High School in Dearborn Heights, he moved on to John Glenn High School in Bay City and remained there 15 years before accepting a position at Traverse City High School in 1984.
In 1998 Nesbitt was inducted into the Bay City Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2001 he was inducted into the Central Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame. He and his wife Carol, live in Bay City. The couple have two sons, Jim and Mike, and three grand children, Faith Ann, Brendan, and Sydney.
