Mark Thorne begins his sixth year as Jackson State University’s Director of Track and Field and Cross Country in 2024, his 17th year overall working with the program.
In his current position, which he was promoted to in the fall of 2019, Thorne is responsible for directing the coaching staff and coaching student-athletes on performance and achievement in indoor and outdoor track and field as well as cross country. He manages the cross country/track and field budget, handles scholarships, develops practice and competition schedules and strategies, monitors the academic performance of his student-athletes, monitors the health and wellness of his competitors, and ensures abidance to institutional, Southwestern Athletic Conference and NCAA policies and regulations.
Thorne held similar responsibilities while holding the title of Head Men’s Track and Field Coach for the Tigers from 2010 to 2020, and while serving as the program’s Assistant Head Men’s Track and Field Coach from 2007 to 2010.
During Thorne’s tenure, Jackson State has produced numerous All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performers in running as well as field events, several NCAA Preliminary Round qualifiers, and three All-Americans in Anaso Jobodwana, B.J. Lee and Sherman Hawkins. Jobodwana of South Africa and Adell Colthrust of Trinidad & Tobago are two of Thorne’s JSU pupils who have gone on to compete in Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, in cross country, Thorne has also coached several of his runners to individual all-conference accolades, with two runners capturing individual outright cross country titles.
Thorne is a three-time SWAC Cross Country Coach of the Year. His team most recently captured the 2017 SWAC Cross Country Championship and his indoor and outdoor track and field teams finished second during last season’s conference championships.
Thorne has earned several coaching certifications, including USATF Level 1, USATF Level 2 Endurance, and USTFCCCA Level 2 in Sprints Hurdles and Relays.
During his time as a college student at Jackson State, Thorne was a Dean’s List student academically and a letterman on the Tigers’ track and field team from 1989 to 1993, the latter three seasons serving a team captain. He earned All-SWAC honors each of his years on the team.
Thorne holds two degrees from Jackson State – a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Master of Science degree in Mass Communication. He is a proud member of the MU Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and he serves as Advisor to the Alpha Beta Chapter of the fraternity.
Thorne and his wife, Dr. Dianne Thorne, reside in Byram, Miss. and are the parents of three children.
