After retiring as head coach in 2013, Coach Mike Goff has returned to the Mt. SAC Cross Country/Track & Field program as an assistant coach. His legacy with Mt. San Antonio College began in 1996, when he took the reins of the Men’s Cross Country and Women’s Track & Field programs.

Under Coach Goff’s leadership, the Men’s Cross Country team captured 10 South Coast Conference Championships. His teams also placed second at the state championships three times and finished in the top five on five occasions. Goff was honored as the SCC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year ten times.

On the women’s side, Goff led Mt. SAC to four state championships in Track & Field (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2011), including a state record-setting three consecutive titles from 2000–2002. His teams also secured second-place finishes four times and placed third twice at the state level. He guided his teams to eight consecutive SCC titles and 10 Southern California Championships. He was named SCC Track & Field Coach of the Year 10 times, SCC All-Sports Coach of the Year in 2011, and the California Community College Track & Field Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year in 2000.

Before joining Mt. SAC, Coach Goff built a strong foundation at the high school level. He began at El Rancho High School, where he led the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams to a combined 72-11 record and the track & field teams to a 49-7 record over nine seasons. He was twice named Teacher of the Year, honored as Science Teacher of the Year, and received the Outstanding Contribution to Education Award.

He then moved on to Ayala High School (Chino Hills, CA), where he spent seven years leading the cross country (134-32 record) and track & field (70-6 record) programs. In 1993, he guided Ayala’s boys' cross country team to a CIF-SS Division 3 Championship. His boys' track & field team won five league championships in the school’s first six years, while the girls’ team claimed four undefeated league titles in the same span. Notably, his first championship boys' team was made up solely of freshmen and sophomores competing at the varsity level. While at Ayala, Goff received the Faculty Recognition Award and was nominated for the Inland Area Science Teachers Association’s Michael Havelka Science Teacher of the Year award.

Coach Goff began his career at Mt. SAC as an adjunct faculty member and assistant coach in 1996. He was hired full-time in 1998, serving as both professor and head coach. Over the years, he has mentored and developed countless standout student-athletes, many of whom advanced to compete at four-year universities, including former Mt. SAC 5,000M and 10,000M school record holder Daniel Rojas (Cal Poly Pomona), Ozzie Pina (UC Berkeley), and Chris Huddleston (USC).

In 2013, Goff was inducted into both the California Community College Cross Country and Track Coaches Association (5CTCA) Hall of Fame and the Bakersfield College Track & Field Hall of Fame. A year later, he received the International Coach of the Year Award from the International Track and Field Coaches Association.

In recognition of his tireless dedication to the world renown Mt. SAC Cross Country Course, the final stretch of the course was renamed “Goff’s Gauntlet” in 2021. In 2022, he received the prestigious Extra Mile Award, a national honor given to stewards of America’s greatest cross country courses.

In addition to his coaching duties, Goff plays a vital role in many of Mt. SAC’s Track & Field and Cross Country events, serving as the lead “Grunt Guy.” During his tenure as a full-time faculty member, he chaired the Physical Education Department, helped create and revise the Associate Degree in Kinesiology—now one of the college’s largest programs—and led development efforts for the Fitness Specialist and Personal Trainer Certificate programs. He also oversaw the accredited side of the Exercise Science Wellness Center. Goff served on management teams for the Mt. San Antonio College Cross Country Invitational, —the “Largest Cross Country Meet on Earth”—, the world famous Mt. SAC Relays and the Footlocker Cross Country Championships.

In 2001, he received the Mt. SAC Faculty Recognition Award for his outstanding service and dedication.

Coach Goff lives in Diamond Bar with his wife Marion. They have two grown children, Natasha (fiancé Nick) and Cody (wife Heidi), and a grandson, Ryan. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling to Hawaii, snorkeling, and cooking. He now enjoys his role as a devoted grandfather, spending cherished time with his grandson Ryan—a future Mountie in the making.

updated 02/08/23