Mike Goff

Mike Goff

After retiring as head coach in 2013, Coach Mike Goff's returns to the Mt. SAC Cross Country/Track & Field Program as an assistant coach.  Goff began his career at Mt. SAC in 1996, when he took over the Men's Cross Country and Women's Track & Field Program at Mt. San Antonio College.  

Under his guidance the Men’s Cross Country team captured 10 South Coast Conference (SCC) Championships and placed in the state championships, second three times and in the top five, five times. Goff has been honored as the South Coast Conference Men's Cross Country “Coach of the Year,” ten times.

Goff led women’s track & field teams have captured four state championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2011), including a state record three consecutive titles (2000-2002), placed second four times and placed third twice.  He has also led his women's teams to eight consecutive SCC Championships (undefeated for six seasons) and 10 Southern California Championships.  Goff has been named SCC "Coach of the Year" 10 times, the South Coast Conference All-Sports Coach of the Year, in 2011 and the California State Community College Track and Field Coaches Association "Coach of the Year," in 2000.

Coach Goff began his career at El Rancho High School where he served as the Head Coach of the Boy’s and Girl’s Cross Country (72-11 record) and Track & Field (49-7 record) for nine seasons. Teams.  He was also recognized twice as ‘Teacher of the Year,’ once as ‘Science Teacher of The Year’ and also received the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Education’ Award.

Following his tenure at El Rancho, Goff moved to Ayala High School (Chino Hills, CA) where he led the cross country (134-32 record) and track & field (70-6 record) teams for 7 years, winning the CIF SS Division 3 Boys Cross Country Championship in 1993.  His boy’s track & field teams captured five league championships in the school’s first six years of existence, while the girl’s track & field team captured four undefeated league titles in the same span. The first boys track & field championship team was only comprised of freshman and sophomores, competing at the varsity level, at the new school.

As successful in the classroom, Goff received the ‘Ayala High School Faculty Recognition Award’ and was a nominee for the Inland Area Science Teachers Association ‘Michael Havelka Science Teacher of the Year’ award.

Goff arrived at Mt. SAC, in 1996, as an adjunct faculty/assistant coach and was hired full-time in 1998, where he became a professor/head coach of the cross country and track & field teams.  At Mt. SAC, Goff has worked with and developed numerous outstanding student/athletes throughout his career, Many of his runners have gone on to successful careers at the 4-year level 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 2014, Goff was awarded the ‘International Coach of the Year’ presented by the International Track and Field Coaches Association and in 2013 he was inducted into the California Community College Cross Country and Track Coaches Association (5CTCA) Hall of Fame as well as into Bakersfield College Track & Field Hall of fame. 

In honor of his relentless work on the world renown Mt. SAC Cross Country Course, the “Gauntlet” portion (last stretch before the finish line) was renamed “Goff’s Gauntlet” in 2021.  In 2022, he also received the “Extra Mile Award,” a national award given to the caretakers of America’s greatest cross country courses.

Goff remains actively involved in all of the Mt. SAC Track & Field/Cross Country Special Events serving as the lead "Grunt Guy."  During his tenure as a full-time faculty member at Mt. SAC, he also served as the Physical Education Department Chairperson.  As department chair, he assisted with the development, implementation and revisions of the AA Degree in Kinesiology, now the largest at the college. He served on numerous department/campus wide committees, worked on the development and implementation of the Fitness Specialist, Personal Trainer Certificate and was the Lead for the accredited half of the Exercise Science Wellness Center.  Coach Goff also served on the 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 ‘Faculty Recognition Award’. 

Goff and his lovely wife Marion reside in Diamond Bar and are parents of two grown children, Natasha (fiancé Nick) and Cody (wife Heidi and son Ryan).  In his free time, he enjoys traveling to Hawaii, snorkeling and cooking. He now adds ‘Nanny’ to his resume, assuming the rewarding duties for watching his grandson and future Mountie, Ryan.

updated 02/08/23