George Cleare enters his fourth season as associate head coach specializing in jumps and sprints.
The 2023-24 season was one for the record books. Cleare developed one of the top hurdlers in the country in Oscar Smith, along with other athletes who would rank in the top 10 in their respective events. The Bulldogs qualified for six events in the sprints and jumps at the NCAA East Regional, with Smith qualifying for the Championships.
Smith had one of the best years in program history since Trey Hadnot. Smith started his Bulldog career by breaking the 19-year-old school record in the 60m hurdles at the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational with a time of 7.74. He would go on to beat that time at the CUSA Championships to earn silver at 7.70. In the outdoor season, Smith would continue to dominate his races on his way to a Second Team All-American honor at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 110m hurdles. Smith would run a 13.42 and 13.52 at the NCAA Regional before running a 13.45 to finish 10th at the Championships. The marks rank in the top four in program history, just behind a 13.30 wind-aided time from Ricky Stubbs.
Cleare also coached Sabastian Bradley-Reed, Osaretin Joy Usenbor and Jamara Patterson in the 400m. Each athlete would go on to set multiple marks inside the top 10 for the indoor and outdoor seasons. Bradley-Reed would win gold at the CUSA Indoor Championships with a program record of 46.74 while finishing with silver at the CUSA Outdoor Championship with the second-fastest time in program history at 45.88. Joy Usenbor and Patterson won gold and silver, respectively, at the CUSA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Both would finish the season with five marks inside the top 10 between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The trio would also be a part of two of the best relay teams in program history. Bradley-Reed teamed up with Cullen Hronek, Valentino Rudolph and Tim Rummelhagen to set the second-fastest time in program history at 3:05.77 to win the fourth straight CUSA gold in the 4x400. Rummelhagen, Laeden Tucker, Bradley-Reed and Rudolph would set the program's record in the indoor season at the CUSA Championships with a time of 3:10.32. Patterson, Joy Usenbor joined Tyhra Charles and Nia Wiley to set the CUSA Outdoor Championships record at 3:33.60.
The sprints and jumpers made strides during Cleare's second season in Ruston. The Bulldogs qualified four in the 100m, two in the 200m, one in the 100m hurdles and one in the high jump. A'reil Williams and Tonnie-Ann Forbes set program records during their freshman campaign. Williams cleared a height of 1.78m (5-10) in her first meet as a Bulldog, and Forbes would run an 8.15 to break the 10-year-old program record in the 60m hurdles.
The Bulldogs would finish with their best CUSA finish in both indoor and outdoor since the 2015 season, with the majority of the points coming from the sprints and jumps. The men's 4x400 team swept the indoor and outdoor titles, while Rodney Heath Jr. and Julian Forde finished second and third in the 60m and Cobe Johnson had a third-place finish in the triple jump during the indoor season. The 4x100 relay team and Mateo Smith (long jump) won gold at the CUSA Outdoor Championships. Heath Jr. and Laeden Tucker took silver in the 100m and 400m hurdles, respectively. William Estes (javelin) and Quoi Ellis (200m) won bronze.
For the women, the 4x400 won indoor silver, and Forbes and Williams took home bronze in their events. Williams and Joy Usenbor won gold during the outdoor championships, while the 4x100 and 4x400 took home silver. Jiana Stewartburgess and Forbes won bronze in the high jump and 100m hurdles.
In his first season at LA Tech, Cleare coached two athletes who qualified for the NCAA East Regional: Rodney Heath Jr. and Jamie Sancho. Heath Jr. would advance to the NCAA Championships by running a wind-aided time of 9.99 at the regional for the program record. The Bulldogs set eight top-10 marks in program history throughout the season while also improving their scores at the CUSA Championships.
Cleare brings a wealth of national and international coaching experience to Ruston, having worked at Texas Southern University and the University of Georgia, as well as serving as head coach for his native country, the Bahamas, at the World Championships and the Olympics.
"I am very excited to add someone of George's caliber and championship DNA to our coaching staff," said Johnson. "George is someone who truly embraces athlete development, a team-first mentality, and a history of creating winning habits. I welcome George, his wife Krishanda, and his son, George II, to the LA Tech Family."
Cleare spent five years as an assistant coach for the men's track and field program at Texas Southern, helping guide the Tigers to runner-up finishes at the 2022 SWAC Outdoor and Indoor Championships. He coached three individual SWAC champions at TSU, Roman Turner (60m), Chadwick Williams (javelin), and Hezekiah Freeman (outdoor shot put).
Prior to TSU, Cleare spent 2010-2015 at Georgia, where he coached two SEC Champions in Chanice Porter (indoor long jump) and Saniel Atkinson-Grier (outdoor high jump), six first-team All-American selections, and the NCAA 400m indoor champion, Shaunae Miller, while also breaking two school records in the women's indoor and outdoor 400m.
Cleare was instrumental in the Lady Bulldogs signing the fourth highest-ranked recruiting class following the 2012-13 season, the best ranking in program history.
On the international level, Cleare served as the Bahamas' head coach during the 2013 World Championships in Moscow and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2013, the Bahamas recorded 11 World Champion qualifiers, earning five medals.
Cleare has also developed 10 Olympians, including six who competed at the 2016 Rio Games, highlighted by Steven Gardiner winning a Silver Medal in the men's 4x400m relay.
"Joining the Louisiana Tech staff is an incredible and very exciting opportunity. I want to thank Coach Johnson and the administration for welcoming me to their team. I can't wait to build on the Tech's rich history and contribute to the team's continued success."
Cleare also worked with postgraduate Chris Carter on his way to the 2018 USA indoor national championship in the triple jump (17.20m) and a fifth-place finish at the 2018 International Association of Athletics FederationsWorld Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala. (17.15m).
Clear also served as the Bahamas 2009 World Championships Relay Coordinator, where his 4x100m relay team won a silver medal.
In addition to coaching, Cleare has been an IAAF Level 1 Lecturer for coach education since 2009.
Cleare graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Galilee College in Nassau, Bahamas, in 2009 and earned a Master of Science degree in Health and Kinesiology from Texas Southern in 2018.
Cleare is currently pursuing his Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Texas Southern.
