HAYWARD, Calif. – Head Coach Ralph Jones announced Friday that James Robinson, a former Cal coach and world class runner, and Mike Tomasello, a former Tennessee and Stanford distance coach, will join the East Bay coaching staff for the 2013 track season.

“We are excited to be adding Coach Robinson and Coach Tomasello to our staff – their experience as elite athletes and successful coaches is invaluable,” Jones said. “My goal upon taking over this program was to attract the best coaches to our staff so athletes across the country and the state will see that we are serious about being a premier program. This program has a rich history and tradition of success and the biggest part of that success was the caliber of the coaching staff working with the motivated athletes that were here in the East Bay.”

A former middle distance runner for the United States Olympic Team, Robinson was one of the top American 800 meter runners throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Robinson competed in the 800 at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, finishing fifth in the semis, and was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic delegation that participated in the boycott of the Summer Games in Moscow.

Robinson was a medalist in the 800 at both the 1979 and 1981 IAAF World Cup, as well as the 1979 Pan American Games. In addition, he took fifth in the 800 at the 1983 World Championship in Athletics. Robinson was also a seven-time American champion in the 880 yard or 800 meter events, including five consecutive wins from 1978-82. Indoors, Robinson held the American record in the 600.

The Oakland native was best known for his come-from-behind strategy in races, which made for exciting races and allowed losses to look merely like a strategic error. During the 1984 Olympic Trials, considered one of the best American 800 meter races of all time, Robinson finished fourth and did not make the team but crossed the line with the exact time as third-place qualifier John Marshall. In addition, ahead of Robinson and Marshall, first- and second-place qualifiers Earl Jones and Johnny Gray also finished in the same time, both breaking the American record.

A graduate of McClymonds High School in Oakland, Robinson was a runner up in the 880 yard race at the 1972 CIF State Meet. Following graduation, Robinson competed for Laney College where he collected both the conference and state titles in the 880 in 1973 and 1974, setting the school and National Junior College record in the 800 meters in 1974. Both the 800 time and Robinson's time of 47.4 in the 440 yards still stand in the Laney College annals. Robinson also anchored the Laney College mile relay team, which claimed second and third at the state meet in 1973 and 1974, respectively. Robinson also ran for Cal after his time at Laney.

A longtime coaching great, Tomasello has over 28 years of experience, including tenures at Stanford and Tennessee. During his time with the Cardinal, Tomasello assisted Olympic Coach Brooks Johnson in the development of both the men's and women's cross country and track programs in the 1980s. Before arriving at Stanford, Tomasello served as an assistant under Olympic Coach Stan Huntsman at his alma mater, Tennessee. With his help, the Volunteers claimed the 1972 NCAA title in cross country and the 1973 championship in track and field, as well as six Southeastern Conference titles.

Prior to joining the Tennessee staff, Tomasello made a name for himself as one of the top high school coaches in Virginia. As the head coach at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, where he collected Northern Virginia Coach of the Year honors three times and won 15 regional championships. Tomasello's distance medley relay team set the national high school record in 1976. As a student-athlete at Tennessee, Tomasello earned All-SEC honors in the 800 and was a member of 16 SEC title teams in cross country and track and field.

“It is my vision that we can duplicate the success of our storied alumni and bring that pride back to campus by first developing a quality staff, which I feel we now have and second to recruit motivated individuals who aren't afraid to be great and want to be true Pioneers,” Jones said.