DEMOREST- After 17 years coaching athletes all over the country, Jamie Jimison considers all his athletes success stories.

“It’s hard for me to identify a particular success story,” the head Piedmont cross country and track coach Jamie Jimison said when combing through all his past athletes’ careers,  “With each student I have coached, I’ve tried to understand what their needs are and coach accordingly; and the ones who buy into that are more fun. I’ve had a lot of All-Americans in my career, but watching people develop and grow is more fun.”

Jimison first came to Piedmont College in the fall of 2019. With such a young program that is as successful as it is, he had a lot of expectations from his new athletes and a lot of pressure from the Athletic Department. But this wasn’t his first team. Jimison started his coaching career at the collegiate level, beginning with an assistant coaching job at Berea College and after one year he received his first head coach position at Union College building the small program for five years. Jimison then took a break from collegiate coaching and tried teaching at a middle school in his area for a year. There he realized college athletes and coaching was what he wanted to be doing. He then earned another head coaching position with a young program at Mount Mercy College. He spent nine years building that program to the well- respected level it is at today, even getting a track facility built during his time there. During the summer of 2019, Jimison learned of an open coaching position at Piedmont College and he decided to go for it.

“I was ready for a professional change, and it worked out that Piedmont was also closer to family. Moving to Georgia also provided my family an opportunity for climate change compared to Iowa weather.”

Piedmont was the perfect fit. He loved what the school and athletic program represented. Jimison had worked with small private schools all his coaching career, but only Piedmont College had the administrative support that his other institutions lacked.

During his brief time at Piedmont so far, he has gotten a lot of work done in the program. He’s aided the school in planning and drawing up a blueprint for a brand new track facility coming in the near future. Even with the program progress he’s made, Jimison has had more of an impact on his athletes. 

“Coaching is a lot about numbers, but building relationships and trust is the root of helping folks get better.” 

With the training and coaching Jimison has put in place with the track and cross country programs, many of his athletes have reached goals they never thought possible. Because of the love and appreciation his athletes have for him, and the amount of fun he is having watching his new team be as successful as they are, Jimison is planning on staying at Piedmont permanently where he will continue to make success stories, on and off the track. 

“My biggest objective right now is not to leave Piedmont,” he said. “I like the area, but I also like the program.”