Wife, kids, and track and field, this is all Jamie Jimison needs to have a happy life.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching people and trying to help people do the right things,” Jimison said. “Learn from the things I did right and the things I did wrong.”

The current Director of Track and Field and Cross Country,  Jimison always knew coaching was what he wanted to do, but he never could have imagined how much of an impact he would have on the lives of others. Entering his 3^rd year as head of the Piedmont University program, Jimison is no stranger to success, and his track record shows. Having coached 33 NAIA All-Americans and three National Champions is just a sliver of the potential of athletes that he had tapped into before arriving to Piedmont. While here, Jimison has helped lead the Lions women’s and men’s teams to the USA South Conference Championship in 2021. He was also named the USA South “Coach of the Year” . Jimsion cites success in coaching to his love of teaching people.

“I have always gravitated towards the institutional and educational side of things,” Jimison said. “Even when I was young, I was always a person who looked deeper than the athletic side of things, and wanted to know why we could do these things and how can I teach people to be better.” Jimsion has done just that at Piedmont, as last year he coached Alvin Jacobs to his 2^nd appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship meet. Off the track, Jimison says that his family pushed him to be a better person and teacher, daily.

“My wife and I met in college when I was a cross country runner and she was a soccer player,” Jimison said. “ Our trail ran around the soccer field and I told myself that I had to meet her, and the rest is history.”  The couple now have three children, Jensen, Juliet and Jaren. Jimison admitted it’s difficult for him and his wife to balance their busy careers with raising three children, but they make sure that every moment spent not working is a moment in which they both spend time with their family. Jimison has already made a major impact in his coaching career, and he hopes his teaching will stick with those he encounters for years to come. “I have always gravitated towards coaching, even as a high schooler coaching a little league baseball team,” he said.  “It’s just something I am really invested in.”