Dan Veach (2010)
Southern State College (SAU) ’69, Auburn University ’75
Veach ran high school track at William Tennent in Pennsylvania where he was a member of the team that won the mile relay in their division at the Penn Relays in 1965. He was conference champion the 220 yard dash and was an All State selection. He ran four years at Southern State College (SAU) under Rip Powell and was a four time All-AIC selection and a three time NAIA All American in 1966, 67 and 68. As a sophomore he broke the school record in the 220. He was tri-captain of the Rider team his junior and senior years. Veach completed his B.S.E. degree in the social studies in 1969 and received his Master’s Degree in secondary administration from Auburn University in 1975. He began his career in education 1969 as a social studies teacher at Emerson High School where he initiated track and cross country teams in 1972. During the nine years he coached, his teams won five State Championships, three in cross country and two in track and field and were runner-up on three other occasions. After he became the high school principal, 1981 thru 1988, Emerson teams continued to win seven State Track Championships out of the next eight years. Veach became head men’s track coach at Southern Arkansas in 1988 and started the women’s program in 1990. Over the 20 years at SAU his teams won five conference titles and have been runner-up five other times. In 1992, the men’s 4x100 team won the National NAIA title. He has coached 89 All Conference athletes in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference & Gulf South Conference and 28 NAIA All Americans. He has been named AIC Coach of the Year five times. He retired in 2008 after 39 years in education. |