Chris Fox joined the William & Mary track & field and cross country staff as assistant coach — distance in August 2026, bringing more than three decades of collegiate and professional coaching experience to Williamsburg.
Fox previously served as the head coach of men's cross country and track & field at Syracuse from 2005-18, transforming the Orange into one of the nation's premier distance programs. His tenure was highlighted by Syracuse winning the 2015 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship, earning Fox USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year honors.
Under Fox's direction, Syracuse won nine conference championships. He coached more than 60 track & field All-Americans and 31 cross country All-Americans while also mentoring multiple individual NCAA champions.
Among those champions was Justyn Knight, who captured the 2017 NCAA Cross Country individual title and the 2018 NCAA indoor 5,000m championship. Jarret Eaton also won the 2012 NCAA indoor 60m hurdles national title under Fox's direction.
Fox guided the Syracuse men's cross country program to nine top-15 NCAA Championship finishes and two top-five finishes. Prior to his arrival, the Orange had not qualified for the NCAA Championships since 1974 or finished among the top 15 since 1963.
The Syracuse women's program also reached new heights during Fox's tenure, including a 10th-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships and a 12th-place showing in 2015. Paige Stoner became the first Syracuse woman to post a top-20 NCAA Cross Country Championship finish and won the program's first ACC individual cross country title in 2017.
Following his first stint at Syracuse, Fox co-founded and led the Reebok Boston Track Club from 2018-23. During his time coaching professionally, Fox worked with athletes competing on the international stage, including Knight, who represented Canada and finished seventh in the 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympics.
Fox returned to Syracuse in 2023 as an assistant coach, working primarily with the Orange's distance runners before joining William & Mary.
Fox and William & Mary Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Adam Smith have a longstanding coaching relationship. The two previously worked together at Syracuse before helping establish the Reebok Boston Track Club in 2018.
Before his first stint at Syracuse, Fox coached at his alma mater, Auburn, as well as North Carolina and George Washington. He also competed professionally for Nike-Athletics West and Brooks Sports.
Fox graduated from Auburn in 1983.
