Don Hood is in his eighth season as an assistant coach on the Wildcats' staff after serving as the Wildcats' head coach for 11 seasons from 1978-88.

A 1955 graduate of ACU, Hood remains one of the world's foremost authorities on training techniques for and coaching of the pole vault.  During his tenure, two Wildcat pole vaulters (Billy Olson and Tim Bright) competed in the Olympic Games for the United States, and a total of seven vaulters (Olson, Bright, Brad Pursley, Dale Jenkins, Steve Thaxton, Bobby Williams and Cam Miller) qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Olson was the most successful of the group, earning the world's No. 1 ranking in 1982 and setting 11 world indoor records.

During Hood's 11 seasons as the head coach, he led the Wildcats to eight NCAA Division II national championships and one NAIA national title.  Hood coached nine Olympians at ACU and 12 overall in a coaching career that included stints at North Texas, Wichita State and Howard Payne.

He was named the head track and field coach in 1977 and shortly thereafter continued an incredible run of ACU success that continues to this day.  Hood's teams won nine national championships and nine Lone Star Conference championships, and he was named Coach of the Year eight times.