Southern Nazarene University Athletics

Rodney Burkes enters his second season as an assistant coach for the Southern Nazarene track and field program.

Burkes joined SNU after serving as the Assistant Coach for the Illinois State Track & Field program, where he specialized in sprints, hurdles, and relays. He coached athletes to a great deal of success and saw several student-athletes post all-time school record finishes. During his season with Illinois State, Burkes coached numerous all-conference athletes, including outdoor conference championships in both the men's and women's 4x400 meter relay, as well as coaching the Conference Indoor Athlete of the Meet, Ben Montgomery. Montgomery won the 400 meter dash with a time of 46.7, while also placing 2nd int he triple jump, and running 21.3 in the 200 meter dash. Rodney also coached both outdoor 4x100 teams to 2nd place finishes. A number of other individuals also earned all-conference nods for their performances under Burkes.

Prior to his time at Illinois State, Burkes spent a season spent a season as a volunteer assistant coach at Oklahoma State. During his time at Oklahoma State he assisted with the men’s and women’s sprints and long sprints. He also assisted the staff with weight room conditioning, functional strength, active recovery and power development for the men’s and women’s sports programs as well as with on-campus recruiting. During his one season with the Cowboys, he helped play a key role in mentoring the school-record breaking women’s 4x400-meter relay team and the men’s and women’s regional qualifying relay squads.

Rodney spent much of his coaching career as the Assistant Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach at Edmond Memorial High School from 2011-2017. While there, he coached 57 state champions and helped the team win six state titles in seven years. He was a four-time Class 6A coach of the year and six-time conference coach of the year. 

He started his coaching career as an assistant at the College of DuPage in 2010-11, while also serving as a coach with the Aurora Flyers Track Club from 2004-12. He established the Flytime Track Club and coached 24 nationally-ranked athletes from 2012 to the present including Penn Relays champion John Teeters.

Before competing at Oklahoma City University, Rodney was a JUCO All-American in the 400 meter dash, long jump, and triple jump, as well as a part of a 4x400 national championship team. While at OCU, he was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that qualified for the NAIA National Championships in 2009. He graduated from OCU in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.