LA GRANDE, Ore. - Eastern Oregon track and field brings U.S. Olympic Track and Field coach Harry Marra to speak to the EOU athletic teams and the La Grande community on Monday, October 14th,. Coach Marra will be speaking on the Eastern Oregon University campus in the Zabel Auditorium at 7 p.m. The entire community of La Grande is invited to attend Coach Marra's presentation.
Coach Harry Marra is best known for coaching the previous decathlon world record holder, Ashton Eaton. Eaton won three Olympic gold medals and two world championship gold medals during his time as a professional decathlete. Additionally, Marra coached several other successful multi-event athletes: Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Paul Terek, Sheldon Blockburger, and four other 8,000+ point scoring decathletes (Brian Brophy, Paul Foxon, Bart Goodell and Chris Wilcox). Theisen-Eaton won two world championship silver medals in the women's heptathlon, and was also the Commonwealth Games and world indoor pentathlon gold medalist for Canada.
Coach Marra started his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara, under the helm of Sam Adams, before accepting his first head coaching job at Springfield College. From 1981 to 1993, Marra coached at San Francisco State University, while simultaneously serving as a speed and fitness consultant for the San Francisco Giants, a Major League Baseball team. Marra also became the USA Track and FIeld National Decathlon Coach from 1990-2000, which later helped him get a job coaching at the University of Oregon as the multi-events coach, where he coached both Eaton and Theisen-Eaton to NCAA championships in their respective events. Marra has been inducted into the Christian Brothers Academy, San Francisco State University, Pacific Association USATF, and Mt. St. Mary's University Halls of Fame. Coach Marra was also given the IAAF award for Coaching Achievement in 2016. 
After the retirement of Olympic Medalists Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theison-Eaton, Coach Marra has become an international track and field consultant for countries like Indonesia and other professional teams. Coach Marra is very involved in the sport of track and field and continues to do coaching clinics around the world. He also speaks to communities such as ours, here in La Grande, Oregon, to spread his wisdom in athletics and life. Eastern Oregon University is excited and grateful for Coach Harry Marra to visit and hopes that the La Grande community will join us in attendance on Monday night, October 14th at 7pm in Zabel Auditorium on the EOU campus.
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