It was announced that longtime Renton Track and Field Head Coach Keith Eager will be named to the Washington State Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Renton Athletics social media on Jan. 21.
Eager has been leading the Redhawk track team for just one season, but began his coaching career in 1989 as an Assistant Coach up until 2010, before leaving for Tahoma to lead the Bears program.
As a Renton graduate, Eager came back to his alma mater after 11 seasons with Tahoma. In his first year as the Head Coach of Renton, he helped Demond Reed, Jr. win a state title in the Javelin and an overall eighth place finish on the boys side. The school’s best finish since the 2019 state champiosnips where the girls team took eighth place overall.
While at Tahoma, Eager turned that program into a team that was fighting for state championships every year. He took second in 2019, Tahoma’s best finish in school history. He took fifth in 2016 and 6th in 2022. Eager won the West Central District Meet twice (2015 and 2018), and never lost a dual meet in his time at Tahoma.
Eager is very well known for his ability to coach field events; under his tutelidge, Aretha Thurmond made it to three Olympics competing for the United States. Thurmond threw discus in Atlanta (34th), Athens (19th) and London (25th).
Eager has won 32 state titles in throwing events as a coach and has had athletes place in state over 80-times.