Before coming to Calvary Christian in July of 2007 Greg Thiel was the Head Track and Field Coach at the University of South Florida. While at USF, they produced 24 All Americans, 67 Conference Champions, and give athletes who went onto compete at the Olympics.
He came to the school in hopes of building an athletic program with top of the line facilities. When he arrived there were no outdoor facilities and now they have a state of the art track and field and football stadium and are in the process of completing a baseball complex of the same quality. Thiel says his proudest accomplishments at the school have been allowing God to use him as an interest and impact athletes lives and grow the athletic department.
"I believe that God blessed Calvary with the new facility to be used as a tool to impact kids’ lives. At the University of South Florida, I secured the money to build the track facility, and I left before it was done. It was exciting to be an intricate part of the building process."
Once again Thiel will become part of a new "rebuilding project." The Calvary Christian Athletic Director and Head Track and Field Coach is returning to the college ranks. He has recently accepted a head coaching position at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina. He believes the new move is all part of God's plan for him.
"I was the head men’s and women’s track and field coach at USF. I resigned in 2006 because God led me into a full-time Christian ministry. Going to Southern Wesleyan University is an extension of that ministry. It is exciting to get back into the college realm where I feel the most comfortable and have had the most success."
Success will also come in the form of new track facilities which are being built this summer.Thiel says the biggest transition will be moving his family to South Carolina and leaving the Tampa Bay area, but it is a move he is looking forward to making.
"I look forward to the ability to give the mid-level track athlete an opportunity to run at the collegiate level in a competitive conference. It is exciting to be able to offer scholarship opportunities to these athletes that would be walk-ons at other universities."