Jose Larios, who has been the cross country and track coach at Warner Southern College the past six years, will be the new cross country and track coach at Florida Southern College. Larios will succeed longtime Moccasin coach A.L. "Buck" Dawson, who is retiring at the end of the current school year.
"My family and I are thrilled to be a part of the Moccasins' athletic staff," Larios said. "From the day I met coach Dawson and his wife, Roberta, they've been a major influence in my life. Being chosen to follow in coach Dawson's footsteps at FSC is certainly an honor considering the success he has had. I hope to bring my strengths to the Mocs' championship foundation. My family and I have been really blessed at Warner Southern these past six years and we are thankful for the opportunity that was given to us and for all the athletes who have worked with me. Without the WSC family, this wonderful opportunity to move to Florida Southern wouldn't be possible."
While at Warner Southern, Larios has coached his cross country and track teams to 10 NAIA region championships. He's earned five straight Florida Sun Conference Coach of the Year awards (2002-06). In 2003 he was Southeast Region Cross Country Coach of the Year. He has guided Warner Southern to 10 Florida Sun Conference titles in cross country and track and has had his cross country team ranked as high as 13th in the NAIA national rankings. During his tenure at Warner Southern, the Royals have produced 24 NAIA All-Americans in cross country and track.
Larios received his bachelor's degree in English and secondary education in 1997 from Warner Southern. While there, he ran cross country for Dawson, who coached at Warner Southern before coming to Florida Southern in 1995.
Larios will take over a Moccasin cross country program that has dominated the Sunshine State Conference. The men's team has won the last 10 SSC championships and the women's team has won six SSC titles, including last fall's. Both teams qualified for their respective NCAA Division II Championships last fall, with the women finishing 15th and the men 20th.
In addition to his coaching duties, Larios also will serve as Florida Southern's athletics promotions coordinator and director of event management.
"We are very pleased that Jose will be joining our staff," said Florida Southern Athletic Director Lois Webb. "His success at Warner Southern has proven him to be a successful recruiter and coach. The fact that he and coach Dawson know each other well and have great respect for one another should make for a smooth transition into next fall's cross country season. We're also excited about having Jose's leadership ability to create a lot of new ideas for promotions for all of our athletic teams."
Larios and his wife, Heather, have two children - Hannah, 4, and Emma, 2 - and are expecting a third child in April. He will officially begin his duties at Florida Southern June 1.