Bio

An accomplished runner in his own right, Rodney Blue has served as the head coach for Carl Sandburg College's men's and women's cross country teams since 2015, helping engineer the most successful stretch in their history.

Under Blue, the Chargers men's team won its first two Region IV titles ever (2021, 2022), and its sixth-place showing at the 2021 NJCAA national meet marked the highest finish ever by Sandburg. The Chargers men's team also has produced three All-Americans during Blue's tenure. Calton Kibet was a First-Team All-American after placing a program-best fourth at the 2021 national meet, and Josphat Langat (2021) and Emmanuel Kiprop (2022) have claimed Second-Team All-America honors.

On the women's side, the Chargers won their first-ever Region IV title in 2019 and added another region championship in 2022. In 2021, Sandburg qualified for the NJCAA national championship after finishing as runner-up in the Region IV meet, and the Chargers went on to have their best showing ever at nationals, placing 22nd. 

A Sandburg cross country alumnus himself, Blue first joined the Chargers coaching staff as an assistant in 2011, and he has decades of coaching experience at the elementary, junior high, high school and collegiate levels. He spent 2008-2010 as the head coach of the Galesburg junior high cross country program, and his 2010 girls team recorded the only undefeated season in its history. As sprint coach for the Galesburg High School boys track and field team during the 2008-09 seasons, Blue helped the Silver Streaks finish fourth in Class 2A at the 2009 state meet. Their 4x400-meter relay also set a school record and was the state runner-up that year.

Prior to his time coaching in the Galesburg area, Blue was an assistant at United Township High School in East Moline from 1999-2002, aiding the Panthers boys track teams as well as their boys and girls cross country programs. He also spent time as a coach at the elementary level in the Rock Island/Milan School District.

A standout sprinter in high school, Blue held the 400-meter record at Galesburg for 20 years and finished 10th in the event at the 1976 state meet. He also helped set school records in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays during his high school career. Blue was inducted into the GHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.