Hialeah, FL – Florida National University Athletics announces Ryan Raposo as the Cross Country Head Coach. Coach Raposo will be the first head coach in program history with its inaugural season this upcoming fall.
Since the early 2000s, Coach Ryan Raposo has been a staple in the cross country and track & field community in Miami and throughout Florida. He joins Florida National University after a two-year term as an assistant coach at St. Thomas University, where he assisted with cross country and helped develop a brand new track & field program.
Prior to collegiate coaching, Raposo’s career began in 2002 as a volunteer and assistant track & field and cross country coach at his alma mater, G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School. In 2004-05, he shifted schools to help establish the brand new program at John A. Ferguson Senior High School where he worked as a teacher and coached until 2016. After his first two years as an assistant at Ferguson, he became the boys cross country head coach, and he led the team to a State Runner-Up finish in 2007; the first podium finish by a Miami-Dade County Public School boys team in 42 years. Following that season he took over the girls team, which set numerous Dade County records, and by 2011 he led them to a State Runner-Up performance of their own; the first by a M-DCPS girls team in 20 years.
During his eight years as track & field and cross country program director at John A. Ferguson, he coached his squads to 35 team championships, 46 team wins at major invitationals, 176 individual or relay championships, qualified his teams to the state championship every single season, and amassed a coaching record of 315 wins with only 18 losses. He also coached their USATF Falcon Runners “FARU” Youth Track Club. Coach Raposo has coached more than 40 athletes who went on to compete at the collegiate level and nine athletes who went on to become high school or college track & field/cross country coaches.
Administratively, Coach Raposo is actively involved with many organizations which promote youth athletics. Since 2006 he has worked with Flrunners / MileSplit as a website administrator and contributor, and worked with the Florida Athletic Coaches Association as their state rankings representative and senior all-star selection coordinator; he was on the FACA Board of Directors from 2013-16. Since 2009-10 he has worked with the Junior Orange Bowl committee as a meet coordinator and the Dade County Fair & Expo committee as their Superintendent of track & field and cross country.
Starting in 2015, Coach Raposo began working with Track Timing & Data Management as a timer and manager of many track & field and cross country competitions. Between all of his endeavors as a coach, administrator, and timer, Coach Raposo has been a meet director and/or helped host more than 200 track & field meets, cross country meets, and even road races for local middle schools, high schools, colleges, and the South Florida running community. Most recently, since 2017, he has been a personal running coach for distance runners, particularly marathoners and even Ironman triathletes.
Coach Raposo has a Masters degree in Sport Management (UF) with a specialization in Athlete Performance and Development and is a certified Athlete Development Specialist (PAADS). His Bachelor’s degree is in Psychology (FIU) with a focus on Developmental Psychology. Coach Raposo is United States Track & Field Level 1 certified and USATF Level 2 certified in Endurance events, Sprints / Hurdles / Relays, and Jumps. He resides in Miami (Kendall), FL with his girlfriend.
