Minnesota State University Moorhead
Track & Field Head Coach
1968-86, 1990
A prominent name in the Red River Valley, Ron Masanz is credited with building the Minnesota State Moorhead men's track and field program into a national power. Masanz joined the MSU faculty in 1967 as assistant football and track coach. He took over the track program in 1968, and guided the Dragons to 26 indoor and outdoor NIC championships in his 19 years on the job. During his tenure, the MSU program produced 322 individual conference champions, 49 All-Americans, 69 national place finishers, and two national champions. A native of South St. Paul, Minn., and a letterwinner in football at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Masanz led the Dragons to nearly 150 team victories, including a remarkable 50-meet home indoor win streak from 1970 to 1981. Masanz's teams were strong enough to be invited and run against Big Ten and Big 8 track teams in triangular and quadrangular meets, finishing ahead of five of those Division I teams throughout the years. A member of the Dragon and NAIA Halls of Fame, he is the namesake of the annual Ron Masanz Track &Field Invitational and Ron Masanz Track at Minnesota State Moorhead. Ron also had the opportunity to serve as the NAIA representative at the 1984 Olympic Games. A retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps, Masanz and his wife, Barb, reside in Park Rapids, Minn.