Charles Oliver Elected 2nd Vice-President of AAU
Charles “Coach O” Oliver brings more than 40 years of sports industry experience innovation to new AAU national leadership group.
ORLANDO, Fla. (October 28, 2022) – President and CEO of Coach O Enterprises, Charles “Coach O” Oliver, was elected as the 2nd Vice-President of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) on October 22nd during the 128 th AAU National Convention in Orlando, Florida. Coach O also won re-election as AAU Track and Field National Chair, a position he has held since 2014.
“I am truly honored and humbled by this appointment as 2 nd Vice-President,” said AAU
2nd Vice-President Charles “Coach O” Oliver. “I pledge to work tirelessly with the rest of the AAU leadership to implement and provide the very best athletic opportunities for parents, coaches, and most importantly, athletes, nationally and Internationally.”
A graduate of Troy University, where he was a record-setting 400m All-American, Coach O first came on board with the AAU in 2002, assisting in the event management for the 2002 AAU Junior Olympic Games (Knoxville, Tennessee), the largest multi-sport event for youth in the United States. He later became meet director for the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
In 2022, Coach O oversaw the largest track and field youth meet in the world as part of the Games in Greensboro, North Carolina with a record-setting 14,174 participants.
“We continue to develop participation opportunities here at the AAU,” said AAU 2nd
Vice-President Charles “Coach O” Oliver. “It is very gratifying to see the countless hours
of work and dedication contribute to the success of the track and field program. We will continue to strive to do even more for the athletes in the sport of track – as well as the AAU’s other 45 sport programs – in the years to come.”
Elected AAU Track and Field National Chair in 2014, Coach O has been instrumental in growing the overall AAU Track and Field program. Under his leadership, the program enjoyed its best year ever with more than 79,000 members competing in 2022, placing it as the third largest sport in the AAU.
Due to Coach O’s focus on providing quality competitive opportunities, AAU has become the training ground for future Olympic track and field athletes. These athletes including 2020 Olympic Gold medal winner in the 400m hurdles Sydney McLaughlin (2007-2012), 2020 Olympic Gold medal winner in the 800m Athing Mu (2011-2020) and 2022 World Championships Gold medal winner in the 200m Noah Lyles (2009-2014).
It has always been my personal opinion that sports has to be about more than an athletic competition. Sports is the hook that gives us access to our youth, and we must take advantage of the opportunity to interact with them. We must use that opportunity to teach our youth skills that will help them to be successful in life as well as in sports, states Charles “Coach O” Oliver.
Charles Oliver was a member of the 1976 charter line, Historical 20 (H20) of the Theta Phi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Troy University, Troy Alabama.
