OBU Track Coach Ford Mastin could fill a room with the honors he and his teams have won since taking over the program in 1996-97.

Most prestigious among the awards is his 1998 NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year award. He’s also captured region and Sooner Athletic Conference coaching awards in cross country and track and field. His first women’s cross country team set a new standard for the OBU program and has progressed to the rank of NAIA power.

The Lady Bison cross country team has won eight straight region and conference titles while Lady Bison track teams have won the Sooner Athletic Conference championships for the last seven years. The Bison track team has won six of the last seven SAC titles. The men’s cross country team won the SAC title in 1998 and again in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.

On the national level, the Bison have had top 10 national finishes in each of Mastin's seasons. The Lady Bison track teams have improved each year and reached the top 10 in indoor track for the first time in 1999 and continue to move upward.

Since arriving in 1996-97, the OBU cross country and track and field program has produced more than 200 All-America awards under Mastin, who was named OBU’s Most Promising Teacher in 2001.

Mastin, who has a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a master of education degree from East Central University, is a 1977 graduate of OBU. He lettered in track from 1973-77 and was captain and Most Valuable Athlete in his senior season.

His coaching career began at Texas Christian University as assistant track and head cross country coach in 1978. He became athletic director, teacher and coach at Happy Hill Academy in Glen Rose, Texas, in 1980, serving until 1982.

From 1982-96 he served as track, cross country and assistant football coach at Prague High School in Oklahoma. While there he coached 13 All-State award winners and two Olympians. He was named Oklahoma Track Coach of the Year and USA Track and Field representative of Olympic development in Oklahoma in 1994.

Ford and his wife, Terri, have three children, Linsey, Trevor and Kaeley.