Coach Tom Kennedy takes over Eastern's Cross Country programs after serving as an assistant for two years. He will also lead the men's and women's distance groups for Eastern Track and Field.
Following a legendary career as Head Coach at Cardinal O’Hara High School (Springfield, PA), Tom Kennedy joined the Eastern University Men’s and Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country staff in 2016. In his first two seasons as an assistant, Coach Kennedy worked primarily with middle and long distance runners. In addition to his work with the runners, Kennedy played a critical role in recruiting, logistics, and strategic planning.
During Kennedy’s 17 years as Head Coach at Cardinal O’Hara, the team produced either a National Champion, a State Champion or an All-American in every year from 2001 to 2017. Cardinal O’Hara became a perennial fixture in the national spotlight producing 42 All Americans, 2 National Championship relays as well as a 5th place finish at the 2012 Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland, Oregon.
In Pennsylvania, Kennedy’s teams finished in the top 3 at State Championships 11 times; first in State Championships once, second six times and third four times. O’Hara boasted 31 State Champions and 129 medalists during the same period.
In the fall of 2016, Coach Kennedy took over coaching responsibilities for the Cardinal O’Hara Girls Team. that team climbed the PIAA rankings and won the school’s first PIAA State Championship in any girl's sport.
Kennedy’s O’Hara teams dominated at the local level as well, winning 27 team titles in the Philadelphia Catholic League and 20 in Delaware County Championships.
Inducted into the Media Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, Kennedy was honored as “PA Girls’ XC Coach of the Year” in 2016 by both The United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) and the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association (PTFCA).
As a runner, Kennedy helped set a state meet record in the Indoor 2 Mile Relay while at Penncrest High School in 1987. He was an All Middle Atlantic Conference performer and can still be found on the school’s All-Time List at Moravian College (Bethlehem, PA) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1991. Running his first marathon at 43, Kennedy qualified for the Boston Marathon at the 2012 Philadelphia Marathon. His goal is to complete his second after he turns 50.
Coach Kennedy lives in the Germantown section of Philadelphia with his wife, Terry, and his father-in-law, Charles. Kennedy just recently took on the esteemed title of "grandfather:" his daughter Mecca welcomed her first child this winter, and his younger daughter Aateeyah is expecting in the coming months as well.
