Marino Drake is in his 17th season coaching the jumpers on the North Carolina Central track & field/cross country program.
Drake, originally from Cuba, was a high jumper for the Cuban National Track and Field team for a dozen years (1984-1996). He has a personal best jump of 2.34m (7’8”), and finished fifth at the Tokyo World Championships (1991) and eighth at the Barcelona Olympics (1992).
During his years of active competition, Drake completed his university degree in sports and physical training at the Manuel Fajardo Institute of Advanced Sports and Physical Culture at the University of Havana, with a concentration in track and field.
Following his undergraduate studies, Drake expanded his coaching skills by completing the IAAF first level coaching certification and a post-graduate course in Sports Psychology. Drake completed his USATF Level II Certification in Jumps in 2007.
Upon retiring as an athlete in 1996, Drake was named assistant coach for the Cuban National team where he worked with the national selection of high jumpers. From 1998 to 2000, he represented Cuba as a visiting coach with the National Track & Field team of the Dominican Republic in preparation for the 2002 Pan American Games. Following his assignment in the Dominican Republic, he was promoted to Sub-Director of the Cuban National team where he was in charge of educational development and gained extensive administrative and management experience.
Drake came to the United States in 2002. Before coming to NCCU, he was a volunteer track and field coach with Johns Hopkins University and the University of South Carolina. He has also worked as a personal trainer with a wide range of athletes, including Major League Baseball players.
