Steve Jacobs calls it a career after 35 years

Wednesday July 5, 2024 - 5:40 a.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

After an illustrious 35 year career as the Mesa Community College Head Track & FIeld Coach, Steve Jacobs has announced his retirement.

Jacobs has been a staple in not only the Mesa community but the Track & Field community as well for over three decades impacting hundreds if not thousands of athletes and coaches.

Jacobs was a state pole vault champion at local Glendale High School and would take his talents down south to the University of Arizona where he was a two-time All-American in the decathlon while also earning a Runner-Up finish at the 1979 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Jacobs also competed in three USA/USSR decathlon meets and was the top American finisher in 1981. 

Jacobs came to Mesa in 1982 as an assistant coach then moved to Arizona State University to coach before returning to Mesa in 1989 as the head coach. In his 35 years Jacobs rarely led a team to a finish outside the top 20 at the NJCAA Championships. In fact Mesa has had over 40 Top-10 finishes since Jacobs took the reins.

The most amazing factor in the continued success of Mesa Track & Field is the limitations MCC has when it comes to other NJCAA DI opponents. Due to the Maricopa County Community College District MCC is not able to offer room and board to their athletes which can impact an one's decision on where to attend school especially for out-of-state athletes. 

Last week dozens of friends, coaches, & former athletes of Jacobs gathered to show their gratitude for the longest tenured coach in MCC history. There were many common themes from those who spoke highly of Jacobs. Even MCC legend and former Athletic Director Tom Bennet who hired Jacobs was in attendance.

From the impact he made on their athletic careers, to the positivity he brought to their personal lives it was evident that Jacobs was and always will be a well respected coach in the Track & Field community. Many stories were told by a wide variety of those close to Jacobs, from rival coaches within the conference, to former athletes who wanted to pay a note of gratitude to a man that many owe their lease on life to, nobody had a negative thing to say about Jacobs.

Athletic Director John Mulhern who has had to make many coaching decisions over his time at Mesa knows the hole that Jacob's is leaving behind is immense and will be one of the most difficult to fill.

"For the last 35 years Mesa Community College athletics has been extremely fortunate to have had Steve as its Head Track & Field coach.  His, his staffs, and student-athlete's accomplishments are exemplary and will forever leave a mark on the colleges and athletics history books.  Steve has a gift and his type of gift only comes around once.  I am very proud to have worked with him.  He will be missed," said Mulhern.

Thoughts and memories of coach Jacobs from those whose lives he impacted so much: 

Paul Spencer Peterson (Cross Country Assistant Coach & Track & Field Distance Coach) - 

 Coach Jacobs is by far one of the best track and field coaches in the country and it has been my high honor and privilege to have worked with him throughout his career.  For 35 years, the Mesa Community College Track & Field program was blessed to have had Steve Jacobs as our head coach.  Having a head coach of his caliber with such a depth of knowledge, experience, and skills, in virtually all of the 23 events in track and field is a gift that Coach Jacobs gave to all of our student-athletes year in and year out.  Coach Jacobs has produced more All-Americans and National Champions than any other coach in the history of athletics at Mesa Community College.  I know that former head coaches Carvel Jackson and Selmer Olson are looking down from heaven with huge smiles on the extraordinary legacy that Steve is leaving on the track world. A great coach, a wonderful ambassador to the sport of track & field, a friend, and an all around nice guy, I will miss Coach Jacobs.

Daniel Pescador (Assistant Track & Field Coach/Head Cross Country Coach) - 

Coach Jacobs has had a tremendous impact on the program, the athletes, and the coaches that have come through the program. I am proud and honored to have shared a part of his journey. Over the last 10 years, we have had great moments and memories, and will cherish the time that we were able to coach together. It was a great ride and great success from Track Team Region Champions, Team Conference Champions, and the countless all-Americans and National Champions. He will definitely be missed here. Thank you Coach Jacobs! 

Ps.. Coach Jacobs, let me know when you want us to submit a bid to host nationals again! 

Devin Slawson-Green (Former athlete of Jacobs & Head Coach of M/W Cross Country & Track & Field at Gilbert High School) -

I ran for Steve from 2009-2011. He was my event coach and so I spent a lot of time with him getting to know him and his family. Steve was truly like a father to me. He made all of us feel like family and we had to because of how much time we spent together. We used to pile into the 10 passenger MCC vans to and from meets, I always drove with Steve. So many great stories and memories in those vans. Lots of laughs and tears shared on those rides. More than once we convinced him to stop for ice cream on the way home from PVCC, CAC and GCC. 

One time in 2010 we were traveling down to Pima CC in Tucson, we had an early charter bus to catch, it had to be 6 AM. I always drove to MCC with a teammate, Clark Coyle (he was our #1 runner in the 2010 outdoor season). Steve made it very clear to the team, "do not be late, we will leave without you." Clark shows up late to my house to get me, I'm texting or calling Steve, "we're 10 minutes out", "getting off the freeway." So as Steve was telling our coaches "I gotta finish something in his office," Clark and I walked around the corner of his office and everyone realized he was holding up the bus for his best runner and me, and Steve said, "there's no way we were leaving without these two."

Steve loves his daughters, Taylor and Brooke, those two are like little sisters to me, they are such great young women. They used to always come and hang out at practice, and I don't remember the whole story, I just remember picking up Taylor and putting her in a garbage can. We always had early flights home from out of town meets because he didn't like being away from those two. He's such a great dad and someone I look up to for how well he was able to balance coaching while still being so great to them. He was one of the first calls I made when I found out I was having my son. Steve was there at my mom's funeral. 

I've been a coach for 11 years now, 8 years at Higley HS, 1 at MCC and going into year 2 at Gilbert HS. The amount of people I've met who were coached by Steve, know Steve or former teammates of mine also in coaching, all related to Steve. I'm currently coaching with a woman, she's 20 years older than I am but she also was coached by Steve. Steve has coached 1000s of athletes at MCC over 35 years, all of his time was spent there, and all of his athletes have that connection to there and him. We are all family because of Coach Jacobs and it's really cool. 

Words can't express how thankful I am to have been coached by him and learned all the great lessons from him that I did, he's been part of my life for 15 years now. Steve gave me a chance to run track for him when I was 17 years old, he changed my life and I owe so much to him.