A native of New Albany, Indiana, Floyd Stroud grew up in English, Indiana as a long distance letterman in Track and Cross Country at English High School. Following graduation, he spent five years in military service with the U.S. Air Force. After hearing the name Cumberland College for the first time, he was intrigued enough to look up information about the college and enrolled at the Williamsburg, Kentucky school on the G. I. Bill.
Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Gordon Bocock noticed the freshman jogging on campus and invited Stroud to try out for the team. At first glance, Bocock confused Stroud to be a shotput or discus candidate but Stroud still had long distance intentions. After making the team, Stroud dropped 60 pounds the summer following his freshman year while earning All-Conference and All-Distract over the next three seasons in Track and Cross Country. Qualifying at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships, he helped lead the team to high national rankings. He was named an Outstanding College Athlete of America as a Junior and Senior. Stroud was graduated from University of the Cumberlands with a B.S. in Business Administration in 1974 and earned a M. A. in Education from Union College.
President J.M. Boswell immediately hired Stroud as a dorm director and Assistant Dean of Men. Advancing quickly, he served as Dean of Men from 1980 to 1992. An increase in both sports programs and athletes led to Stroud being named Head Coach of Track & Field and Cross Country and an appointment as Athletics Director from 1992 to 2001.
A program started in the early 1960s, Stroud reinstated Track & Field and Cross Country teams in 1992 after a decade-long hiatus. In 2001, he continued to build the programs with the hiring of former UC standout athlete, B. J. Temple as Assistant Track and Cross Country Coach. Over the past 23 years, Stroud's coaching commitment return the program to national prominence. Stroud's Christian witness serves as another example of leadership among student athletes while holding weekly prayer devotions before practice, meets and travel. A nine-time Mid-South regional Coach of the Year recipient over the last 13 years and fifteen KCI or Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year recipient the last 22 years, Stroud oversees the entire program and specializes in coaching middle distance and long distance runners. Along with his UC induction, Stroud became a member of the Kentucky USATF & Cross Country Hall of Fame in 2014.
The Men's Cross Country team has had top 20 finishes in the NAIA National meet in 16 of the past 22 years and is the winningest NAIA active member at the national Championships. Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track and Field Teams have won the most Conference titles in the Mid-South Conference. His athletes have earned 126 All-American honors in both Cross Country and Track, over 100 Men's Mid-South All-Conference, over 80 Women's All-Conference, and numerous All-Academic honors. For his career, Stroud's womens teams have won 90% and mens teams have won 96% against conference competition. His coaching resume consists of 13 NAIA National Champions in Track and Field, five National Relay champions, two athletes ranked in the Top 50in the Word (Farth Wilford the indoor mile 4:01.21 in 1999 and Tony Kabara 800 meters 1:45.29 in 2001), and had at least one athlete qualify for the NAIA Track and Field National Championship for 18 years straight. The 1999 Men's Distance Medley Relay finished 5th at Penn Relays and were ranked 12th in the world.
Coach Stroud and his wife, Geraldine (Parks) Stroud, Class of 1975, reside in Corbin, Kentucky and have two daughters, Amy Stroud, Class of 2004, Holly Stroud Jacobs, M. A. Class of 2010, and one grandson, Ty Marshall Jacobs.
