Desiree James
Desiree James is the Saginaw Rough Riders Head Girls Track and Field coach and Head Cross Country Coach.
Coach James served as an assistant track and field coach during the 2016-2017 season under coach Jason Crawford. She was the sprints and relays coach for the team. The team won both the District and Area Championships; Finished 8th at the Regional meet; and took three athletes to the 5A State Championships. During her first season as head coach, the team finished fourth in both the District and Area meet, and the team qualified six individuals in seven events for the Regional meet.
Prior to coming to SHS, James was a member of the coaching staff at Hillwood Middle School in Keller ISD for six years. She coached track and field, volleyball and basketball. In track and field, James was the sprints and relays coach. Her 7th-grade girls clocked an impressive 4:13 in the 4x400m relay. She also coached multiple sub-60 second quarter-milers, 25 seconds 200-meter runners and 12-second 100m runners during her time at HMS. She coached her girls to a Zone Championship and multiple individual titles in both the Zone and Meet of Champions Championships.
Coach James began her coaching career in Long Beach, CA where she coached select track and field for the Long Beach Sprinters Youth Track and Field Club. Under her coaching, several athletes qualified and won AAU Junior Olympics, USATF Junior Olympics and USATF Junior National championships between the years 2004-2006. Her 8u girl’s team won the AAU Team Championships and her boy’s 10u team placed 2nd in 2004. After moving to Texas, she began coaching for Team Xtreme Youth Track and Field Club. During her time with Team Xtreme she was instrumental in helping athletes qualify and win TAAF, USATF Junior Olympic, and National championships. As well as helping students earn athletic scholarships to TCU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, UNT, Xavier and Texas State.
James was a three-sport athlete at Pius X High School in Downey, CA. Her first love was volleyball so she decided to join a club team in order to play year-round and improve her skills. During her senior year, she earned All-District and All CIF honors. During her freshmen year, she tried out for the track team and earned a spot on the varsity team. She ran the 100m, 200m, 400m, and relays. She advanced as far as the Master’s Meet (Regionals in TX). She also earned a letter in basketball her senior year and earned 2nd Team All-District. Coach James earned a full scholarship to CSU-Northridge for track, but chose to attend UC-Irvine instead and walk on to the track and field team. During her sophomore year, she won conference titles in the 100m and 200m (1991) and set a school record in the 100m that stood until 2015. She qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and finished 17th in the nation. She also was a member of the record-setting 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams. The 4x200m record still stands. In 1992 she was offered a full scholarship to the University of Southern California, so she took advantage of the opportunity and transferred. While at USC she competed for one season and was teammates with future Olympic Gold Medalist Inger Miller. During her fifth year, she managed the women’s basketball team. The coach was Cheryl Miller and players included future Olympic Gold Medalist and WNBA Champions Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson. The team won the PAC-10 and made it to the Elite 8 that season.
While at the University of Southern California Coach James obtained a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology. She earned her Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Teaching Credential from California State University- Long Beach. James has a Generalist 4-8, EC-12 Special Education, and USATF Level 1 coaching certification.
James and her husband, Dustin, also a University of Southern California graduate and former track runner, have been married since 1994. He is her biggest supporter. You’re sure to see him at the meets. Together they have three children. Dustin II is a graduate of Mississippi State University where he ran track for the Bulldogs. Desiree is a senior at the University of Southern California where she is majoring in Civil Engineering. Their youngest child, Dominique, is a junior at the University of North Texas majoring in Supply Chain and Logistics, with a minor in marketing.
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