The root of David Oliver's success was delivered sternly and succinctly while attending Sunday school 30 years ago. 

"I was told that 'if it is to be, it's up to me," Oliver said. "This is a saying that has not only guided my coaching philosophy, but my life philosophy as well. Tough times come for all of us and things are never easy. You just must keep moving forward regardless of the obstacles and getting the job done." 

The distinguished Howard alum has been accomplishing plenty following a decorated career in which he claimed a bronze medal in the 110-meter hurdles in the 2008 Olympics and earned a gold medal in the same event at the 2013 world champion. While he has enough accolades and medals to wrap himself in along with keys to the city of the Denver, Oliver is doing his greatest work now as Howard's track and field head coach. 

"What Howard did for me as an undergrad is something I can never repay," Oliver said. "The many opportunities that I've been fortunate to enjoy unfolded mainly because of my experiences at Howard. To be in this position as a change maker and being able to make a difference for next generation of Howard student-athletes is special. To have this platform is something I don't take for granted." 

Oliver has understood the assignment since he was hired by athletics director Kery Davis in 2017. 

Since he has taken the helm, Oliver has slowly helped Howard develop into an elite program. The Bison women won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's triple crown: Team championships in cross-country, indoor & outdoor track in 2022-23. Oliver's work has been noticed as he was also named the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year. 

Oliver never imagined he'd experienced this type of career, which now includes being a coach for Team USA's hurdlers in Costa Rica when his mom, Brenda Chambers, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team in the 400-meter hurdles, tried to get him into track. 

Being a coach for Team USA is a definite pinch-me moment for Oliver, who remembers just sitting on the couch and hearing his phone ping with message. He saw the email asking if he'd accept a coaching position for Team USA. 

"I said absolutely yes, and it took about two seconds to accept," Oliver said. "Team USA has meant a lot for me and provided a lot of opportunities. It will be a great experience and now I get to see how Team USA is on the other side as a coach. I was a Team USA athlete and now I get to put the polo shirt on and be in charge of a group of athletes while helping them achieve their goals. Representing Team USA is pretty cool. This is definitely a full-circle moment for me." 

One Oliver never ever imagined when he started his track career. He used track to help him for his preferred sport, football, because he believed it would make him faster for the sport. 

That didn't happen. 

Then, in track, Oliver started his career in middle school as a triple and long jumper without much happiness. He earned an appropriate nickname before finding his groove. 

"I went out there and I wasn't good at all at the sport of track and field," Oliver laughed when recalling his beginnings. "I could get never get on the board, so my teammates nicknamed me "D.J. Scratch" because I scratched all the time when I competed in the long or triple jump. I didn't care for the sport. Later, my coach at the time, put me into a relay and shuttle hurdle and once I got done with that, I became hurdler. I went from being the laughingstock of them team to somebody who was scoring 10 points every time I competed." 

Now, he gets joy out of seeing his Howard athletes make their marks on the track. This past year Howard had seven women compete at the NCAA East Regional Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, with three punching their tickets to Austin for the NCAA national Outdoor Championships. Howard also had four student-athletes compete in the prestigious USA Track & Field (USATF) Outdoor trials. 

"What's rewarding for me is not the championships," Oliver said. "What's rewarding for me personally for me is watching the athletes I knew since they were in high school and now here, they are graduating from college and seeing themselves reaching these ultimate successes. It's great to see the athletes do what they what they set out to do when they come here. That means a lot. 

"My goal with the program is to continue to make an impact on the national level. We are still striving to get to that point. I was always told that when you leave a legacy, your name rings out for a long, long time."
 

Rob Knox is an award-winning professional. A member of the Lincoln (Pa.) Athletics Hall of Fame, Knox currently serves as the Senior Director of Strategic Communications for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Knox enjoyed a distinguished career as an athletics communicator for Lincoln, Kutztown, Coppin State, Towson, and UNC Greensboro. He also worked at ESPN and for the Delaware County Daily Times. Recently, Knox was honored by College Sports Communicators (CSC) with the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award and the NCAA with its Champion of Diversity award. Knox is a graduate of Lincoln University and a past president of the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA).