Bruce Bickford begins his first season at USM this year. Bickford, a native of Benton, Maine, comes to USM from Brandeis University where he was highly successful as coach of both the men's and women's programs.

One of the most prolific runners ever to come out of the state of Maine, Bickford was a four-time Division One All-American at Northeastern University, where he won five IC4A championships, a pair of two-mile crowns, three 3,000-meter steeplechase titles and was twice named NU's Trackman of the Year.

After graduating from Northeastern in 1980, Bickford continued his running career on the national and international level. In 1985, he was ranked first in the world at 10,000 meters by the Track and Field News. In 1988, he won the U.S. Olympic Trials in that event in Indianapolis, and was the only American to participate in the 10,000 meters at the Olympics in Seoul. An Achilles tendon injury hampered his chances to earn a medal.

Bickford was inducted into the Northeastern University Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. He also is a member of the Maine Running Hall of Fame.