Bio

Kris Potts-Howard is in his first season as an assistant coach for the Tennessee Tech cross country and track & field teams following his hiring in July 2024. 

Potts-Howard joined the Golden Eagle staff after spending the past three seasons as a member of the track & field staff at Carson-Newman, working as the jumps coach for the men's and women's programs. A graduate assistant with the program in 2021, he was elevated to full-time status for the past two campaigns.

During his time in Jefferson City, Tenn., Potts-Howard helped develop student-athletes who set three school records, earned seven All-American nods, and picked up four South-East Region Athlete of the Year honors. Under his watch, Carson-Newman turned in seven national qualifiers, 21 provisional national qualifiers, 26 All-South-East Region Team honorees, 10 South Atlantic Conference Championships, and 24 SAC Championship medalists.

Prior to joining the Carson-Newman staff in 2021, Potts-Howard was a standout athlete for the Eagles on the track. During his competitive career, he was named the 2018 Men's SAC Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year after collecting top-four finishes in three different events, and earned All-American status in the long jump.

He set the school record as a member of the 4x400 team with a time of 3:24.73 and a school record of 7.26 meters in the long jump. Potts-Howard was also a USTFCCA All-Academic winner and a USTFCCA All-Region Selection in the long jump.

Potts-Howard was a double major at Carson-Newman, earning a pair of bachelor's degrees in 2019 in art with a focus on graphic design and another in art with a focus on photography. In 2021, he added a master's degree from Carson-Newman in business administration.