Marino Drake joined the Fordham Track and Field staff as the jumps coach in October 2026 after 18 seasons at North Carolina Central.
Drake, originally from Cuba, was a high jumper for the Cuban National Track and Field team for a dozen years (1984-1996). He has a personal best jump of 2.34m (7’8”),and finished fifth at the Tokyo World Championships (1991) and eighth at the Barcelona Olympics (1992).
At NC Central, Drake coached more than 15 MEAC championship winners totaling more than 32 medals, the most individual championship winners in school history. Under his tutelage, more than 15 individuals qualified for NCAA Regionals.
Before coming to NCCU, he was a volunteer track and field coach with Johns Hopkins University and the University of South Carolina. He has also worked as a personal trainer with a wide range of athletes, including Major League Baseball players.
Drake holds a degree in sports and physical training from the Manuel Fajardo Institute of Advanced Sports and Physical Culture at the University of Havana, with a concentration in track and field.
Following his undergraduate studies, Drake expanded his coaching skills by completing the IAAF first level coaching certification and a post-graduate course in Sports Psychology. Drake completed his USATF Level II Certification in Jumps in 2007.
Upon retiring as an athlete in 1996, Drake was named assistant coach for the Cuban National team where he worked with the national selection of high jumpers. From 1998 to 2000, he represented Cuba as a visiting coach with the National Track & Field team of the Dominican Republic in preparation for the 2002 Pan American Games. Following his assignment in the Dominican Republic, he was promoted to Sub-Director of the Cuban National team where he oversaw educational development and gained extensive administrative and management experience.
