Rutgers-Newark Athletics

New head coach Juan Edney didn’t have to look far to find one of his assistant coaches as he began to construct men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams at Rutgers-Newark.

Arthur James, who preceded Edney as an All-American at Lincoln University, coached at East Orange Campus High School for the past eight years and has been a sprint coach with the Dragon Elite Track Club since 1997. He served as the girls’ cross country head coach as well as an assistant indoor and outdoor track & field mentor at East Orange Campus.

He brings a keen knowledge of area athletes and coaches to the job along with a long-time personal relationship with his former teammate at Lincoln. A four-year letterwinner and a three-time All-America sprinter at Lincoln, James ran on the NCAA Division III 4 x 400 Indoor Championship team of 1987.

His cross country teams at East Orange Campus earned an Essex County runner-up finish in 2004 and produced four first all-county performers from 2003 to 2006.

As an assistant outdoor track & field coach, he helped produce 30 Essex County and a dozen Iron Hills Conference individual champions. Eight athletes were named high school all-Americans with six claiming New Jersey Group IV title and two earning Meet of Champions crowns. East Orange took Iron Hills team trophies in 2003, 2004 and 2006 with a 2006 Essex County title.

In indoor track & field, East Orange reeled off Essex County Relay and Team titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007 while adding an Iron Hills trophy in 2007. James helped develop 25 individual Essex County champions which included seven all-Americans, eight Group IV winners and three Meet of Champions victors.

He helped coach 4 x 400 relay teams which qualified for the Milrose Games in Madison Square Garden and the Penn Relays.

James, who teaches at the Whitney Houston Academy, earned his bachelor’s degree in math from Lincoln in 1994.

At East Orange High School, James earned All-Essex County, All-Iron Hills Conference and all-state honors while lettering four times in track & field. He also was named to the All-Essex County cross country second team while lettering twice.

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