Hall of Fame
Joshua "Josh" Culbreath (September 14, 1932 - July 1, 2021) built Central State University's track & field program into an NAIA perennial power during his tenure as CSU's head coach. Â
Taking over the program in 1988, Culbreath guided the Marauders to 10 NAIA championships. The CSU women won outdoor national titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997 with indoor championships coming in 1993 and 1996. The Marauder men took home the NAIA outdoor crown in 1993 and indoor titles in 1993 and 1994.
Four of his athletes went on to compete in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, including the 400m hurdles gold medalist Deon Hemmings.
Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Culbreath began running the hurdles in high school. In 1951, Culbreath was ranked second in the United States in the 200 yard low hurdles and was Pennsylvania's state high school champion in the event.
Culbreath attended Morgan State College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1955, While at Morgan State, Culbreath was the USA Outdoor champion in the 400m hurdles for three consecutive years—1953, 1954, and 1955. He was also a three-time winner of the event in the Penn Relays during those years, the last time the fete has been accomplished. Culbreath later received a Master of Arts degree in Education from Temple University.
He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1956 to 1958. During his time in the Marine Corps, he competed for the United States in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. Culbreath returned home after winning  a bronze medal in the 400 meter hurdles. He also won several military and NATO track and field medals. He set world records in the hurdles in in the 300 yard Oval Grass Track held at Bendigo, Australia in 1956 and in the 440 yard hurdles set in Oslo, Norway in 1957.
Culbreath has been inducted into multiple Hall of Fames including the Marine Corps Hall of Fame, the Central State University Athletic Hall of Fame, Morgan State University Hall of Fame, Penn Relays Hall of Fame, Montgomery County Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania High School Track & Field Hall of Fame.
In addition to his career achievements as an athlete coach, Culbreath served as the Athletic Director at Morehouse College and has made several radio and television appearances. Culbreath was a routine contributor on Fox Sports radio with partners Rich Perez and Joey Browner. He also made two guest appearances on The Cosby Show, playing the character Colonel Sanford B. "Tailwind" Turner, Cliff Huxtable's college track rival.
His son, Jahan Culbreath, also served the Central State Athletic Department as the head track & field coach from 1998 to 2011 and Director of Athletics from 2011 to 2018.
