[1] In 1980, Kersee moved to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was an assistant coach for four years.
He then became the head coach in 1984 and established his reputation for training elite level athletes, such as Florence Griffith Joyner, Gail Devers, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Al Joyner, Allyson Felix, and, more recently, Athing Mu and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
He has been called a "mad scientist" of coaching, and is often criticized for not racing his athletes often.
[1][2] In 1989, sprinter Angela Bailey stated that she did not want to train with Kersee due to suspicions about performance-enhancing drugs.
[3] In 2005, Kersee was selected USA Track & Field Coach of the year.