Quick Facts
Biography
José Parrilla (born 31 March 1972 in Ancón, Panama) is an American middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 meters. He finished sixth at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg. Known for coming from behind with a strong finishing kick, his personal best 800 m time is 1:43.97, set in 1992 in the U.S. Olympic Trials. He also qualified for the U.S. team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, making him a two-time Olympian. He also ran in the 1993 World Championships.
While running for the University of Tennessee he won three successive NCAA Championships from 1992-1994, a feat only duplicated twice before (by Charles Hornbostel and John Woodruff), both from the 1930s.
He is currently the cross country coach at Carson-Newman University.