John Izzo is in his tenth year as coach of the Yellowjacket Cross Country and Track teams. He came to the University from SUNY Brockport, where he coached the cross country and track and field programs for both men and women for 17 years.

Under his guidance, Rochester has finished highly in the New York State and ECAC Championships in the sports of cross country plus indoor and outdoor track and field. The Yellowjackets have succeeded admirably on the academic side as well. Rochester has repeatedly been recognized for collective academic achievement by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Yellowjacket program has also hosted several major championships since he arrived. In 2000, just two months after he came to the River Campus, Izzo co-hosted (with women's coach Barbara Hartwig) the 2000 NCAA Regional Qualifying meet for men and women. Rochester hosted the same meet again in 2005. In the spring of 2002 and in the spring of 2008, the Yellowjackets hosted the New York State Collegiate Track Conference (NYSCTC) outdoor championships at Edwin Fauver Stadium. Rochester is the site of the 2009 NYSCTC Cross Country Championships as well.

His skill at developing individuals is unrivaled. Rochester has sent individuals to the NCAA National Championship Meet in cross country and to the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships. In both the 2007 and 2008 winter seasons, the Yellowjackets had an All-American in the weight throw.

A 1967 graduate of Brockport with a degree in education, he was inducted into Brockport’s Athletic Hall of Fame based on his undergraduate accomplishments during the mid-1960s. Izzo was a national qualifier in 1966 and 1967 and a New York State champion both indoors and outdoors in 1967. He was awarded the Brockport Alumni Association's highest honor, The Hall of Heritage in 1992.

Before joining the college coaching ranks. Izzo coached cross country (1969-1990) and track and field (1973-1977) at Brockport High School. His cross country team ran off a streak of 60 consecutive wins and four Sectional titles. In 2006, he was inducted into the Section V Cross Country Hall of Fame. He also taught European History at the high school for 31 years before retiring in 1998.

Coach Izzo is a member of the NCAA Division III Cross Country Coaches Association, the NCAA Division III Track & Field Coaches Association, and the U.S. Track Coaches Association. He is the current president of the New York State Collegiate Track Conference. He has also served as a private coach to numerous U.S.A. National Team athletes and nine national champions along with serving as team coach for three U.S.A. Track and Field international meets.

He was named the 2004-2005 Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for indoor and outdoor track by the USTFCCCA.

His interests extend beyond athletic competition. John Izzo is actively involved in the arts. He directed numerous theatrical productions, has written three screenplays, and is an active songwriter.