Tim Springfield joined the Brown staff in September, 2010, and had an immediate impact on the distance program. The cross country team finished the 2010 season on a high note, placing a solid eighth in the NCAA Northeast Region. In track, Springfield's athletes placed 14 marks on the all-time Brown top-ten list, led by Dan Lowry's 5000m performance (14:01.41), which put him third all-time at Brown. All told, in the 2011 season the distance runners registered 54 lifetime personal bests in indoor and outdoor track in events from 500m through 10,000. In June, three freshmen distance runners represented Brown at the USA Junior National Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Before coming to Brown, Springfield coached at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) and at the University of Wisconsin.

At St. Thomas, Springfield had a hand in 53 conference team titles over a span of 13 years for men and women in cross country and track. His women's distance medley relay was the 2010 DIII National Champions, and his athletes established 32 school record performances in 11 middle- and long-distance events. He also coached 14 different middle- and long-distance runners to 45 All-American awards. For his efforts, Springfield was named the Division III National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009.

Springfield also served as an Adjunct Professor of English at St. Thomas, teaching literature and writing.

Prior to his tenure at St. Thomas, Springfield was an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin, during which time the Badgers won six Big Ten Cross Country titles, two Big Ten Track titles, and one NCAA National title. Among the athletes Springfield helped recruit to Wisconsin were two eventual NCAA champions.

Springfield competed collegiately at the University of Virginia, where he was a cross country All-American and led his team to an ACC team title and a fifth place national finish. He also broke the Virginia school record in the indoor 5000m and was twice ACC runner-up. As a freshman at Virginia, he earned a spot on the USA Junior National Team and competed in the 1500m at the Junior Pan-American games in Venezuela.

He graduated with a degree in English Literature from Virginia and also holds a graduate degree in Literature from the University of Wisconsin. As a post-collegiate, he placed sixth in the US Cross Country Championships.