Tom Dunn

Position: Head Coach Experience: 29 Years at Iowa Alma Mater: Penn State, 1971

In his 30-year career at Iowa, Dunn has elevated the program's status to one of a perennial national contender. With an Iowa record of 219-140-2, Dunn has led the Hawkeyes to 23 top-ten finishes in the NCAA Championships, and has competed in the national meet 25 of the past 30 seasons.

Iowa's performance in the Big Ten during Dunn's tenure as head coach has also been exceptional. In 22 of his 30 years, the Iowa coach has led his team to a top-four finish in the toughest gymnastics conference in the nation. The Hawkeyes won conference titles in 1986 and 1998, while placing second nine times under Dunn. In 1998, he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. In 1998 and 2006 he was named College Gymnastics Association Central Region Coach of the Year. Dunn also earned Big Ten co-Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 2006 and Midwest Regional Coach of the Year honors in 1986.

Dunn has helped 34 individuals to earn 68 all-America honors and 22 gymnasts win 35 Big Ten titles. There have been 124 academic all-Big Ten selections and 78 all-America scholar athletes named during Dunn's tenure as Iowa's head coach. Dunn's 2000 team won the College Gymnastics Association National Academic Team Championship by nipping the College of William & Mary in team grade point average for the year 3.392 to 3.378.

Athletic standards have also been high during Dunn's tenure. In his final season at the helm, Mike Jiang earned all-American honors on pommel horse, after placing seventh with a 14.000. Also, in 2010, Jonathan Buese was selected as one of eight finalists for the Nissen-Emery Award, given by the College Gymnastics Association. The last Hawkeye to be considered for the award was Jacques Bouchard in 2007.

In 2009, Geoff Reins was the Big Ten Champion on Vault, and earned all-American status on the event after qualifying for the NCAA Championship Individual Event Finals, and placing second with a 16.30. His performances last season were enough to earn him all-Big Ten status. He set the school record, on floor exercise (15.45) in 2009, and equaled record on vault (16.30) for the second consecutive season.

In 2006, Michael Reavis became the first Hawkeye in ten years to qualify for the U.S. National team. Reavis became Iowa's 12th NCAA gymnastics champion when he won the vault title in 2005. In 2000, pommel horse national champion Don Jackson and the rest of the Hawkeyes set four new school records on their way to a third place NCAA finish. Former Hawkeye, Todd Strada, was named University of Iowa Male Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Male Gymnast of the Year in 1999, and ended his collegiate career with five all-America honors. The 1998 squad recorded the fourth undefeated and untied season in school history (8-0) and won Iowa's seventh Big Ten title. In 1995, seven-time all-American Jay Thornton became the first Hawkeye NCAA Champion since 1969 when he placed first in floor exercise. Thornton won the NCAA vault title in 1996, making him the only gymnast in Iowa history to win back-to-back national titles. Dunn began his head-coaching career at the University of Massachusetts in 1972, where he coached the Minutemen to a 27-8 dual mark in three seasons.

He has also coached many Hawkeyes in international competitions. Most recently, Dunn and Linas Gaveika participated in the 26th Men's European Championships held in April of 2004 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Linas and Dunn also went to the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, CA. Dunn also coached Shane de Freitas in the 2001 World Championships in Ghent, Belgium. In 1999, Dunn and de Freitas traveled to the Pan American games in Winnipeg, Canada, and the 34th World Championships inTianjin, China.

As an administrator, he served a two year term as president of the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (1985-87). He was vice president of the U.S. Elite Coaches Association (1990-96) and chair of the Big Ten coaches group (1992-96). Dunn served as chair of the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Committee for three years (1996-99), and represented the NCAA on the U.S.A. Gymnastics Board of Directors during that time.

Dunn left U.Mass in 1975 and returned to his alma mater, Penn State, as an assistant coach. He was named co-Coach of the Year in 1976 when the Nittany Lions won the NCAA championship. He served as an assistant at Iowa for one season (1979-80) prior to his appointment as head coach.

His competitive career was as storied as his coaching career has been. At Penn State Dunn earned two all America honors and the NCAA parallel bars title in 1971. As a prep Dunn won two Indiana state all around titles.Dunn gained an NCAA Post Graduate scholarship after earning academic honors at Penn State. He received both his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Penn State.

Dunn was born on July 6, 1949 in San Mateo, California. He and his wife, Deborah, have two daughters, Shannon and Jamie. Shannon graduated in 2004 and Jamie in 2007 from the University of Iowa.