Tom Brands

Position: Head Coach Alma Mater, Year: University of Iowa, 1992

Three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Tom Brands, recently completed his fifth season as head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. A 1996 Olympic gold medalist and member of wrestling's Hall of Fame, Brands is only the eighth wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. The former Hawkeye wrestler was a four-time All-American and three-time national champion (1989-92) at Iowa. He has a 97-6-1 (.938) overall and 37-3 (.925) Big Ten coaching record at Iowa, and a 114-26-1 (.812) career mark.

In five years as Iowa's head coach, Brands has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA and Big Ten team titles, crowning six NCAA champions, eight Big Ten champions and 28 All-Americans. Iowa has honored 34 academic all-Big Ten honorees, including a school-record 10 in 2010-11. The Hawkeyes have qualified 45 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in the last five years, sending the entire 10-man lineup in 2009-10. Iowa has also won the last four Big Ten regular season titles, posting perfect 8-0 conference dual records each year. The Hawkeyes will enter the 2011-12 season riding a 77-dual match unbeaten streak, which started during the 2007-08 season.

During Brands' tenure, Iowa set school records for longest dual unbeaten (77) and winning streaks (69), longest dual road unbeaten (49) and winning streaks (44), most Carver-Hawkeye Arena victories (11) and most dual shutouts (8).

Iowa also made another entry in the record books, setting the national collegiate dual meet attendance record of 15,955 when it hosted Iowa State Dec. 6, 2008, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes won the Iowa State dual, 20-15.

Brands was named 2008 NWCA Coach of the Year after leading the Hawkeyes to their first NCAA team title since 2000 and their first Big Ten team title since 2004. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010, becoming the first coach in conference history to earn the honor in three consecutive seasons.

Brands served as head coach at Virginia Tech University for two seasons (2005-06), recording a 17-20 dual mark. In his first season with the Hokies, Brands led the team to the 2005 regular season Atlantic Coast Conference title, set a school record for dual meet wins (16) and had a school-record five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships. During his tenure, Virginia Tech crowned five ACC champions and had two All-Americans. Senior heavyweight Mike Faust was named 2006 ACC Wrestler of the Year.

Prior to taking the helm at Virginia Tech, Brands was an assistant coach at Iowa for 12 seasons (1993-2004). He helped the Hawkeyes to a 177-27 dual record, seven NCAA and eight Big Ten titles, while crowning 23 NCAA champions, 73 All-Americans and 36 Big Ten champions. He was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.

In 2004, he was one of three coaches for the U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team, participating in Athens. Brands also served as assistant coach for the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Freestyle World Teams, earning Freestyle Coach of the Year honors from USA Wrestling both years. He was also a member of the U.S. coaching staff at the 2001 World Championships, and has coached a number of other U.S. teams in international competition.

As a competitor, Brands won the 1996 Olympic freestyle gold medal at 136.5 pounds in Atlanta, GA. He also won a gold medal at the 1993 World Freestyle Championships in Toronto, two World Cup gold medals (1994, 1995) and was the 1995 Pan American Games champion. He won four U.S. National titles (1993-96) and made four straight U.S. World or Olympic teams (1993-96). Along with his twin brother, Terry, Tom was named 1993 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year, the 1993 John Smith Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler and 1993 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year. He was inducted into wrestling's Hall of Fame in 2001.

Brands was a four-time All-American at Iowa (1989-92). During his Hawkeye career, he won three NCAA titles and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the 1992 NCAA Championships. Also a three-time Big Ten champion, Brands won 95 percent of his matches at Iowa. His career mark of 158-7-2, included an undefeated season in 1991 (45-0).

The Sheldon, Iowa, native was born April 9, 1968. He earned his B.S. degree in physical education from Iowa in 1992. He and his wife, Jeni, have three children, Madigan, Kinsee and Tommy.

Brands At Iowa

National Champions (6)
Jay Borschel (2010)
Matt McDonough (2010)
Brent Metcalf (2008-10)
Mark Perry (2007-08)

NCAA Finalists (11)
Jay Borschel (2010)
Daniel Dennis (2010)
Montell Marion (2010)
Matt McDonough (2010-11)
Brent Metcalf (2008-09-10)
Mark Perry (2007-08)
Joe Slaton (2008)

All-Americans (28)
Jay Borschel (2008-10)
Daniel Dennis (2009-10)
Dan Erekson (2009-10)
Charlie Falck (2007-08)
Matt Fields (2008)
Grant Gambrall (2011)
Phillip Keddy (2008-09-10)
Luke Lofthouse (2011)
Eric Luedke (2007)
Montell Marion (2010-11)
Matt McDonough (2010-11)
Brent Metcalf (2008-09-10)
Ryan Morningstar (2009-10)
Mark Perry (2007-08)
Derek St. John (2011)
Joe Slaton (2008)

Big Ten Champions (8)
Jay Borschel (2010)
Dan Erekson (2009-10)
Matt McDonough (2011)
Brent Metcalf (2008-09)
Mark Perry (2007)
Blake Rasing (2011)

Big Ten Placewinners (45)
Chad Beatty (2009-10)
Jay Borschel (2008-09-10)
Daniel Dennis (2009-10)
Dan Erekson (2009-10)
Charlie Falck (2007-08-09)
Matt Fields (2007-08)
Mario Galanakis (2007)
Grant Gambrall (2011)
Aaron Janssen (2011)
Phillip Keddy (2007-08-09-10)
Jake Kerr (2010)
Dan LeClere (2008)
Ethen Lofthouse (2011)
Luke Lofthouse (2011)
Eric Luedke (2007)
Montell Marion (2010-11)
Matt McDonough (2010-11)
Brent Metcalf (2008-09-10)
Ryan Morningstar (2007-08-09-10)
Mark Perry (2007-08)
Tony Ramos (2011)
Blake Rasing (2011)
Derek St. John (2011)
Joe Slaton (2008)
Alex Tsirtsis (2007-09)

Academic All-Big Ten (34)
Matt Ballweg (2008-11)
Jay Borschel (2008-09-10)
Tyler Clark (2011)
Joe DuCharme (2011)
Matt Fields (2008)
Alex Grunder (2007)
Nick Kolegraff (2009)
J.J. Krutsinger (2009-10-11)
Dan LeClere (2008-09-10)
T.H. Leet (2008-09)
Tomas Lira (2011)
Luke Lofthouse (2011)
Eric Luedke (2007)
Lucas Magnani (2007)
Brent Metcalf (2008-09-10)
Joe Moore (2009-11)
Blake Rasing (2009-11)
Ethan Sebert (2009-10)
Joe Uker (2007)
Vinnie Wagner (2011)