Tom Brands
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | April 9, 1968 (1968-04-09) (age 56) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home town | Sheldon, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College team | Iowa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Hawkeye Wrestling Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Dan Gable | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Tom Brands (born April 9, 1968) is an American former Olympic wrestler and is currently the head coach of the University of Iowa men's wrestling team. He won a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.[1]
An intense competitor, Brands' wrestling career with the University of Iowa included a record of 158-7-2 and an undefeated season in 1991 where he was 45–0. He was a four-time All-American, three-time NCAA Champion, three-time Big Ten Conference champion, and Outstanding Wrestler at the 1992 NCAA tournament. His twin brother, Terry, was also an Olympic medalist and a standout at Iowa.
Internationally, Brands won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in freestyle at 136.6 pounds; a gold medal at the 1993 World Freestyle Championships in Toronto; two World Cup gold medals (1994 and 1995); and the gold at the 1995 Pan American Games. He won four U.S. Nationals titles (1993–96) and made four straight U.S. World or Olympic teams (1993–96). He was named 1993 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year, 1993 John Smith Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler, and 1993 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2001.
Coaching career
Brands served 12 seasons as assistant coach for the Hawkeyes, from 1993 to 2004. Brands was named National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000. He also served as head coach at Virginia Tech for two seasons. In the spring of 2006, Tom Brands returned to the University of Iowa as head coach. Brands led the Hawkeyes to national titles in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2021. Under Brands, Iowa also captured conference titles in 2008, 2009, 2010, were the 2015 co-champions with Ohio State and were the 2021 co-champions with Penn State.
During Brands' tenure as head coach, 8 different wrestlers have won individual national titles, and Iowa has won over 200 dual meets.
NCAA Champions under Tom Brands
- Jay Borschel
- Matt McDonough (2×)
- Brent Metcalf (2×)
- Mark Perry (2×)
- Tony Ramos
- Derek St. John
- Cory Clark
- Spencer Lee (3×)
Head Coaching Results | |||||
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Season | Dual Record | Conference record | Conference Finish | NCAA Finish | |
Virginia Tech | |||||
2004–05 | 16–4–0 | 5–0–0 | ![]() | T-42nd | |
2005–06 | 1–16–0 | 1–4–0 | 5th | 29th | |
Va Tech Totals: | 17–20–0 | 6–4–0 | |||
University of Iowa | |||||
2006–07 | 14–5–0 | 5–3–0 | ![]() | 8th | |
2007–08 | 21–1–0 | 8–0–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2008–09 | 24–0–0 | 8–0–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2009–10 | 23–0–0 | 8–0–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2010–11 | 15–0–1 | 8–0–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2011–12 | 14–4–0 | 6–2–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2012–13 | 20–3–0 | 8–0–0 | ![]() | 4th | |
2013–14 | 15–2–0 | 7–1–0 | ![]() | 4th | |
2014–15 | 17–1–0 | 9–0–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2015–16 | 16–1–0 | 9–0–0 | ![]() | 5th | |
2016–17 | 13–2–0 | 8–1–0 | ![]() | 4th | |
2017–18 | 12–3–0 | 6–3–0 | 4th | ![]() | |
2018–19 | 14–1–0 | 9–0–0 | ![]() | 4th | |
2019–20 | 13–0–0 | 9–0–0 | ![]() | — | |
2020–21 | 5–0–0 | 5–0–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2021–22 | 14–1–0 | 7–1–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2022–23 | 15–1–0 | 7–1–0 | ![]() | ![]() | |
2023–24 | 12–2–0 | 6–2–0 | 4th | 5th | |
Iowa Totals: | 277–27–1 | 133–14–0 | |||
Career Totals: | 294–47–1 | 139–18–0 |
Personal life
Brands and his twin brother Terry were both coached by Dan Gable. Brands has authored several instructional VHS/DVD products that teach and advocate his "in-your-face" style of wrestling.[citation needed]
He grew up in Sheldon, Iowa and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from the University of Iowa. He is married and has three children, two daughters and a son.[2]
References
External links
- Player Bio
- Tom Brands' Web site
- Article on Tom & Terry (Sports Illustrated)
- Tom Brands Highlights
- Brands at the New York Times
- Tom Brands Rokfin Channel
- v
- t
- e
- 1904
Benjamin Bradshaw (USA)
- 1908
George Dole (USA)
- 1920
Charles Ackerly (USA)
- 1924
Robin Reed (USA)
- 1928
Allie Morrison (USA)
- 1932
Hermanni Pihlajamäki (FIN)
- 1936
Kustaa Pihlajamäki (FIN)
- 1948
Gazanfer Bilge (TUR)
- 1952
Bayram Şit (TUR)
- 1956
Shozo Sasahara (JPN)
- 1960
Mustafa Dağıstanlı (TUR)
- 1964
Osamu Watanabe (JPN)
- 1968
Masaaki Kaneko (JPN)
- 1972
Zagalav Abdulbekov (URS)
- 1976
Yang Jung-mo (KOR)
- 1980
Magomedgasan Abushev (URS)
- 1984
Randall Lewis (USA)
- 1988
John Smith (USA)
- 1992
John Smith (USA)
- 1996
Tom Brands (USA)
- 2000
Murad Umakhanov (RUS)
- 2004
Yandro Quintana (CUB)
- 2008
Mavlet Batirov (RUS)
- 2012
Toghrul Asgarov (AZE)
- 1904: 61.33 kg
- 1908: 60.3 kg
- 1920–1936: 61 kg
- 1948–1960: 62 kg
- 1964–1968: 63 kg
- 1972–1996: 62 kg
- 2000: 63 kg
- 2004–2012: 60 kg