Oct. 1, 2015
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands has signed a three-year extension to his current contract. The agreement was announced today by UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta.
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Brands is now signed through the 2019-20 season, a three-year extension to his previous five-year base contract, agreed upon prior to the 2012-13 season.
“Tom continues to lead one of the most successful programs in the country in any sport,” said Barta. “He demonstrates tremendous passion for his program, and is an excellent ambassador for the University of Iowa and this community. I’m excited about the future of Iowa wrestling.”
“We have high expectations for this program, and I know our fans, administration, and campus leaders share those expectations,” said Brands. “Being a part of Hawkeye wrestling is a privilege, and as head coach it comes with a responsibility that I take very seriously. We’ve got work to do.”
A three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Brands has won four conference tournament titles and three NCAA Championships in nine seasons at Iowa. He became the eighth head coach in program history in 2006, and has since coached nine NCAA individual champions, 50 All-Americans, and 70 academic All-Big Ten honorees.
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“We have high expectations for this program, and I know our fans, administration, and campus leaders share those expectations. Being a part of Hawkeye wrestling is a privilege, and as head coach it comes with a responsibility that I take very seriously. We’ve got work to do.”
UI head coach Tom Brands
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The Hawkeyes have won or shared seven of the last eight Big Ten regular season titles, and placed in the top four at the NCAA Championships eight consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in the country.
Iowa has led the nation in attendance in each of Brands’ nine seasons, and the Hawkeye fan base is poised to break the national dual attendance record when Iowa hosts Oklahoma State on Nov. 14 in a never before seen college wrestling dual at Kinnick Stadium.
Brands was also instrumental in delivering the United States Olympic Team Trials to Iowa City in 2012. The two-day event drew a combined attendance of 54,766, shattering the previous event record, and generated more than $5.6 million for Johnson County. The community’s response to the first Olympic Team Trials prompted USA Wrestling to return the event to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on April 9-10, 2016.
Iowa’s dual against the Cowboys, billed as the “Grapple on the Gridiron”, marks the beginning of Brands’ 10th season. The University of Iowa hosts the Big Ten championships on March 5-6, and the NCAA Championships are March 17-19 in New York City.
The Hawkeyes return four All-Americans from a team that shared the Big Ten Championship and placed second at the NCAA tournament in 2014-15.
