Tom Brands
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Short description|American wrestler (born 1968)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Tom Brands
| nationality =
| image =
| hometown = Sheldon, Iowa, U.S.
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|April 9, 1968}}
| birth_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
| sport = Wrestling
| event = Freestyle and Folkstyle
| team = USA
| club = Hawkeye Wrestling Club
| country = United States
| collegeteam = Iowa
| coach = Dan Gable
| headercolor = lightsteelblue
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's freestyle wrestling}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }}
{{MedalGold| 1996 Atlanta | 62 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}
{{MedalGold | 1993 Toronto |62 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games}}
{{MedalGold| 1995 Mar del Plata | 62 kg}}
{{MedalSport|Collegiate Wrestling}}
{{MedalCountry|the Iowa Hawkeyes}}
{{MedalCompetition|NCAA Division I Championships}}
{{MedalGold|1990 College Park|134 lb}}
{{MedalGold|1991 Iowa City|134 lb}}
{{MedalGold|1992 Oklahoma City|134 lb}}
{{MedalCompetition|Big Ten Championships}}
{{MedalGold|1989 West Lafayette|126 lb}}
{{MedalGold|1991 Champaign|134 lb}}
{{MedalGold|1992 Madison|134 lb}}
{{MedalSilver|1990 Evanston|134 lb}}
}}
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.{{cite news |last1=Litsky |first1=Frank |title=Brands's Intensity Salvages Day for U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/03/sports/brands-s-intensity-salvages-day-for-us.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Aw%2C{%222%22%3A%22RI%3A17%22} |accessdate=October 4, 2014 |work=New York Times |date=August 3, 1996}}
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×)
- Stephen Buchanan II
{{s-start}}
! colspan=5| Head Coaching Results
|-
! Season
! Dual Record
! Conference record
! Conference Finish
! NCAA Finish
|-
! style=background:white colspan=5|Virginia Tech
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2004–05
|style="font-size:88%"|16–4–0
|style="font-size:88%"|5–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{silver2}}
|style="font-size:88%"|T-42nd
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2005–06
|style="font-size:88%"|1–16–0
|style="font-size:88%"|1–4–0
|style="font-size:88%"|5th
|style="font-size:88%"|29th
|-
|style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|Va Tech Totals:
|style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|17–20–0
|style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|6–4–0
|colspan="3" style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|
|-
! style=background:white colspan=5|University of Iowa
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2006–07
|style="font-size:88%"|14–5–0
|style="font-size:88%"|5–3–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|style="font-size:88%"|8th
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2007–08
|style="font-size:88%"|21–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|8–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2008–09
|style="font-size:88%"|24–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|8–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2009–10
|style="font-size:88%"|23–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|8–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2010–11
|style="font-size:88%"|15–0–1
|style="font-size:88%"|8–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{silver2}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2011–12
|style="font-size:88%"|14–4–0
|style="font-size:88%"|6–2–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2012–13
|style="font-size:88%"|20–3–0
|style="font-size:88%"|8–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|style="font-size:88%"|4th
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2013–14
|style="font-size:88%"|15–2–0
|style="font-size:88%"|7–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{silver2}}
|style="font-size:88%"|4th
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2014–15
|style="font-size:88%"|17–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|9–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{silver2}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2015–16
|style="font-size:88%"|16–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|9–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{silver2}}
|style="font-size:88%"|5th
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2016–17
|style="font-size:88%"|13–2–0
|style="font-size:88%"|8–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|style="font-size:88%"|4th
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2017–18
|style="font-size:88%"|12–3–0
|style="font-size:88%"|6–3–0
|style="font-size:88%"|4th
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2018–19
|style="font-size:88%"|14–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|9–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|style="font-size:88%"|4th
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2019–20
|style="font-size:88%"|13–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|9–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|style="font-size:88%"|—
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2020–21
|style="font-size:88%"|5–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|5–0–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{gold1}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2021–22
|style="font-size:88%"|14–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|7–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2022–23
|style="font-size:88%"|15–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|7–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{silver2}}
|style="font-size:88%"|{{silver2}}
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2023–24
|style="font-size:88%"|12–2–0
|style="font-size:88%"|6–2–0
|style="font-size:88%"|4th
|style="font-size:88%"|5th
|-
|style="background:white; font-size:88%;"|2024–25
|style="font-size:88%"|14–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|7–1–0
|style="font-size:88%"|{{bronze3}}
|style="font-size:88%"|4th
|-
|style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|Iowa Totals:
|style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|291–28–1
|style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|140–15–0
|colspan="3" style="background:white;font-size:88%;"|
|-
|style="background:LIGHTgrey;font-size:88%;"|Career Totals:
|style="background:LIGHTgrey;font-size:88%;"|308–48–1
|style="background:LIGHTgrey;font-size:88%;"|146–19–0
|colspan="3" style="background:LIGHTgrey;font-size:88%;"|
{{end}}
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|date=November 2020}}
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.{{cite web |url=http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/brands_tom01.html |title=Tom Brands Profile |publisher=hawkeyesports.com |accessdate=December 31, 2010}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/brands_tom01.html Player Bio]
- [http://tombrandswrestling.com/ Tom Brands' Web site]
- [https://www.si.com/vault/1996/06/03/213476/wrestlemania-the-brands-twins-who-live-to-inflict-pain-on-the-mat-are-on-track-for-the-atlanta-olympics Article on Tom & Terry (Sports Illustrated)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110714044921/http://www.matdaddy.com/search_result.php?search_id=brands&search_typ=search_videos&x=35&y=16 Tom Brands Highlights]
- [https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/09/sports/atlanta-96-40-days-to-go-brands-may-laugh-last-at-the-wrestling-trials.html Brands at the New York Times]
- [https://rokfin.com/tombrands Tom Brands Rokfin Channel]
{{Olympic Champions freestyle wrestling featherweight}}
{{World Champions freestyle wrestling featherweight}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brands, Tom}}
Category:Wrestlers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Category:American male sport wrestlers
Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
Category:Iowa Hawkeyes wrestlers
Category:Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling coaches
Category:Sportspeople from Omaha, Nebraska
Category:People from Sheldon, Iowa
Category:Wrestlers at the 1995 Pan American Games
Category:Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games
Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in wrestling