Winning coaches are worth their weight in gold, and the Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestling program will keep its long-time leader a little longer. The school announced Friday a three-year contract extension for Tom Brands, meaning he will be at the helm of one of the Big Ten's perennial title contenders through the 2022-2023 season.
Brands has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA team titles and coached 10 national champions since taking over the program in 2006.
An accomplished collegiate and Olympic wrestler himself, Brands went 158-7-2 under the tutelage of legendary coach Dan Gable, going 45-0 in 1991 and winning three NCAA titles during his time on the mats. He won gold medals at the World Championships in Toronto in 1993 and at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Prior to taking the helm at his alma mater, Brands spent two years as head coach at Virginia Tech after a dozen years as an assistant under Gable in Iowa City. After coming back home to Iowa, Brands led the Hawkeyes to national titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, also capturing the conference crown those years. Brands split the 2015 Big Ten title with Ohio State, coached by former Iowa teammate Tom Ryan, who won two Big Ten titles at 158 and two All-America honors in 1991 and 1992.
Along with announcing Brands' extension, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said the school would conduct a feasibility study to explore the possibility of building a new wrestling training facility. The team currently trains inside Carver-Hawkeye arena, their home since the facility opened in 1983.
"There is a great deal of momentum behind this project and that's a testament to the support and vision of our fans and leadership," Brands said. "We expect to be the best. There is no question. There is no starting point. There is no end. It's a continuous process and this is the next step in that process."
According to the university, Iowa has led the NCAA in attendance in each of Brands' 11 seasons, setting the dual meet attendance record in 2015 when 42,287 watched the "Grapple on the Gridiron" inside Kinnick Stadium.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena is one of the most intimidating venues in the sport. Photo credit: University of Iowa Athletics
Carver-Hawkeye will host the United World Wrestling World Cup in April, 2018. The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championship that features the top eight men's freestyle wrestling teams in the world. In 2016, The United States Olympic Committee named Iowa City one of seven "Olympic Hometowns in America."
Iowa becomes the latest Big Ten program to announced that it would consider upgrading its wrestling facilities. Earlier this week, Indiana announced a $10 million gift would spur construction of Wilkinson hall, a 2,500-3,000 seat arena for its wrestling and volleyball teams, and Ohio State is in the process of planning and building the Covelli Center and Jennings Wrestling Facility to house the Buckeyes.
