Tom Farden

Last updated
Tom Farden
Current position
TitleHead Coach
Team Utah Red Rocks
Conference Pac-12 Conference
Biographical details
Born (1974-03-28) 28 March 1974 (age 49)
Incheon, South Korea
Alma mater Southeast Missouri State University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2003–2009SE Missouri
2010–2015Utah (assistant coach)
2015–2019Utah (co-Head Coach)
2019–presentUtah
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
NCAA Region Coach of the Year (2008, 2020 & 2022)

Conference Coach of the Year 2006, '07, '08 & '09

Pac-12 Coach of the Year 2020

Thomas Farden (born Man-Ki Park; March 28, 1974) is an American college gymnastics coach. A native of Dayton, Minnesota, he began his career as the assistant coach of his alma mater the Southeast Missouri Redhawks women's program in 1999 until his promotion to head coach in 2003. [1] [2] After his departure in 2009, [3] Farden briefly served as an assistant coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks for the 2010 season. [4] However, in 2011, Farden became an assistant coach for the Utah Red Rocks team; a position he held until 2015 when, following the retirement of long-time leader Greg Marsden, [5] he was made the co-head coach with Megan Marsden. After Marsden's retirement in 2019, Farden became the sole head coach of the program.

Contents

Life and career

1980–99: Career beginnings

At the age of six, in 1980, Farden commenced gymnastics training – he participated as a competitor from the ages of 6 to 18, insisting he was never a good gymnast. However, in 1992, following graduation from Anoka High School, [6] Farden started Spectrum Gymnastics in Anoka, Minnesota with Bill Corcoran and Bart Roskoski. [7] However, the gym closed in 1996; he then started coaching at TAGS Gymnastics in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. [8]

1999–2010: Coaching tenure at Southeast Missouri and brief spell at Arkansas

In 1999, SEMO women's gymnastics head coach Patty Stotzheim asked Farden whether he'd want to work as her assistant; he took the job for a salary of $15,000. [9] With the Redhawks program, he was a four-year assistant coach until, in May 2003, Farden was named the head coach of the Redhawks after Stotzheim left to attend law school. [10] In his first season, the Redhawks finished fourth at the MIC Championships. [11] In addition, Tara Boldt and Katie Bloom advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Lincoln, Nebraska and the team would finish ranked 46th. [12]

Farden's Redhawks finished third at the 2006 MIC Championships and, [13] unlike the previous season, garnered a team NCAA Regional birth, finishing the year at #35. [14] The 2007 season didn't see the Redhawks earn a Regional birth either, [15] despite the team's third-place finish at MIC Championships in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. [16] The 2008 season, which would be Farden's penultimate at SEMO, was one of the best for Farden; the team finished second at the MIC Championships, [17] and the team finished 5th at the South Central Regional (ahead of PAC 10 team ASU) and 30th Nationally. [18] As a result, Farden was awarded NCAA Region Coach of the Year. Farden's final season in 2009 was another successful one under his reign; the program won the MIC Conference Championships and, [19] consequently, the team did not qualify to regionals, finishing the year ranked 37th. [20] From 2006 to 2009, Farden was awarded MIC Conference Coach of the Year.

He left the role to join the Arkansas Razorbacks program as an assistant coach. [21] With Farden's help, the team to an eleventh-place finish at Nationals.

2011–present: Tenure with Utah

2011–15: Assistant coach

On August 18, 2010; after only one season at Arkansas, it was revealed that Farden would be joining the Utah Red Rocks program as an assistant coach for the 2011 season. [22] [23] He was hired as a replacement for Jeff Graba, who took the head coach role for the Auburn Tigers women's gymnastics program. [24]

Immediately after joining the Utah program, Farden headed as Utah's bars head coach; his work was highlighted through the second-place finish of Georgia Dabritz at the 2013 Nationals, [25] and her latter National title in 2015. [26] Additionally, in his first season, the program's national bars ranking shot from #12 to #3. [27] [28] Likewise, in 2015, Utah were co-leaders in the nation for the uneven bars, tied with Florida Gators. [29]

2016–2019: Co-head coach

Upon the retirement of Greg Marsden, the long-time head coach of the Red Rocks, [30] Farden was appointed the co-Head Coach of the program along with Megan Marsden, long-time assistant coach and the spouse of Greg Marsden. [31] In his first season in the role, Farden helped the Red Rocks finish fifth in the all-around during the regular season; [32] the program's prowess was then solidified through their second-place finish at the 2016 Pac-12 Championships, in Seattle, Washington. [33] However, the Red Rocks won the 2016 Regional to qualify to the 2016 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship in Fort Worth, Texas. [34] In 2017 the success of the Red Rocks continued with a PAC 12 team title, NCAA regional championship and Super Six berth (5th place team). Also, freshman MyKayla Skinner was crowned NCAA floor champion and runner up in the AA.

2019-present: Head Coach

Upon Megan Marsden's retirement, Farden became the sole head coach of the Utah program.

In the 2020 season he led the program to its second undefeated season (1993 & 2020) and the first-ever Pac-12 regular season title. For these accomplishments he was named Pac-12 Coach and Regional Coach of the Year.

Under Farden’s tenure, the Red Rocks have won every Pac-12 regular season title (outright in 2020 and 2021, and shared in 2022 and 2023) and every Pac-12 Conference Championship (2021-2023). In the postseason, he has led Utah to three regional titles and three third place finishes at the NCAA National Championship (2021-2023).

Personal life

Born Man-Ki Park on March 28, 1974, [35] Farden was adopted from South Korea (born in Incheon), as he was an orphan – [36] insisting that he was 'left in a basket on the sidewalk'. [37]

He is married to Christina Farden (née Faulkner), an alumna of Southeast Missouri State University.[ citation needed ] He and his wife have adopted a son from South Korea (the same region as Farden too) called Ki.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Utes</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Utah

The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' Utes; the women's gymnastics team is known as the Red Rocks

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics</span> College womens gymnastics team representing the University of California, Los Angeles

The UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team represents the University of California, Los Angeles and competes in the Pac-12 Conference. They currently compete in Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA. The team, coached by Janelle McDonald, has won 21 Regional titles and 7 NCAA National Championships, most recently in 2018.

Greg Marsden was the NCAA women's gymnastics coach at the University of Utah. He led the Utah Red Rocks to 10 national titles and was named National Coach of the Year 7 times. He also served as the U.S.A. National Women's Team coach in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LSU Tigers women's gymnastics</span> Womens gymnastics team of Louisiana State University

The LSU Tigers women's gymnastics team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's gymnastics. The team competes in the Southeastern Conference and is currently coached by Jay Clark, who is coaching in his fifth season. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center serves as the home arena for the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Missouri State Redhawks</span>

The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks are the athletic teams of Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States. The Redhawks athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level including the Football Championship Subdivision. The SEMO mascot is Rowdy the Redhawk and the school colors are red and black.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Red Rocks</span>

The Utah Utes women's gymnastics team, also known as the Red Rocks, represents the University of Utah and competes at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Pac-12 Conference. Home meets are held in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. As of the end of the 2022 season, the Red Rocks have won 10 national championships, including nine NCAA Gymnastics championships, and been runner-up nine times. The Red Rocks are the only team to have qualified for every NCAA Championships and have never finished lower than 10th. The team was coached from its inception by Greg Marsden until his retirement after the 2015 season. Tom Farden is the current head coach, after the retirement of Megan Marsden in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Utah Utes football team</span> American college football season

The 2011 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by seventh year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games in Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. After playing the previous 12 seasons in the Mountain West Conference, this was Utah's first season in the new Pac-12 Conference in the South Division. They are the first former "BCS Buster" to join a BCS conference. They finished the season 8–5, 4–5 to finish in a tie for third place in the South Division. They were invited to the Sun Bowl where they defeated Georgia Tech 30–27 in overtime.

The 2009 NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship involved 12 schools competing for the national championship of women's NCAA Division I gymnastics. It was the twenty eighth NCAA gymnastics national championship and the defending NCAA Team Champion for 2008 was Georgia. The Competition took place in Lincoln, Nebraska hosted by the University of Nebraska in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

David Wayne Rice is an American college basketball coach and is the former head men's basketball coach at UNLV where he ranks as the program's third-winningest coach. He spent the 2016-2017 season as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada, Reno, and an assistant coach at the University of Washington for the past three seasons (2017–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Kinneberg</span> Baseball coach

William Arthur Kinneberg is a former American baseball coach. He served as head baseball coach of the Utah Utes in 1996 and from 2005 to 2021. Coach Kinneberg lead the Utes to the university's first ever men's Pac-12 championship in the 2016 season, finishing with a 26–29 overall record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynne Roberts (basketball)</span>

Lynne Renee Roberts is the women's basketball head coach at the University of Utah. She has also served as head coach at Chico State and Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norah Flatley</span> American artistic gymnast

Norah Irene Flatley is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2014 Pacific Rim junior balance beam champion. She previously competed for the UCLA Bruins and is currently competing for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauline Tratz</span> German artistic gymnast

Pauline Charlotte Tratz is a former German artistic gymnast. Tratz competed at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships where she helped her team place 12th. She was an alternate for the German team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and competed at the 2017 Summer Universiade. She began competing for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team in the 2018 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Wasikowski</span> American college baseball coach

Mark P. Wasikowski is an American college baseball coach, currently serving as head coach of the Oregon Ducks baseball team.

Maile O'Keefe is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the U.S. National Team and is the 2016 and 2017 U.S. Junior National Champion. She is the 2023 NCAA all-around champion as well as a 4x NCAA event champion.

Grace Catherine Kramer, known as Gracie Kramer, is a former American artistic gymnast who was a member of the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team from 2016 to 2020. Following her retirement in 2020, she joined the Utah State Aggies gymnastics team as a volunteer assistant coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics</span>

The Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics team represents the University of Arkansas and competes in the SEC Conference. The team was founded in 2003 and is currently coached by Jordyn Wieber, after she assumed the position in April 2019.

Grace Fugui Glenn is an American artistic gymnast. She is currently a member of the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Utah Utes women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2020–21 Utah Utes women's basketball team represented the University of Utah during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Utes, were led by sixth year head coach Lynne Roberts, played their home games at the Jon M. Huntsman Center and were members of the Pac-12 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 Utah Utes women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2021–22 Utah Utes women's basketball team represented the University of Utah during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Utes, led by seventh year head coach Lynne Roberts, played their home games at the Jon M. Huntsman Center and competed as members of the Pac-12 Conference.

References

  1. ↑ "Player Bio: Tom Farden - SEMO OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". gosoutheast.cstv.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  2. ↑ "Tom Farden Named Gymnastics Head Coach :: Farden served as interim coach last season". onlyfans.cstv.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  3. ↑ "Ewasko Named Acting Head Coach of Southeast's Women's Gymnastics Team - SEMO OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". gosoutheast.cstv.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  4. ↑ Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune. "Utah gymnastics: Fresh faces hope to give Utes fresh results - The Salt Lake Tribune". archive.sltrib.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  5. ↑ "Greg Marsden Announces Retirement after 40 Years as Utah Gymnastics Coach - The Official Athletic Site of the University of Utah". utahutes.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  6. ↑ "Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  7. ↑ "Bart Roskoski | LinkedIn". linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  8. ↑ "Make It Right Gymnastics Camp". makeitrightgymnastics.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  9. ↑ "Inside Look at the New Team at the Top - The Official Athletic Site of the University of Utah". utahutes.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  10. ↑ "Tom Farden Named Gymnastics Head Coach :: Farden served as interim coach last season". gosoutheast.cstv.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  11. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Redhawks Finish Fourth at MIC Championships". gosoutheast.com. 26 March 2005. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  12. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Bloom and Boldt End Season at NCAA Regional Championships". gosoutheast.com. 10 April 2005. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  13. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Redhawks finish 3rd in the MIC Championships scoring a 192.300". gosoutheast.com. 25 March 2006. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  14. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Southeast Gymanstics Team Earns NCAA Regional Berth". gosoutheast.com. 27 March 2006. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  15. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - 2007 Season Wrap-Up". gosoutheast.com. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  16. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Redhawks Finish Third in MIC Championship Meet". gosoutheast.com. April 2007. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  17. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Southeast Finishes Second at MIC Championship". gosoutheast.com. 29 March 2008. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  18. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - High-Flying Redhawks Gymnastics Program Finish the 2008 Season No. 30 in the Country". gosoutheast.com. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  19. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Women's Gymnastics Win 2009 Midwest Independent Conference Championship". gosoutheast.com. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  20. ↑ "Southeast Missouri Redhawks - Redhawks Gymnasts Finish 2009 Season at NCAA Regional". gosoutheast.com. 5 April 2009. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  21. ↑ "Farden joins staff as assistant | Arkansas Razorbacks". arkansasrazorbacks.com. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  22. ↑ "Tom Farden Hired As Assistant Women's Gymnastics Coach At Utah - The Official Athletic Site of the University of Utah". utahutes.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  23. ↑ "Tom Farden to Utah? in College Gymnastics Board Forum". collegegymnasticsboard.yuku.com. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  24. ↑ "Tom Farden Named Assistant Coach at Utah - CollegeGymFans.com". collegegymfans.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  25. ↑ "- UCLA Bruins Official Athletic Site | UCLABruins.com". uclabruins.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  26. ↑ Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune. "Utah gymnastics: Dabritz puts on one last show, wins NCAA uneven bars title | The Salt Lake Tribune". sltrib.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  27. ↑ "Team Standings". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  28. ↑ "Team Standings". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  29. ↑ "Team Standings". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  30. ↑ Lya Wodraska The Salt Lake Tribune. "Marsden retiring after 40 years, 10 U.S. gymnastics titles | The Salt Lake Tribune". sltrib.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  31. ↑ Branch, John (21 April 2015). "The New York Times" . Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  32. ↑ "Team Standings". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  33. ↑ "Ute Gymnasts Roar Back to Place Second at Pac-12 Championship - The Official Athletic Site of the University of Utah". utahutes.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  34. ↑ "SLC REGIONAL". utahutes.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  35. ↑ "Brad Rock: Ute gymnasts and their coach: They got a name". Deseret News . 12 April 2016.
  36. ↑ "Utah Gymnastics' Tom Farden's Story on Adoption and Gymnastics - Block U". blocku.com. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  37. ↑ "Utah's Tom Farden on how adoption connected him to gymnastics, his son | Pac-12". pac-12.com. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.