Dan Connelly Position: Head Coach COACH OF THE YEAR: 1997, 1999, 2002

Dan Connelly begins his 11th year as head coach at BGSU.

The three-time MAC Coach of the Year has seen many of the gymnasts set school records during his tenure while the record for team score has also steadily risen during his first four seasons. He also brought Marny Oestreng to BGSU where she made an instant impact in winning the NCAA title in the floor exercise in 1999. Oestreng also won nine individual MAC titles from 1999-2002 and Jackie Haft captured the league championship in the vault in 1998.

He also saw Oestreng named MAC Gymnast of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 1999. Oestreng was honored as MAC Senior Gymnast of the Year and Melissa Popovich won the same honor in 2004. In addition, he has seen his team cited 57 times for scholastic excellence by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches.

Connelly, a Simi Valley, Calif. native, came to BGSU in 1996 after serving as an assistant women's coach at Stanford. He helped the Cardinal to their best season in school history earning a spot in the NCAA Championships for the first time in five years, only the second time in school history, finishing ninth.

At Stanford, Connelly assisted in the development of Amy Murakami, a member of the 1995 World University Games team and an eighth-place finisher in the NCAA all-around in 1996. Prior to accepting the position at Stanford, Connelly coached national level male and female gymnasts at LeClub Gymnastics in Northridge, Calif. Between 1978 and 1989 he was the owner, director, and head coach for both boys and girls at the California Sun Gymnastics Club. During his tenure there, he trained 1976 Olympic team member Tom Beach, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mitch Gaylord, and 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials champion Charles Lakes.

He has also served as a consultant to the U.S. Junior National Team (1981-91), as the head men's gymnastics coach at Cal State Northridge (1973-78) while serving as an assistant with the women's program, as head men's gymnastics coach at Los Angeles City College (1973), and as assistant men's gymnastics coach at UCLA (1971-72). While at Northridge, he coached 25 Division II All-Americans, one national champion, and led the Matadors to a runner-up NCAA finish in both 1977 and 1978.

Connelly, a 1970 USC graduate, and his wife, Sharon, reside in Rudolph. They have three children, Darrin, 39, Lisa, 31, and Dan III, 30.