Brandon Eggum and Dustin Schlatter with Brett Pfarr (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The University of Minnesota today announced that Brandon Eggum has been named the eighth head coach of the Gopher Wrestling program. Eggum had previously served as the team's interim head coach, a title he assumed last September. Today's announcement removes the interim tag from his title, effective immediately.
"Brandon Eggum has been an incredible leader for our wrestling program since he became the interim head coach prior to this season," said Athletics Director Mark Coyle. "Anyone who knows Brandon understands his competitive spirit and his unquestionable passion not only for the sport, but for our program here at Minnesota. I have great confidence that Brandon and his staff will lead our wrestling program to success at the highest level."
Eggum joined Minnesota's coaching staff in 2001 immediately after finishing his wrestling career with the Gophers. He was on the coaching staff for each of the program's three national titles, as well as five Big Ten team championships. Gopher wrestlers have won 27 individual conference crowns and 62 All-America medals with Eggum serving in a variety of coaching capacities. Prior to his brief tenue as interim head coach, Eggum served as the program's head assistant coach for the previous five seasons.
"Anyone who knows me knows this is my dream job and I'm thankful for the opportunity to live out that dream," said Eggum. "It's an exciting day, no question, but today's announcement doesn't change what we're focused on doing every day with our wrestling program. My staff and I work with our wrestlers to help them achieve their goals on and off the mat, and I'm happy that we will be able to continue that work for years to come."
In addition to his coaching credentials, Eggum also built an impressive resume as a wrestler. The Sidney, Mont., native was a four-time letterwinner for the Gophers. He finished his final three seasons as an All-American and won two individual Big Ten titles. He ranks among the program's 20 best all-time in wins and winning percentage. He was also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree while earning his degree in Applied Economics.
On the international stage, Eggum won silver medals at the 2001 World and 2002 Pan American Freestyle Championships.
For more on Brandon Eggum, check out this piece on GopherSports.com, originally published on Sept. 14, 2016 - z.umn.edu/eggum
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