CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – During Illinois men's golf head coach Mike Small's 26-year tenure at the helm of the Fighting Illini program, a lot has changed in the world of college golf. But as the saying goes: the more things change, the more they remain the same.
In an anonymous College Golf Coaching Survey conducted by Golfweek's Lance Ringler and Cameron Jourdan, Small was named by his peers as the best coach in college golf.
Sound familiar?
That's because in a similar survey conducted by Ringler a decade ago, Small's name also topped the list.
From Golfweek.com:
In the final part of our College Golf Coaching Survey, we asked who the best coach was in men's college golf. Coaches were asked to name their top five in order. Coaches ranked first received five points, those in second received four and so on. Here are the results:
Who's the best men's college golf coach?
- Mike Small – Illinois
- Ryan Hybl – Oklahoma
- Alan Bratton – Oklahoma State
- Scott Limbaugh – Vanderbilt
- Nick Clinard – Auburn
- Matt Thurmond – Arizona State
- John Fields – Texas
- J.C. Deacon – Florida
- Mike McGraw – Baylor
- Michael Beard – Pepperdine
- Bruce Heppler – Georgia Tech
- Bowen Sargent – Virginia
- Trey Jones – Florida St.
- Jake Amos – LSU
- Chris Haack – Georgia
- Chris Malloy – Ole Miss
- Jerry Haas – Wake Forest
- Conrad Ray – Stanford
- Jay Seawell – Alabama
- Greg Sands – Texas Tech
- Brennan Webb – Tennessee
- Scott Schroeder – North Florida
- Ryan Cabbage – Charlotte
- Jamie Bermel – Kansas
- Rob Bradley – South Carolina
Small's coaching resume speaks for itself: 18 NCAA Championship appearances, nine NCAA Match Play berths (most by any head coach with one program in the nation), seven NCAA Regional titles, two individual NCAA Champions (Scott Langley, 2010; Thomas Pieters, 2012), 13 Big Ten championships, nine individual Big Ten medalists, 39 All-Americans, 68 All-Big Ten selection, and 87 Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
However, the most telling accolade that illustrates the standard of sustained success that Small has instilled in the Fighting Illini is being voted the top coach in America by his peers in two separate votes, 10 years apart.
