Men's Gymnastics
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- daosborn
- Alma Mater:
- Indiana State University ('80)
Don Osborn is in his 12th season as the assistant coach for the men’s gymnastics team entering the 2027 campaign. Osborn returned to Illinois in 2015 after 20 years away from the program.
In his 11th season at Illinois, Osborn saw the Fighting Illini host the NCAA Championships at State Farm Center, while Brandon Dang won both Big Ten and NCAA pommel horse titles, becoming the fourth gymnast in program history to collect three Big Ten pommel horse titles. Sam Phillips and Garrett Schooley claimed silver on horizontal bar and vault, respectively. Five Illini student-athletes were tabbed with CGA Regular Season All-America recognition – Dang, Preston Ngai, Phillips, and Nathan Whitaker – before Dang, Phillips, and Schooley all secured All-Big Ten status. The Illini advanced to Day 2 of the NCAA Championships before Costa, Dang, Ngai, Phillips, and Schooley received All-America distinction.
In 2024, Osborn helped lead the Illini to a fifth-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Tournament, where the Illini had six All-Americans. The team also won the shared title of the regular season Big Ten crown for the first time in program history. Osborn also helped lead the team to victories over then-ranked No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 Michigan at home. Osborn was also named CGA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year and awarded the prestigious Honor Coach award.
Prior to coming back to the Illini, Osborn spent three years as the Champaign Gymnastics Academy boys’ team coach and spent over a decade as the boys’ team coach at the Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center. Osborn returned with experience coaching a multitude of gymnastics levels, including Junior Olympic National Team champions.
As Illinois’ head coach from 1994-96, Osborn’s gymnasts claimed 12 Big Ten individual championships in addition to nine NCAA All-America nods. He led the program to nearly 50 wins during his three years at the helm. The Indiana State University graduate also served as an assistant coach under Yoshi Hayasaki for eight seasons during which the Orange and Blue claimed a pair of Big Ten championships in addition to the 1989 NCAA National Championship team title. To accompany his vast coaching experience, Osborn has also been a certified judge since 1980.
