Doug Day

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Position: Head Coach | 6th Season Alma Mater: New Mexico (1977) | Springfield College (1978)

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Doug Day, the 2011 Coach of the Year by both the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and USA Gymnastics, is entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Air Force women's gymnastics team.

As the first NCAA coach to earn national assistant coach of the year honors with both a men's and women's team, Day brings a wealth of technical, judging and coaching experience to the Academy. Day is currently a member of the NCAA Gymnastics Committee, where he represents the North Central Region, while also serving on the WCPC Rules Committee, as the North Central Region representative for collegiate women's gymnastics.

In five years at the helm of the Air Force program, Day has coached 12 USAG All-Americans to a combined 22 certificates. He was selected as the NCAA North Central Region Coach of the Year in 2008, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011, and the USAG Coach of the Year in 2011.

He coached Abbey Rogers to back-to-back Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Year awards (2008, 2009) and to the program's first-ever conference championship titles (balance beam, floor exercise, all-around) in 2009. Rogers was also awarded as the 2009 Mountain West Conference Student-Athlete of the Year, marking just the fourth time that an athlete from a sport not sponsored by the MWC has won the league's top honor.

Day added a second conference champion in 2010, when Jenna Dudley placed first on the vault. In 2011, Day saw Brittany Dutton and Lisa Wong share the balance beam title at the MPSF Championships, while Dutton claimed a share of the uneven bars title at the USAG National Collegiate Championships - the first Air Force gymnast to earn a USAG national title since 2004. Dutton was also named Gymnast of the Year by both the MPSF and USAG.

The 2010 squad crossed the 190-point mark on three occasions, including the program's highest team score (193.300) in six years. In addition, four of his gymnasts competed at the 2010 NCAA Regional Championships in Salt Lake City. The 2011 season saw continued improvement, as the Falcons recorded six of the ten highest scores of Day's tenure, including another score of 193.300.

Away from the gym, eight of his cadet-athletes have earned selections to the academic all-conference team, while two claimed all-academic team honors from the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women, two have been chosen as MWC Scholar-Athletes and two have been honored as USAG Scholar-Athletes. In addition, Rogers was named to the academic all-district team by CoSIDA following the 2008 and 2009 seasons, while earning a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Prior to his appointment at the Academy, Day served as the head coach at TAGS Gymnastics in Eden Prairie, Minn. While at TAGS, he oversaw the design and implementation of team practices and facility issues.

Day spent nine years (1997-2006) as the assistant coach for the women's gymnastics program at the University of Minnesota. During his time with the Golden Gophers, the team won two Big Ten team titles (1998, 2006) and made one team appearance at the NCAA Championships (2002). In addition, five Gophers won individual conference titles, two were named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, two earned regional championship titles, two claimed All-America honors and four individually qualified for the NCAA Championships. His Minnesota gymnasts also accounted for 62 Academic All-Big Ten awards and 21 NCAA Academic All-America citations. In addition to his coaching duties, Day taught physical education classes at Minnesota and served as the NACGC/W awards chairman for four years.

Before joining the Minnesota program, Day served as the assistant men's gymnastics coach at the University of New Mexico from 1986-97. While with the Lobos, he coached 10 individual national champions, 21 All-Americans and 36 individual conference champions, while helping New Mexico to five Western Athletic Conference team titles. He also taught physical education courses at UNM. In January 1997, Day was inducted into the University of New Mexico Gymnastics Hall of Fame for his contributions as an athlete and as a coach with the men's gymnastics team.

While as an assistant at the collegiate level, Day claimed two NCAA National Assistant Coach of the Year awards, becoming the first NCAA coach to earn that distinction for both a men's and women's team. Day first earned the honor while on the men's coaching staff at New Mexico in 1995. In 2002, he received that distinction with the Minnesota women's program. In addition, Day earned two Regional Assistant Coach of the Year while with the Golden Gophers (2001, 2006).

Day was the co-owner of Duke City Gymnastics School, a private gymnastics club in Albuquerque, where he produced numerous state and regional champions. From 1986-97, he served as the president of the New Mexico Judges Association, and from 1996-97, he served as the treasurer/secretary of the men's College Gymnastics Association. In addition, Day was the event director of three NCAA Western Regional Gymnastics Championships and the assistant event director of the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., following the 1993 season.

Day has more than 25 years of judging experience, including the 1996 Olympic Trials in Boston and nine USA Championships. He served as the high bar technical secretary for the 1996 Olympic Games. Day was the national apparatus leader on parallel bars in 1997 and the technical assistant on high bar from 1992-96 for USA Gymnastics. Internationally, he has judged dual meets for the U.S. against China, Romania, Bulgaria, Japan, Australia and Germany. Day also judged at the World University Games in Fukuoka, Japan.

Day acted as the commissioner of gymnastics for the New Mexico State Games from 1987-92. Before moving to New Mexico, Day was the co-owner and director of Artistic Gymnastics, Inc., in Long Island, N.Y. From 1978-82, he served as the program director for the U.S. Gymnastics Training Center Camp in Mt. Herman, Mass. Day was also the Director of Adapted Physical Education for Half Hollow Hills School District No. 5 in Dix Hills, N.Y., from 1978-92. In all, 34 of Day's former Junior Olympic athletes have received full athletic scholarships to major universities. Athletes trained by Day have competed in the Olympic Games (1988, 1992), the World Gymnastics Championships (1979, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1999), the USA McDonald's American Cup and the 1997 Maccabia Games. Day served as coach for the U.S. at the 1989 Golden Sands Invitational in Varna, Bulgaria, and at the 1994-95 Blanc Mesnil Invitational in Paris, France. He also served as an assistant coach for Slovenia at the 1999 World Gymnastics Championships in Tianjin, China.

Day received his bachelor's degree in physical education from New Mexico in 1977 and his master's degree in adapted physical education from Springfield College in 1978. He and his wife, Lynn, have a 20-year-old daughter, Sierra, who attends the University of New Mexico.