ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY HEAD COACH RECOGNIZED BY THE NCAA
Scott Barclay recognized with an “Honor Coach Award” by the NCAA

On Thursday night, April 18th, Arizona State University head men’s gymnastics coach Scott Barclay will be receiving the Honor Coach Award for 2012, along with Mark Williams, head coach of the University of Oklahoma. The decision to award Scott Barclay with this prestigious designation was unanimous and greatly deserved. Coach Barclay adds “I am humbled and honored that my peers would consider me for such an award. I am only in this position as a coach because of two of the finest coaches in the world of gymnastics instilled in me the passion and enthusiasm that has allowed me and those around me to do great things.”

Nominees for the Honor Coach Award must have been involved in coaching gymnastics at the collegiate level for a minimum of 25 years, must have demonstrated a high level of competence as a coach and unprecedented leadership in the development of gymnastics and service to the sport. Eligible voters for the award include NCAA Coaches, assistant coaches, Honorary Lifetime CGA members and past Honor Coach Award recipients.

Tom Gibbs, Honor Coach Committee Chairman and former assistant coach of men’s gymnastics at Temple University in Philadelphia informed Coach Barclay of the award this week. He stated “Scott will now join the long and distinguished list of coaches who have devoted a lifetime to the sport of gymnastics. It is no mystery that survival of gymnastics at the collegiate level in recent years has been fraught with difficulty. What he has done and what he has accomplished has been a true example of his fortitude and devotion to the pursuit of collegiate gymnastics. His record of accomplishment as a club program coach and those of his gymnasts: 14 Collegiate Division Championships - 8 in a row; 11 Collegiate Division individual event champions and 68 Collegiate Division All-Americans would be enough to make any member of this sport proud.”

Scott Barclay was recruited from Chicago as a gymnast for Don Robinson’s Sun Devils team in 1974. After a very successful career as a gymnast, he joined the coaching staff. In total, he has dedicated 32 years to coaching the ASU men’s team. But his dedication to the community cannot be underestimated. Upon hearing the news, Bart Conner, 1984 Olympic Champion and member of the Advisory Board for Sun Devil Gymnastics, said “I have known Scott Barclay for over 40 years and he is truly one of the really good guys in the sport of gymnastics. He always puts the athlete and the athletes progress first and provides as many opportunities as he can to identify and develop talented men and future leaders in this sport.”

When ASU made drastic cuts in the men’s gymnastics program in 1993, Scott and his wife, Dona, along with the support of an amazing boosters team, opened a facility close to campus to keep Sun Devil Gymnastics alive as a club program. In 2005, after years of exponential growth, they moved to the facility they built and now occupy near Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, AZ, combining his dedication to the ASU men’s gymnastics team with his passion for the youth in the community. Aspire Kids Sports Center is the home to the ASU men’s team and to 1200+ young kids who are taught and coached everyday by many of those same ASU team members.

Tom continues, “In the nearly twenty years since Arizona State University has ceased to sponsor men’s collegiate gymnastics Scott has persisted against all odds to provide a countless number of gymnasts the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level despite any recognition or institutional support. He has been a model for others to follow with regard to booster support and fundraising. It would be hard to imagine the life-changing experiences those young athletes have experienced were it not for [Scott’s] efforts. He should feel extremely proud.”

Coach Barclay’s distinguished colleagues who were also nominated for this year’s Honor Coach Award included Ralph Druecke, coach of 1986 Olympic Sports Festival; Ray Gura, former assistant coach at University of Michigan; Kevin Mazeika, head coach for the 2004, 2008 and 2012 US Olympic team; and Doug Van Everen, head coach of the US Military Academy at West Point.