Suzanne Yoculan's years at Georgia

Sports

Suzanne Yoculan's years at Georgia

Georgia's gymnastics coach Suzanne Yoculan enters her final year of coaching.

When Suzanne Yoculan, who owned a gymnastics club in Pennsylvania, was named Georgia's coach in 1983. The program was three years old and coming off a 13-14 season. Since her arrival, Georgia gymnastics coach has produced 33 NCAA individual champions and 57 Gym Dogs with 293 All-America honors.

Yoculan led the Gym Dogs to their first NCAA appearance in her first year in 1984. Georgia won its first gymnastics title in 1987 and its second two years later before a home crowd in Athens. Yoculan led the Gym Dogs to three more titles in the 1990s.

Georgia posted the first 198.000 in nationals action under Yoculan.

Attendance at Georgia gymnastics meets has grown from less than 200 in 1983 to an average of nearly 10,000 fans per meet in 2008. Yoculan has a reputation of getting fired up during her team's meets.

Yoculan has won 70 percent of the time as a coach. Her Gym Dogs came up just short of three straight in 2000 but would make up with a quartet later on in the decade -- the only team in NCAA history to do so.

Yoculan accepts the Coach of the Year Award in 2007. She has been chosen as the National Coach of the Year five times and the SEC Coach of the Year seven times. Entering this season, Yoculan has an overall record of 804-116-7.

Yoculan is congratulated after achieving her NCAA-best ninth national championship at Georgia -- the last four in a row. She has 16 SEC titles and 20 NCAA Regional crowns. Yoculan's teams have placed in the nation's top three in 19 of the last 20 years.

Yoculan, in her 25th year at Georgia, plans to retire after this season. "Pretty simple," she said prior to the season. "It's time. Time for me personally. My parents are in their 90s and I'd like to spend more time with them."

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When Suzanne Yoculan, who owned a gymnastics club in Pennsylvania, was named Georgia's coach in 1983. The program was three years old and coming off a 13-14 season. Since her arrival, Georgia gymnastics coach has produced 33 NCAA individual champions and 57 Gym Dogs with 293 All-America honors.

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