Arguably the most legendary gymnastics program in the NCAA, the University of Utah owns 10 national championships and attracts an average of 15,000 roaring fans to each home meet. From their competitive success year in and year out to their incredible following of loyal fans, Utah wouldn't have the program it is today without coach Greg Marsden.

Marsden joined the team as a graduate assistant in 1976, the year the team was established, and went on to set all kinds of records over the next 40 years. Under his direction, the Red Rocks qualified to the national championships every single year and are the only team to have ever done so.

In 1976, the team took 10th place at Nationals, and moved up in the rankings each year until they secured their first victory in 1981.

Current assistant coach Meredith Paulicivic, who was a member of Marsden's team from 1991-1994, credits Marsden's passion and humility for his success. "I think the thing he's taught me the very most is humility and hard work," she said.

He's very passionate about college gymnastics. I don't think there's ever been anyone so passionate about forward motion for our sport as a whole.

After securing their first NCAA championship, the Utes won the following four years, as well. In 1982, Utah also took home individual titles from Elaine Alfono on vault and Sue Stednitz on beam and all-around. In addition, they upheld their record-setting streak of home meet victories (the team won every regular-season home meet from 1979 to 2002). By the end of Marsden's career, he led the Red Rocks to 440 home meet victories. His contagious energy helped ignite the dedicated Utah fanbase, which continues to flock to the Huntsman Center in the thousands to cheer on the team. This season, Utah secured its sixth all-sports women's attendance title. 

Hear how Marsden helped inspire Utah fans and bolster the popularity of NCAA gymnastics:


Marsden's wife -- former student-athlete Megan McCunniff, who won three national titles during her time as a Red Rock -- joined the coaching staff in 1985 and helped build the team even further. She was awarded Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2014, and he received that honor twice. 

Former Ute Georgia Dabritz, last year's uneven bars national champion, explained, "He's left more than just a legacy on college gymnastics -- he's left a legacy on college athletics as a whole, especially women's athletics."

In addition to his team's dominance and the thousands of seats he helped fill each season in the Huntsman Center, his athletes earned impressive honors in the classroom: he coached 11 academic All-Americans, including Breanna Hughes, who received the honor this year. Excellence was expected and developed both in the gym and out to prepare them for life after their four years at Utah. 

Marsden retired at the end of the 2015 season, leaving the team to his wife and co-head coach Tom Farden. During his 40 years in the program, he became the sport's first coach to reach 1,000 wins. Outside of his involvement with Utah, he was a leader in women's gymnastics as part of the NCAA Gymnastics Committee and president of the National Association of Gymnastics Coaches. In addition, Marsden was involved in the Olympics and World Championships, and worked to bring major gymnastics events to Salt Lake City, including the 1988 Olympic Trials. He was not only committed to his team, but also to the sport of gymnastics as a whole.

Marsden after the prelims of what would be his last NCAA Championships in 2015. The Utes qualified to the Super Six, and went on to place second -- just .05 from another National Championship title:

Ultimately, Marsden's legacy is not first and foremost his competitive success, but rather his role as an ambassador of the sport. His progressive thinking and drive to make his ideas a reality revolutionized college gymnastics, and have helped gymnastics become what it is today. Although his time as a coach is over, his pursuit of improving NCAA gymnastics is far from over. Marsden has been a huge proponent of creating a Final Four in gymnastics, rather than a Super Six, to make the competition easy to watch, follow, and broadcast in an effort to increase coverage and the fanbase. 

IMO #NCAAgym Reg should be: 32 teams to 4 Regional sites, w/ 2 4-team sessions. Only the winners qualify on to @NCAA Champs Prelims. #EarnIt

— Greg Marsden (@UtahMarz) March 20, 2016

DYK the @NCAA hires 102 judges for 6 #NCAAGym regional sites. W/ 32 teams, 8 at 4 sites, they would only need 68. #GetTheBest

— Greg Marsden (@UtahMarz) March 29, 2016

Despite how far gymnastics has come, he knows there are always improvements to be made, from the coverage to the code: 

NACGC/W BOD conference call to talk rules changes. I hope they
FT-2-BK as BB series
SV of Arabian & Piked Full VTs
Lines on VT landing

— Greg Marsden (@UtahMarz) March 23, 2016

At the time of his retirement, he held national records for number of wins, number of national championship appearances, and number of national championship titles. His commitment, hard work and innovation revolutionized women's gymnastics, and will continue to impact his athletes for decades to come. Undoubtedly, NCAA gymnastics would not be where it is today without the help of Greg Marsden.


Related:
Meet The Team - Utah Utes Unstoppable In 2016
2016 NCAA Championships Coverage