Tom Brown Named Director of Athletics

President Jack R. Ohle announced the hiring of Tom Brown, a native of Milaca, Minnesota and a 1986 graduate of Augustana College (S.D.) as Director of Athletics at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Brown, who has been a part of the Gustavus Athletics Department as a coach, instructor and administrator since 1991, succeeds Dr. Al Molde who recently announced his retirement after 15 years at Gustavus and 40 years as an athletic administrator and coach.

“I am pleased that we are able have an administrator with Tom’s experience and passion, step in and carry on the long and proud Gustavus Athletics tradition built by the likes of Al Molde, Jim “Moose” Malmquist and Lloyd “Holly” Hollingsworth,” noted President Jack R. Ohle.  He added, “Tom has proven himself to be a valuable member of the athletic department and the College for over 20 years and his commitment to Gustavus, its coaching staff and our student athletes will point us aggressively and competently into the future.”

Brown, who received his master’s degree in exercise science at the University of Iowa, was a wide receivers coach for the 1991 Hawkeye football team that won the Big Ten title and played in the Rose Bowl.  He began his career at Gustavus as an assistant coach in football and track and field and an instructor in the health and exercise science department in 1991.  During his 18-year tenure with the football program, primarily as a wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator, Brown coached 18 all-conference receivers including Ryan Hoag, who was drafted by the Oakland Raiders and Chad Arlt, an All-American who holds virtually every Gustavus receiving record.

In December of 2008, Brown left coaching and accepted the position of assistant athletics director at the College with primary responsibilities in event management.  In that role, he has been directly in charge of the administration of the home athletic events for all 25 athletic teams as well as coordinating and scheduling all indoor and outdoor athletic facilities and serving as the liaison to the advancement office in matters involving athletic fundraising.  Most recently he was responsible for the update of the interior of the Lund Center to celebrate Gustavus’s athletics history and the College’s Sesquicentennial.  He has also been involved in budgeting and staffing decisions with Molde, while also helping with facility updates at the softball field and the hockey arena.

Set to begin his new duties on June 1, 2012, Brown is honored to be moving into the top administrative role for the Gustavus Athletics Department.  “It has been a privilege to work with two outstanding mentors Jim “Moose” Malmquist and Al Molde for the past 20 years and while they have certainly left some big shoes to fill, I am excited about the opportunity to help continue the long and storied tradition of Golden Gustie athletics,” stated Brown.

Brown will oversee an athletics department that consists of 25 men’s and women’s varsity athletic teams, 15 head coaches and 33 other full-time employees.  Gustavus is a founding member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1920) and a long-standing member of Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.