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PROVO — After 28 years in charge of the BYU gymnastics program, veteran coach Brad Cattermole announced his retirement Wednesday along with his wife, assistant coach Dawn Cattermole.
The Cattermoles took over BYU gymnastics in 1987 and guided the program to eight national championship appearances, the 15th most in NCAA history.
“It’s been a great 28 years for Dawn and myself,” Brad Cattermole said in a statement. “We’ve loved working at BYU and have enjoyed a lot of success. Our staff has been together a long time. Assistant coach Shauna Mertz has been like a daughter to us. It’s been one of the great blessings of my life to go to work every day with my wife, Dawn.”
BYU will immediately conduct a search for a new head coach. Interested applicants are invited to apply at yjobs.byu.edu.
Under the Cattermoles, BYU was ranked in the top 25 15 times, including three top 10 finishes. The Cougars had 17 NCAA All-American awards from seven gymnasts, as well as a plethora of international talent in five U.S. national team members, six Canadian national teamers and other Junior Olympic and Elite gymnasts in the program.
A native of Stormlake, Iowa who grew up in Los Angeles, Brad Cattermole was a gymnast with the BYU men’s team in 1971 before serving an LDS church mission to Peru. Upon his return, the Cattermole statesman broke his hand in training leading up to the season, owing to an early retirement from competition. He stayed closed to BYU gymnastics, serving as an assistant coach in 1975-76 while running All-American Gymnastics in Lindon through his appointment as the head coach.
Dawn Cattermole has spent the past 13 seasons as the recruiting coordinator for BYU gymnastics. The couple has three children and eight grandchildren, with one more on the way.
“We want to express our appreciation to Brad and Dawn for their years of dedicated service to BYU and the gymnastics program,” BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said in a statement. “They have run a successful program and have had a positive impact in the lives of many student-athletes. We wish them the very best as they begin the next chapter in their life.”
