Longest-tenured coach in SUU history gets contract extended yet another 5 years

CEDAR CITY — Southern Utah University has announced the extension of gymnastics coach Scotty Bauman's contract to 2031, making him the longest-tenured coach in SUU history.

"This is my 35th year, and I really love our (university) president," Bauman told KSL. "She made it easy to want to stay here forever. I've been pretty lucky with some good administrators. It's made my time at Southern Utah as enjoyable as can be. Also, the people in Cedar City. I love this town. It's incredible! The people are amazing. It was kind of an easy choice for me."

Bauman began coaching at SUU in 1991, after spending seven years as an assistant coach at Utah State University. During his time at USU, he helped lead the team to a top national ranking.

His move to SUU was a bit of an undertaking, he said.

"At the beginning, it was really tough to get recruits to come to Cedar City because you don't know anything about it," Bauman said. "You don't know the advantages that a small school like Southern Utah can give you. Southern Utah can give you a ridiculously good education."

Getting athletes to come to SUU for his gymnastics program, however, was something that started to take shape, due to success fairly early on.

"When I started at SUU, nobody had even heard of us," Bauman said. "The team was dead last in the NCAA for Division 1 teams. Within two years of being here with almost the same exact girls that we had when we started, we were able to go to Logan and beat Utah State. When we did it, Utah State, Denver and Boise were all there. You couldn't have imagined a bigger underdog meet.

"That was one of the moments when (coach) Jeff (Richards) and I realized we could actually coach this sport. When we were able to beat USU, that was a moment that pushed the driver button for me."

During his time at SUU, Bauman has led his team from an all-around average of 182.16 to a record 196.375, set in 2023. All individual and team records have either been set or matched within the last 10 years, according to SUU record books. The team has had several NCAA regional qualifiers and won multiple team and individual conference titles. He also coached three-time All-American Elise Wheeler.

Most recently, the team that is known as the "Flippin' Birds" won back-to-back Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles in 2024 and 2025, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with in the West.

"Oregon State was a team that we had never beaten in a head-to-head meet, and we were able to do that last week up at Oregon State," Bauman said. "(University of) Utah is the last team in the West that we have never beaten. Look at Stanford, UCLA, Oregon State, Washington, Arizona State, BYU, Utah State, Boise State, Denver. We've been able to win against all of those teams, but just not Utah — yet."

Jody Miller and Kym Greene were a couple of Bauman's early athletes, having competed for him in the mid-to-late '90s. Both said that his success as a coach has everything to do with him being a "phenomenal" person.

"I was 13 when I met Scotty, when I was doing club gymnastics with him at Southern Utah Gymnastics Academy," Miller said. "I think what sets Scotty apart from a lot of other coaches is the culture he creates at SUU Gymnastics. He really facilitates not only great gymnasts, but friendships and relationships that last lifetimes."

Greene said Bauman's impact on her extended into numerous areas of her life, adding that his "legacy isn't only measured in wins, but in the character and confidence of the women he helped shape."

"For 35 years, Scotty hasn't just built a successful gymnastics program — he's built people," Greene said. "He created a culture rooted in integrity, accountability and belief in something bigger than yourself."

Tom Higbee, interim director of athletics, told KSL that all of the above are reasons why SUU has extended Bauman's contract, adding that "coach Bauman's program is what we hope and expect our programs to be."

"He's developed this program consciously over the years, and as we prepare to enter the Pac-12, there is no one better suited to guide our program into this next chapter," Higbee said.

Bauman gave much of the credit to his longtime coaching staff, saying that he didn't think he would have signed the five-year contract extension if they weren't going to be "along with (him) for the ride."

"I want to make that very clear that Jeff (Richards) and Jamie (Wysong) are the ones who do the bulk of the work," Bauman said. "It's because of them that we're where we're at. All my coaches before and now have helped build this program. I really hope that when my time at SUU is up, that they continue on with them as coaches."

The team's season is well underway, with several home meets on deck, including one against Utah State on March 2. The team will also be hosting the 2026 MPSF Women's Gymnastics Championship on March 21 at the America First Event Center.

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