Valparaiso University head men’s golf coach Dave Gring has announced the addition of Tom Brankin to his staff as a volunteer assistant coach.

Brankin is a 1989 Valpo graduate and earned four letters in golf for the Crusaders while also achieving academic all-conference and garnering a degree in accounting.

“I've known Coach Brankin for more than 30 years and he is a dear friend of mine,” Gring said. “We both attended Valparaiso University in the mid-1980s, played on the golf team together, were members of the same fraternity and thoroughly enjoyed our college experience. Tom has always been a great advocate of our program, providing tremendous encouragement. He is super excited to participate as a member of our coaching staff.”

Brankin has been an assistant boys basketball coach at Highland High School since 2008. His local coaching resume also includes a stint as the varsity girls golf coach for the Trojans in 2010-2011. He instructed the first individual state finalist in Highland history. In addition, he has served as an offensive coordinator on football staffs at Highland (2012-2015), Calumet New Tech (2016) and East Chicago (2017).

“Coach Brankin brings a unique level of experience to our team,” Gring said. “He is an alum of our golf program, playing all four years at Valpo. His resume boasts over a decade of coaching young student-athletes, compiling an impressive amount of success at Highland here in Northwest Indiana. He has coached prep golf, football and basketball over the past 10 years.  Additionally, he has played golf his whole life and has had a lot of success over the years on the amateur level. Most importantly, he is a genuine person, an excellent communicator and he has a great heart for people.”

The Brother Rice High School graduate and former all-catholic league performer currently owns his own accounting and consulting practice in Schererville. He has three children: Tommy, Tyler and Katie.

The addition of Brankin continues a noteworthy year for Valpo men’s golf as the program outperformed pre-tournament expectations in its Missouri Valley Conference debut. Gring, entering his eighth season, also added Ron Gring as an assistant coach this spring. The two newest members of the staff figure to play important roles as the program continues its tradition of excellence both on the course and in the classroom.

“It's another exciting time for our program,” Gring said. “With the addition of Coach Ron Gring in the spring and Coach Brankin this summer, our team is poised for a great year and looking forward to starting school, practice and our competitive schedule this fall. Coach Brankin will only add to our overall team experience and he will be an integral part of us winning more conference and academic championships in the years to come.”