Mike Small

Biography

GCAA Hall of Fame coach Mike Small, has brought national recognition to Illinois golf in his 25 years at the helm of the program. The 2015 GCAA Dave Williams National Coach of the Year has guided the Illini to 13 of the last 16 Big Ten Championship titles, including a conference-record run of eight straight from 2015 through 2023 to established a new standard for sustained excellence in the league. Since 2010 Small has mentored two NCAA individual champions - Scott Langley (2010) and Thomas Pieters (2012) - and also coached 13 Big Ten Player of the Year honorees. During the 15 NCAA Championships held between 2010-2025, Small's Illinois program has produced more individual top-five finishers (8), than any program in the country. Under Small's direction, the Illini program has seen consistent success as his teams have not only continued to achieve greatness at the conference level, but on the national level. Small has led Illinois to top-five NCAA finishes in nine of the last 14 postseasons, including a runner-up finish in 2013. Small has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year a conference-record 13 times in his career and has also been named Midwest Regional Coach of the Year on 13 occasions. As a former full-time professional, he can share with aspiring tour players what it takes to play at the next level. As someone who still competes and succeeds at a handful of high-profile events each year, he has had a chance to rub elbows with the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Career Path