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Keeping it in the family has been a familiar theme throughout the coaching ranks and that trend is represented by the men's gymnastics team at the University of Oklahoma. Former OU gymnast and 2003 Nissen Emery award winner Daniel Furney begins his sixth season as an assistant coach at his alma mater.
Whether as a student-athlete or assistant coach, the Sooners have enjoyed four national championship runs with Furney on campus. The four-year letterwinner led OU to the 2002 and 2003 NCAA titles and then duplicated that accomplishment as an assistant coach in 2006 and 2008. Furney was tabbed, along with current assistant coach Rustam Sharipov, as the National Co-Assistant Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008.
"As the national all-around champion and Nissen Emery award winner in 2003, Daniel had one of the most prestigious careers in this program's history," said head coach Mark Williams. "Since he's had that experience here as a student-athlete, he is able to impart a lot of knowledge to our current student-athletes."
"I feel extremely privileged to be a member of the coaching staff of the best program in the nation," said Furney. "I enjoy not just being a coach, but being a mentor for these young men, both athletically and academically. It's a great honor to be able to have the opportunity to build upon the tradition that I was a part of at OU as a student-athlete."
One of the most decorated gymnasts in the program's history, Furney was named the school's fifth Nissen Emery winner prior to the 2003 NCAA Championships. That was just the start of a successful championship weekend for the then-senior.
Besides helping the Sooners to their second straight national championship and a perfect 26-0 record, Furney was the NCAA all-around champion with a score of 56.100. The all-around wasn't the only event that Furney picked up a NCAA individual championship on as he won the title on the parallel bars a day later.
Furney's nine career All-America honors is tied for second most in OU history with Steven Legendre. His most successful year was in 2003 when he earned four All-America honors (all-around, vault, parallel bars, high bar). In 2002, Furney picked up All-America honors on the vault, high bar and all-around and in 2001 on the pommel horse and p-bars.
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| The Furney File |
| Birthdate |
September 25, 1980 |
| Hometown |
New Braunfels, Texas |
| High School |
Canyon, 1999 |
| College |
Oklahoma, 2004 |
| Family |
wife, Emily |
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| Coaching Experience |
| 2005-present, Oklahoma Assistant Coach |
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| Coaching Accomplishments |
| 2008 National Co-Assistant Coach of the Year |
| 2006 National Co-Assistant Coach of the Year |
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| Gymnastics Accomplishments |
| 2003 Nissen Emery Award Winner |
| 2003 Member of NCAA Championship Team |
| 2003 NCAA All-Around Champion |
| 2003 NCAA Parallel Bars Champion |
| 2003 NCAA All-Around All-American |
| 2003 NCAA Vault All-American |
| 2003 NCAA Parallel Bars All-American |
| 2003 NCAA High Bar All-American |
| 2003 MPSF All-Around Champion |
| 2002 Member of NCAA Championship Team |
| 2002 NCAA All-Around All-American |
| 2002 NCAA Vault All-American |
| 2002 NCAA High Bar All-American |
| 2001 NCAA Pommel Horse All-American |
| 2001 NCAA Parallel Bars All-American |
| 2000 MPSF Pommel Horse Champion |
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Furney also picked up two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation individual conference championships in the all-around in
2003 and on the pommel horse, also in 2003. In addition, he was a member of the three conference championships teams
at OU.
A former U.S. Senior National Team member (2001-02), Furney shares OU's vault record of 9.7 with Jock Stevens.
Furney graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2004 with a degree in communications. He then received his master's from OU in higher education administration with an emphasis in intercollegiate athletics in May of 2005.
A native of New Braufels, Texas, Furney was married on Aug. 20, 2005, to the former Emily Land. Furney, and his wife, Emily, have a daughter, Hannah.
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