Head coach D-D Breaux is retiring after 43 seasons as the leader of the LSU gymnastics program, she announced this morning.
Breaux, who retires as the longest-tenured coach of any sport in Southeastern Conference history, has built the LSU program into a national powerhouse. Breaux will remain a part of the athletics department doing what she loves the most, being an ambassador for LSU, according to an announcement from LSU Athletics. Co-head coach Jay Clark will take over for Breaux as head coach.
Breaux has dedicated her life to LSU and has coached more than 200 gymnasts over the years. During her tenure, she has maintained LSU’s reputation as one of the top collegiate gymnastics programs in the country with more than 800 wins under her leadership. The Tigers have placed among the top-10 teams nationally 31 times in 43 seasons with program-best second-place finishes in 2016, 2017 and 2019; third in 2014; fourth in 1988 and 2018; fifth in 2008 and 2013; and sixth on four separate occasions. She was also named one of Business Report’s 2015 Influential Women in Business.
“I’ve always told myself that I would know when it would be time to make this most difficult decision,” Breaux says in an open letter about her retirement published this morning. “This program was not built easily, but it is now in the most secure and positive position it has been since its inception. LSU Gymnastics is one of the best and most powerful programs in the country with, most importantly, the most incredible fan support.”
The Tigers are the three-time defending Southeastern Conference champions. Breaux’s squad won the inaugural SEC Championship title in 1981 and returned to the top once again in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Read the full announcement here, and a recent InRegister feature about her legacy here.
