On the Mat: Dan Hayden, 1986 NCAA Champion | ASU Men's Gymnastics Alumni | Arizona Men's Gymnastics

From Junior Nationals to NCAA National Champion. In this episode of On the Mat, 1986 NCAA Championship team member and Olympic alternate Dan Hayden sits down with Scott Barclay and Steve Economides to relive the story that still gives Arizona gymnastics alumni chills. Dan takes us back to how he first landed on the ASU team, what it was like meeting Coach Don Robinson, and the sting of coming up short of a national title before finally breaking through in 1986. He walks through the championship's final moments, needing a 9.9 or better on high bar with the team down by a point, and the contested score from Nebraska's coach that turned a nail-biter into a half-point victory for the history books. Dan also shares how he later became one of the first assistant coaches for Arizona Men's Gymnastics in the early 2000s, working alongside Rob Servick to help shape the program in its early independent years. In this episode: From Junior Nationals to the ASU team, meeting Coach Don Robinson The heartbreak of a near-miss championship season 1986: down by a point, needing a 9.9 on high bar The contested score and the 0.5-point finish Becoming an assistant coach and helping build the program with Rob Servick We are proud alumni of Arizona State University gymnastics. This gathering and video are independently produced and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Arizona State University or its Athletics Department. Arizona Men's Gymnastics: reunite, remember, revel, regrip, Robinson. #AZmensgymnastics #OnTheMat #NCAAGymnastics #CollegeGymnastics #DanHayden