Tom Spanbauer enters his 25th season as SUNY Cortland’s head men’s basketball coach in 2019-20. Cortland’s career leader in men’s basketball victories, Spanbauer has a 24-year record of 409-248 (.623) at Cortland and a career record of 421-261.
Spanbauer has earned National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) East Region Coach of the Year four times and New York State Basketball Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” honors on three occasions. He won both awards after leading the Red Dragons to NCAA Division III “Sweet 16” playoff appearances in 1999 and 2000 and the NCAA second round in 2013, and was also both East Region and ECAC Div. III Upstate New York Coach of the Year after the Red Dragons advanced to the NCAA second round in 2016.
Spanbauer has been named the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) “Coach of the Year” six times, most recently during the 2015-16 season when Cortland finished 21-8 and won the SUNYAC tournament title. During the 2012-13 season he guided Cortland to a school record-tying 24-5 record, its first league title since 2000 and the NCAA second round. He also won the award in the 2005-06 season with similar accomplishments as the Red Dragons finished that season 24-5, were SUNYAC regular-season champions and advanced to the NCAA second round. Spanbauer's other SUNYAC Coach of the Year honors came in 1996-97, 1998-99 and 2000-01.
In the 1999-2000 season, the Red Dragons enjoyed a 24-5 season that featured a school-record 18-game winning streak. They were SUNYAC tournament and regular-season champions. In 1998-99, Spanbauer’s squad went 23-7 and captured SUNYAC regular-season honors.
Cortland has played in the postseason (NCAA or ECAC) 13 times since Spanbauer’s arrival. In the 2011-12 season, the Red Dragons finished 22-7 and won the ECAC Division III Upstate New York title with a championship-game victory over Alfred University. Cortland finished 21-8 in 2007-08 and advanced to the ECAC title game and also qualified for the ECAC tournament in 2004-05 (18-10 record) and 2003-04 (17-11).
In 1996-97, Spanbauer led Cortland to a 19-9 record and the program’s first-ever NCAA playoff appearance. In his inaugural season at the helm in 1995-96, the Red Dragons posted a 16-12 record and advanced to the finals of the eight-team ECAC tournament for the first time in school history. Spanbauer's 1997-98 squad was 13-13, appeared in the ECAC playoffs and won its fourth consecutive SUNYAC Eastern Division title.
“Our program has a focus on the holistic development of the student-athlete, and we continually strive to expose our players to the best athletic and academic opportunities available at the Division III level,” said Spanbauer. “As a result of this focus, many of our players have been recognized through college, regional and national awards and scholarships.
“At Cortland, we continually attract student-athletes who welcome the challenge of maximizing the opportunities that the College offers. These opportunities include diverse hands-on academic offerings, an attractive residential campus with outstanding athletic facilities, high quality student life and a tradition of athletic excellence.”
Prior to his arrival at Cortland, Spanbauer was the head coach at Alfred University for one year and an assistant at Alfred for five seasons. His 1994-95 Saxon unit posted a 12-13 record, the best at the school in five years. Spanbauer also handled athletic administrative and physical education teaching duties at Alfred. He was the Saxons’ head men’s tennis coach for four years and women’s tennis coach for one year. He currently teaches in SUNY Cortland’s physical education department and also serves as head coach of the Red Dragons’ women’s tennis program.
A Niagara Falls, N.Y., native, Spanbauer was a three-sport standout at Niagara Catholic High School. He was inducted into the Niagara Catholic Hall of Fame in 2012. Spanbauer graduated from Cortland in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and earned a master’s degree in 1986 at the College while serving as an assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach. Spanbauer was a four-year letterwinner, two-time team captain and two-time All-SUNYAC selection with the Red Dragons’ basketball squad. He finished with 1,106 career points, including a 427-point effort during an All-ECAC and All-State senior season.
Prior to his coaching at Alfred, Spanbauer served as the freshman basketball coach at Albany High School from 1986 to 1988 and as an assistant basketball coach at the University at Albany from 1986 to 1989.
He has also been involved with basketball at the Empire State Games, both as a player (Adirondack Region, 1988, and Western Region, 1990), assistant coach (Western Region 1993-96, including gold medal teams in 1994 and 1995) and head coach (Central Region, 1997-99). In addition, Spanbauer has served as the director of the High Five All-America summer basketball camp in Liverpool, England, and currently is the director of the Red Dragon Basketball Camp.
