Todd Golden’s coaching history and record: Florida HC's career explored

Todd Golden is set to coach his first national championship game on Monday night. The 39-year-old has had quite a journey, having gone through the process from being an assistant coach to leading a program to the NCAA Tournament final as head coach.

Golden played for Saint Mary's College of California. He appeared 109 times for the Gaels between 2004 and 2008. He then played professionally for Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League from 2008 to 2010, after which he worked in advertising sales.

However, after two years in the private sector, he decided to return to college basketball, this time in a coaching role.

Let’s take a look at his coaching career and what he's managed to achieve.

Todd Golden’s coaching career

Columbia (assistant)

His first job in college basketball was as director of basketball operations under Kyle Smith at Columbia. However, after some time, he became an assistant coach at the program, where he spent two years, from 2012 to 2014.

Auburn (assistant)

Golden played under Auburn coach Bruce Pearl at the 2009 Maccabiah Games with the U.S. Open Team. In 2014, he teamed up with Pearl as the Tigers' director of basketball operations. He stayed with the program for two years, from 2014 to 2016, rising to become an assistant coach in his final season.

San Francisco (associate)

In 2016, Golden reunited with Smith, this time at San Francisco as an associate coach. He stayed in this role for three years before becoming the head coach. He replaced Smith, who left San Francisco for Washington State.

San Francisco

He began his reign as head coach on April 1, 2019, and performed relatively well in his first season, leading the Dons to the WCC Tournament semifinals. However, things took a downward turn in his second year.

His third and final season with San Francisco turned out to be his best with the program. Golden took the Dons to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, and this attracted bigger programs, including Florida.

Florida

He joined the Gators in March 2022, signing a six-year contract worth $3 million per year. His first season was not great, finishing with a 16-17 record.

However, the team bounced back in 2023-24 with a 24-12 record and a runner-up finish in the SEC Tournament. Florida also played in the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Colorado in the first round.