| Todd Golden | |
| Current Title: | Head coach |
| Current Team: | Florida |
| Current Conference: | SEC |
| Birth Date: | 7 July 1985 |
| Birth Place: | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Player Years1: | 2004–2008 |
| Player Team1: | St. Mary's |
| Player Years2: | 2008–2010 |
| Player Team2: | Maccabi Haifa |
| Coach Years1: | 2012–2014 |
| Coach Team1: | Columbia (assistant) |
| Coach Years2: | 2014–2016 |
| Coach Team2: | Auburn (assistant) |
| Coach Years3: | 2016–2019 |
| Coach Team3: | San Francisco (associate) |
| Coach Years4: | 2019–2022 |
| Coach Team4: | San Francisco |
| Coach Years5: | 2022–present |
| Coach Team5: | Florida |
| Tournament Record: | 0–2 (NCAA Division I) 0–1 (NIT) |
Todd Raymond Golden (he|טוד ריימונד גולדן; born July 7, 1985) is an American former basketball player and current head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team.
Golden is Jewish and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he graduated from Sunnyslope High School in 2003.[1] Golden played basketball and baseball at Sunnyslope and helped Sunnyslope win the 2002 Arizona 4A state championship in basketball.[2]
In 2003, Golden enrolled at Saint Mary's College of California, where he played guard for the Saint Mary's Gaels from 2004 to 2008. The Gaels would make appearances in the 2005 and 2008 NCAA Tournaments during his career, though he did not appear in their sole 2005 NCAA tournament game, a 65–56 loss to Southern Illinois.[2] [3] Golden played a total of 109 games with 82 starts, averaging 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.[3] During his senior season of 2007–08, he ranked second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, and graduated as the Gaels' all-time leader in free-throw percentage (83.2%) before the record was broken by Matthew Dellavedova.[4]
From 2008 to 2010, Golden played for Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[5] In two seasons with Maccabi Haifa, Golden played in 22 games and averaged 2.2 points.[6] Golden also competed in the 2009 Maccabiah Games with the USA Open Team.[4]
After working in the private sector in advertising sales once his playing career was over, Golden entered the college coaching ranks, joining Kyle Smith's staff at Columbia University, first as director of basketball operations, then as an assistant coach.[7] [8] He then took a director of basketball operations position at Auburn under Bruce Pearl, his coach during the 2009 Maccabiah Games.[9] Golden rose to assistant coach with the Tigers in his final season, before reuniting with Smith at San Francisco.
On April 1, 2019, Golden was officially introduced as the 20th men's basketball coach in Dons history, replacing Smith who departed for Washington State.[10] [11]
In his first season as head coach, Golden led San Francisco to a 22–12 record (9–7 in conference play) and a fifth-place finish in the WCC. The Dons' season was ended with an 81–77 loss to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament semifinals.
In 2020–21, the Dons took a step back from the year prior, amassing an 11–14 record (4–9 in conference play) and finishing eighth in the WCC. On November 27, 2020, the Dons defeated No. 4 ranked Virginia 61–60, Virginia's first loss to a non-major opponent since their 2018 NCAA Tournament loss to 16-seeded UMBC.
The 2021–22 season was the most successful of Golden's tenure, achieving a 24–10 (10–6 in conference play) record, and qualifying for the NCAA tournament, the program's first appearance since 1998. They lost in overtime 92–87 to Murray State in the first round. The program's 24 wins represented their highest mark since winning 25 games during the 1981–82 season.
On March 18, 2022, Golden was announced as the next men's basketball coach at Florida, following the departure of Mike White to Georgia.[12] [13] His contract with the school is for six years, worth $18 million over the life of the contract.
On November 8, 2024, The Independent Florida Alligator reported that Golden had been accused of sexual harassment and stalking of an unconfirmed number of women, specifically gearing towards University of Florida students.[14] On November 9, Golden released a statement regarding the allegations, noting that he has sought legal counsel to bring potential defamation claims against undisclosed involved parties.[15]
Golden is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel.[6] He is married to former Saint Mary's volleyball player Megan York.[4]