Who is Randy Lane? Everything about the LIU Gymnastics coach accused of abuse by Syd Morris and nine other gymnasts

Modified Jul 17, 2024 14:36 GMT

Randy Lane is an American gymnastics coach who has various coaching stints with high-profile sides such as UCLA Bruins and Long Island University Sharks (LIU) and currently is the head coach in LIU. However, Lane's reputation recently took a hit after LIU gymnast Sydney Morris, along with nine other gymnasts, accused Lane of mental and emotional abuse.

In a recent Instagram post shared by Morris on her official social media handle, Morris claimed that the coaching staff of the institution, along with Lane, had made false promises to the gymnasts and had also instigated them to go against their teammates.

Besides Lane, Morris also accused assistant coach, Olivia Courtney of misbehaving with the gymnasts. In a statement, she stated:

"During all of our times at LIU, we have all experienced and witnessed emotional and mental abuse from Coach Randy Lane, and some of us have experienced the same from Coach Olivia Courtney."

She added:

"When you have a coach who doesn't support you, degrades you, makes false promises, starts drama, and makes your teammates turn their backs on you, it's hard for the program to build with a positive culture."

With all this stated, let's take a look at the first gymnastics head coach of Long Island University.

Randy Lane: Family and Hometown

Lane was born in 1967 in the state of Indiana. No more information about his parents or siblings are made public by Lane.

Randy Lane: Educational Details

Lane was admitted to the University of Illinois in 1986 after schooling and completed his bachelor's in 1989 with a degree in speech communication. Following this, Lane also obtained a master's degree in Oriental Science from the College of Oriental Medicine in Santa Barbara.

Randy Lane: Other achievements of the gymnast across his long career

Across his long coaching career, Lane has held some important positions for various universities. However, the 53-year-old was also a very potent gymnast himself during his collegiate days.

During his four-year tenure for the Illinois Fighting Illini, Lane guided his side to gold and silver medals at the NCAA Championships in 1989 and 1988, respectively (both team apparatus). He also won two gold medals (team apparatus) at the Big Ten Championships in 1988 and 1989.

Lane has also helped the UCLA Bruins to clinch three NCAA titles during his tenure as the assistant coach and the assistant head coach. In 2000, he won the National Assistant Coach of the Year and also clinched the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2018.