NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt Athletics announced Wednesday that its men’s golf head coaching position has been endowed through a generous gift from Dr. Thomas Roush, BA’97, a former Vanderbilt student-athlete and captain of the men’s golf team.
Now in his 11th season leading one of the nation’s most successful collegiate programs, current head coach Scott Limbaugh will be the first to hold the title of Thomas F. Roush, M.D. and Family Men’s Golf Head Coach.
“We are tremendously grateful to Dr. Roush for this generous gift that will help support Coach Limbaugh’s and the Vanderbilt men’s golf program’s model of excellence for years to come,” said Candice Lee, vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director. “Our student-athletes understand that when they choose Vanderbilt, they join a lifelong community dedicated to making each other better on and off the course. By investing in the next generation, our alumni and supporters make it possible for all Commodores to reach their potential. As we continue writing a new chapter in the story of Vanderbilt Athletics and Vandy United, Dr. Roush’s endowment sets a new standard for what it means to be Commodores for life.”
A neuroscience major, Roush graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt in 1997, where he was a three-year letter winner on the men’s golf team. He went on to earn his M.D. from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and served as chief resident in orthopedic surgery at Duke University Medical Center. He subsequently served as a fellow in spine surgery and spinal arthroplasty at the Texas Back Institute.
As one of the nation’s leading spine surgeons and arguably the preeminent American surgeon in the field of spinal endoscopy, Roush is the founder of Roush Spine, which serves patients in five locations across Florida.
“My time as a Vanderbilt student-athlete provided some of the best memories and most valuable experiences of my life,” Roush said. “As I celebrate my 25th Reunion and marvel at the heights the men’s golf program continues to reach under Scott Limbaugh, I want to ensure that current and future Commodores continue to receive the mentorship that helps them realize their full individual and collective potential as collegiate golfers, while also growing as future community leaders in whatever field they choose to pursue.”
The 2017 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year, Limbaugh was a finalist for the same award a season ago, when he led Vanderbilt to an SEC title and the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship and coached freshman Gordon Sargent to an individual national championship. He is the two-time reigning SEC Coach of the Year, an award he’s won in four of the past six seasons.
In addition to winning the SEC title for the second consecutive season in 2021–22, Vanderbilt went 133-2 during the spring season in a run of historic dominance. Sargent and Cole Sherwood were honored as first-team All-Americans, the first time in Vanderbilt history that two student-athletes were first-team selections in the same season. Reid Davenport and William Moll also received All-America accolades a season ago, while assistant coach Gator Todd was named a finalist for the Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award as the nation’s best assistant coach.
During his time in Nashville, Limbaugh has coached 22 All-SEC selections, more than twice as many as in the program’s entire history before his arrival. He has also mentored four SEC Players of the Year (John Augenstein in 2020, Will Gordon in 2019, Theo Humphrey in 2018 and Hunter Stewart in 2015) and two SEC Freshmen of the Year (John Augenstein in 2017 and Gordon Sargent in 2022).
“I am blessed beyond words to be the first beneficiary of Dr. Roush’s extraordinary generosity,” Limbaugh said. “It is my great privilege to serve the student-athletes who choose to be part of our program, and it will be an honor to continue to do so as Thomas F. Roush, M.D. and Family Men’s Golf Head Coach. For one of our own to give back in this way only strengthens the belief Coach Todd and I share that the Vanderbilt men’s golf experience prepares student-athletes for not just championships but a lifetime of excellence.”
