Conqu'ring Heroes: Toman Discusses Hall of Honor Induction; Athletic, Academic Success
10/26/2023 10:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
By Sydney Miller
Not many people are able to claim they have beaten Tom Brady for the title of Male Athlete of the Year, but for former University of Michigan men's gymnast Justin Toman can. Toman was crowned Michigan's 1999 Male Athlete of the Year after leading his team to the national title and is a 2023 inductee of the U-M Athletics Hall of Honor.
Toman joined the Conqu'ring Heroes Podcast on Thursday (Oct. 26) to talk about his time at Michigan, his professional career and his upcoming induction into the U-M Athletics Hall of Honor.
"I thought he dialed the wrong number," said Toman as he reflects on what it was like getting the phone call from Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel welcoming him to the Hall of Honor. "It's a privilege and an honor and I'm not sure that I deserve it, but I will happily and greatly accept it on behalf of my teammates, coaches and everyone who helped me have a great experience at Michigan."
Toman, hailing from Wallingford, Conn., was a five-year member of the Michigan men's gymnastics team, serving as team captain for four seasons. Throughout his time at Michigan, he was part of winning two Big Ten team championships, two NCAA individual national titles and the 1999 NCAA team national championship.
Being a four-time team captain "was one of the greatest honors above everything else. Having your teammates think enough of you to give you that position," said Toman. "It was something I took very seriously and benefited me a lot. I learned a lot from my teammates and coaches about how to be a leader at Michigan. It's something that has had such a formative impact on my life and career now in sports. I'm so thankful to have had that experience."
Lifelong relationships and the depths of the Michigan connection was something that Toman valued throughout his time in Ann Arbor and now his time in New York City. He continuously builds upon the relationship by staying in contact with teammates through social media and text messages.Â
For his five years as a student-athlete, Toman was able to add two degrees to his portfolio of success at Michigan. He later returned to school and earned a third degree, at the Ross School of Business. He recounted that U-M taught him athletically and academically "if you want a result, you have to set a goal and map out a plan to get there."
Toman credits his time on the Michigan men's gymnastics team as being applicable to his professional career.
"If you want to get to any sort of aspiration or result that you know will be hard, you have to make the plan and put in the hard work," he said.
