Berlin, January 9th 2021 – Today we share the news that Tobias “tow b” Herberhold has decided to step down from his duties as head coach indefinitely due to personal reasons, and will be replaced by Dustin “DuDe” Großmann who has been preparing for the role since September.
Standing behind us for a year and a half now, Tobias has been an important part of the team, contributing a lot to our success with his careful and knowledgeable approach to all aspects of teamwork.
The move is not something that comes as a surprise, but one we have been planning around for a while now. Since the arrival of Dustin “DuDe” Großmann as our assistant coach, he has worked closely together with Tobias and tabseN so he would be able to pick up the reins after Tobias’ departure. He is now ready to continue where Tobias left off, and guide the team to new heights. Dustin will be based in Berlin along with the team, and will be physically present at all times during our games. His aptitude for coaching and availability will greatly contribute to the team’s development in 2021.
Statement Daniel Finkler, CEO
Since August 2019, tow b has stood behind our CS:GO team as head coach. We went through some ups and downs, especially in the first few months, but Tobias worked very hard together with the team to achieve our goals. In 2020 especially, we were able to show that we belong between the world’s best teams, reaching the top spot of the world ranking. These achievements were the result of hard work, talent, and passion. Tow b shares those attributes with our players, leading the way as a role model.
Of course, we understand the challenges of such a life and the difficulty of balancing this with a family. Additionally, tow b is a shareholder and managing director at SkinBaron. This role also results in tremendous responsibility. Therefore, we can understand this decision, which has been made already several months ago. Together with the team and tow b, we used this time to close this gap. Dustin “DuDe” Großmann proved himself during the recent months and got to know our way of working intensively. We are very convinced of this solution and feel confident about the upcoming tournaments and leagues. We sincerely thank tow b for all his support in the last 16 months and feel deeply grateful for his work and the energy he has provided.
Statement Tobias “tow b” Herberhold
Today my time as a head coach comes to an end. It was a tough but well-considered decision that I made already during the last player break in June. I might come back in the future in an advisory role for BIG, but now I will return to work for SkinBaron.com that I co-founded in 2016. I will focus again on marketing activities and product management.
I joined BIG in August 2019 after some long talks with my wife and signed a contract until the end of 2020. We knew that it would be a tough time for our family with a lot of sacrifices (our three kids were 1,3 and 6 years old at that time), but we were ready for it, and I gave my promise that I will do everything that’s needed to bring BIG back to the top. Together with some of the most talented and dedicated people I have met in my life, we reached our goals step by step. We were even down to place #46, but we topped the rankings in June 2020 and went as #1 into the summer break. Since then, we have stayed on top and completed 2020 in 4th place. My contract ends here, and so does my way as head coach that started in 2017. I have a different vision for my family’s near future, but I’m a realist, and things can change. I might come back to BIG in an advisory role. Never say never. We’ll see what the future brings. My position will be filled by our current assistant coach Dustin “DuDe” Großman. I worked with him for some months already and I have no doubt that he is absolutely ready for his new challenge and that he will do a great job in his position as head coach. I’m grateful that I was a part of BIGs great history. Thank you for everything, my soulmate Jarosz, Tizi, Can, Flo, Nils, Fatih, Lenz, Yilmaz & Nuran, Daniel, Dustin, Lukas, Li-Cheng and Phil. With that group of people, it can only continue and become even greater in 2021!
