A Look at DI Head Coaches Leading Their Alma Mater

Earlier this afternoon, the University of North Carolina announced that they have hired former Stanford and Cornell head coach Rob Koll to be the successor to Coleman Scott, who stepped down from his post two weeks ago. Koll is no stranger to Chapel Hill as he starred at UNC and became the school’s first four-time All-American. He also was only the second Tar Heel wrestler to win an NCAA title. He appeared to have plenty of momentum at Stanford, but coming back to your alma mater is a special opportunity. With Koll’s hire by UNC, it now makes 19 DI programs led by alumni. Zeke Jones (Arizona State) While at Arizona State, Zeke Jones earned All-American honors on three occasions highlighted by an NCAA runner-up finish at 118 lbs in 1990. Jones also captured three Pac-10 titles. John Stutzman (Buffalo) When John Stutzman finished up his career at Buffalo he was the school’s all-time wins leader with 95 against 27 losses. As a junior, Stutzman’s 35 wins tied the Buffalo single-season record. His .897 winning percentage that season remains fourth fourth-highest on the Bulls all-time list. Mike Grey (Cornell) Mike Grey bookended his career at Cornell with sixth-place finishes as a freshman and senior. In both of the seasons where he missed the podium, Grey advanced to the NCAA Bloodround. As a junior and senior, Grey won EIWA titles and helped lead Cornell to NCAA team runner-up trophies. Matt Hill (Edinboro) During his career at Edinboro, Matt Hill amassed 105 wins and qualified for the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, each time at 157 lbs. As a junior, he finished third in the EWL. Hill’s senior season saw him earn the #12 seed at NCAA’s. Daniel Elliott (Gardner-Webb) Daniel Elliott was an East Regional champion in each of his final two seasons competing for the Runnin’ Bulldogs and competed at the national tournament both years. In 2006, Elliott was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the East Regional. Dennis Papadatos (Hofstra) A two-time national qualifier for Hofstra, Dennis Papadatos had his deepest NCAA Tournament run in 2000, when he went 2-2 at the 157 lb weight class. As a senior, Papadatos captured an ECWA conference title. During his career at Hofstra, Papadatos won 95 matches for a young head coach in Tom Ryan. Mike Poeta (Illinois) One of the top wrestlers in the high school Class of 2004, Mike Poeta stayed in-state to wrestle for the Fighting Illini. Poeta never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten (with two titles) and finished in the top three at nationals in each of his final three seasons. Poeta made the national finals as both a junior and senior. Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Right after two-time NCAA champion Joe Dubuque finished up at Indiana, Angel Escobedo took the reins at the 125 lb weight class and didn’t seem to miss a beat. Escobedo finished fourth in the nation as a freshman and won a national title a year later. He would capture the Big Ten championship in each of his final three years competing for the Hoosiers. Twice the number one seed at nationals. Escobedo was the first and, to this day, only four-time All-American in program history. Tom Brands (Iowa) 1996 Olympic gold medalist Tom Brands remains one of the most legendary athletes to come from an Iowa program that has produced its fair share of greats. Brands won three Big Ten and NCAA titles during his time as a competitor in Iowa City. His career mark at Iowa was 158-7-2, which was bolstered by a 45-0 junior campaign. Jim Andrassy (Kent State) A two-time national qualifier for Kent State, Jim Andrassy amassed a 106-25-1 record during his time competing for the Golden Flashes. As a junior, Andrassy claimed his only MAC title. A year later, he advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 before getting pinned by young Iowa star Joe Williams to come up a match shy of All-American status. Joe Patrovich (Long Island/CW Post) The school now known as Long Island was previously known as LIU Post and, before that, CW Post. Joe Patrovich attended the school at that time and played football and wrestled, as well. Sean Bormet (Michigan) While at Michigan, Sean Bormet earned All-American honors as a junior and senior. He compiled a 125-21 record and was third as a junior and an NCAA runner-up as a senior. During that final season, Bormet downed the aforementioned Joe Williams in the NCAA quarterfinals. His runner-up finish came to Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith as Smith became the first DI wrestler to win four national championships. Brandon Eggum (Minnesota) In his career at Minnesota, Brandon Eggum earned All-American honors three times and racked up 115 wins. Eggum was fifth in the nation at 177 lbs in 1998 before moving up to 184 lbs the following season and making the national finals. He finished up by taking third in 1999. Both years at 184 lbs saw Eggum come away with Big Ten titles. John Smith (Oklahoma State) Before going on to put together an international career that saw John Smith win six consecutive World/Olympic titles, he captured a pair of national titles for Oklahoma State. Technically, the international and collegiate accolades overlapped, as Smith won his first world title in 1987, a few months after winning his first collegiate crown. Smith’s record at OSU was 154-7-2 and he finished his collegiate career with 90 straight wins. Roger Reina (Penn) Roger Reina was Penn’s EIWA representative on four occasions during his career which spanned from 1980-84. He did not place in the top six during any of those instances. Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) Prior to Nino Bonaccorsi’s national title earlier this year, Keith Gavin was Pittsburgh’s most recent national champion (2008). After redshirting in 2006, Gavin returned to the Panther lineup and made the national finals in each of his final two seasons. Gavin was also a two-time EWL champion and his 120 career wins still find him amongst the top ten at Pitt. John Hangey (Rider) John Hangey remains one of the top competitors in the history of Rider wrestling. As a senior, in 1993, Hangey finished fourth in the country at 190 lbs. He qualified for nationals three times after winning three conference titles. Hangey remains the first, and only, Rider wrestler to win the Midlands. Steve Garland (Virginia) A three-time national qualifier for Virginia, Steve Garland pulled off a stunning during his senior season when he knocked off top-ranked Jody Strittmatter of Iowa in the national quarterfinals. He would go on to make the NCAA finals as an eighth seed and became only the second Virginia wrestler to make the national championship match.

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A Look at DI Head Coaches Leading Their Alma Mater

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