(photos courtesy of Little Rock Athletics)Today, Little Rock announced the latest addition to its coaching staff as Albert White will come aboard as the team's volunteer assistant. White was a teammate of head coach Neil Erisman at Oklahoma State during Erisman's final two years as a competitor.
“We are thrilled to have Albert and his family as a part of our family here at Little Rock. They are a perfect fit in our culture and are going to be a great asset to the Little Rock wrestling programâ€, said Erisman.
White comes to Little Rock after spending the last two years as the head coach at Cushing High School in Oklahoma. Prior to his tenure at Cushing, White led Edmond Memorial for two seasons. At the 2021 Oklahoma 4A State Championships, Cushing finished fourth in the state with 93 points. Two of White's wrestlers from the 2020-21 team went on to claim state titles (Hayden Lemmons - 126 and Luke Ahrberg - 132). Lemmons has enrolled at University of the Cumberlands, while Ahrberg is at NC State.
White was ranked the third overall recruit in the high school Class of 2007 after winning four Illinois state titles and capturing a Junior National freestyle title the previous summer. After high school, White enrolled at North Iowa Area CC, where he captured a national title in 2008.
A year removed from winning an NJCAA national title, White transferred to Oklahoma State University. White had a promising 2009-10 season cut short by a shoulder injury as he was 9-0 at 149 lbs. A year later, White went 11-3, but suffered a catastrophic neck injury that nearly ended his career. White battled back to get ready for his senior season and moved up to fill the 157 lb weight class vacated by a graduating Erisman.
White ended up finishing third at the Big 12 Championships and earned a trip to his first NCAA Tournament.
The addition of White will make three former Cowboys on the Little Rock staff with Erisman and assistant coach Chandler Rogers.
Erisman also had this to say about White, “Albert comes to us as the 9th-ever, 4x state champ from Illinois. Being a junior college national champion, NCAA Division I national qualifier at Oklahoma State and a proven high school coach. Who he is on and off the mat is going to instantly boost our program.â€
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