Fader is one of the most successful NCAA Division III wrestling coaches, with two decades of coaching experience. In March 2014, after ten seasons at the helm at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Fader took the Warhawks to second place at the NCAAs, the highest finish in team history ... and was named Coach of the Year by the amateur wrestling website d3wrestle.com, his third such award. Yet, two months later, Fader's contract at UW-Whitewater was "non-renewed" regarding his handling of sexual assault allegations involving a wrestling recruit and a female student at the school -- allegations that were withdrawn hours after first being made to coach Fader.
Last fall, Fader told his story to InterMat ... while trying to find a full-time coaching job. He was able to work as assistant wrestling coach at Wheaton College outside Chicago. Now he will return to a head coaching position at UW-Eau Claire, a mat rival to his former employer, UW-Whitewater, as both compete in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Fader will start his new job Sept. 15, having been working with USA Wrestling at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas this past week.
UW-Eau Claire announced Fader's hiring on Sept. 3, with an official statement which recounted Fader's considerable coaching credentials. In addition to those already mentioned, Fader had been named WIAC Coach of the Year four times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2014) and National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coach of the Year twice (2001, 2012). Over the course of his career, Fader had coached 42 All-Americans and 49 Scholastic All-Americans. In his six years as head coach at UW-La Crosse (1998-2004), Fader led the program to six Top 10 finishes including a National Dual Meet Championship in 2000. In a decade at UW-Whitewater (2004-14), Fader's teams tallied four top 12 NCAA finishes including a third place finish in 2013 and runner-up in 2014.
Beyond Fader's credentials, the UW-Eau Claire hiring statement also included laudatory quotes from two highly respected individuals within amateur wrestling.
"Tim Fader represents the gold standard of excellence in coaching," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "He has demonstrated a history of an education-based philosophy and his number one priority is helping his student-athletes reach their potential on and off the mat."
"Fader is very thorough and leaves no stone unturned," said Ben Peterson, an NCAA champ for Iowa State, 1972 Olympic gold medalist and former assistant coach. "He wants a winning team and will build young men; from recruiting to fundraising to training, he will make UW-Eau Claire wrestling known. I don't know anyone that works harder than Tim Fader."
When asked by InterMat to talk about his new position, Fader insisted that we instead contact the man who made it possible for him to return to a head coaching position ... UW-Eau Claire Director of Athletics Dan Schumacher, who graciously agreed to the interview.
Meet the man who hired Fader
Dan SchumacherAt the time Schumacher became the Blugolds' AD in the summer of 2014, school Chancellor James Schmidt said, "Dan Schumacher comes to UW-Eau Claire with a proven background in successfully building and improving inter-collegiate athletic programs, while maintaining a strong academic focus for student-athletes."
Fader's journey to Eau Claire
When asked to describe the path that brought Tim Fader to coach the Blugold mat program, Schumacher said, "It was a situation I explored last July when I first arrived at Eau Claire. Wrestler participation numbers were down. I was without a coach. We had an interim coach. We hadn't had a full-time coach since Don Parker." (In fact, the UW-Eau Claire wrestling program had a succession of three head coaches in the space of about 18 months.)
"I wanted to build the program," Schumacher continued. "Fill the roster, perhaps make us two deep -- or even two-and-a-half deep -- in each weight class ... Make us competitive in the WIAC."
"I was aware of Tim's situation (at the time his contract was non-renewed) but I had been here only 30 or 60 days."
"As we considered hiring a new coach this summer, Tim's name kept coming up on our lists."
At this point, InterMat asked Schumacher if he personally knew Tim Fader prior to his name being up for consideration as Blugold head wrestling coach.
"Only by reputation," Schumacher replied. "We saw what he had achieved at Whitewater. We also heard from lots of people who urged us to consider him for the position."
What about the circumstances surrounding Tim Fader's separation from UW-Whitewater?
"We properly vetted the situation," Schumacher replied. "We thought it was worth the effort."
"It was one of the most thoroughly vetted situations I've been around in the course of my career. Our Chancellor and executive staff did their due diligence."
Schumacher added, "Looking at his credentials and body of work, it made sense for us to make that effort."
Schumacher explained that Tim Fader coming on board was handled as "an emergency hire -- an HR (human resources) term, meaning it did not require conducting a full, traditional search with job postings and so on. It was very late in the season. We were worried about losing kids (wrestlers)."
In addition, Schumacher made it clear that no state funds are being used to pay any of coach Fader's salary -- "no Account 102 dollars" as he put it, adding that various revenue streams are being used to cover the hire.
In the school's official announcement of his hiring, Tim Fader said, "I am really impressed with UW-Eau Claire. The supportive community, beautiful campus and just the energy you feel from this inviting, vibrant area is amazing. I've spoken with alums and past and present coaches and they all loved their experience which makes me excited to be a Blugold.
"I want to thank Dan Schumacher and Chancellor James Schmidt for this opportunity. Dan has a sincere excitement for this department and university and I'm excited to be a part of his vision."
All about Eau Claire
Dan Schumacher added to coach Fader's positive comments about the beautiful campus and "inviting, vibrant area."
"It's a very impressive school academically," Schumacher said of UW-Eau Claire, a school of approximately 11,500 students located in western Wisconsin. "A top five undergrad research institution."
"The Chippewa River runs right through campus ... Some say it's the most beautiful campus in the state. The area offers unlimited opportunities to enjoy the outdoors -- fishing, hunting, hiking, camping."
Schumacher also touted the city of Eau Claire itself -- a community of approximately 85,000 residents, which, as he puts it, "has a traditional downtown, and all the big-box national retailers you'd find in urban areas." (Eau Claire is the headquarters of the big-box home improvement retailer Menard's.) He also cited Eau Claire's location -- right on I-94, about an hour-and-a-half to Minneapolis-St. Paul, two hours to Madison, three to Green Bay.
All these elements can help make UW-Eau Claire more attractive to potential Blugold wrestlers. When asked to describe the program's recruitment base, Schumacher responded that most student-athletes traditionally hail from western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. "However, with coach Fader being from Illinois and his successful recruiting in that state while he was at Whitewater, we may be able to draw from that area as well." (Fader wrestled at Rochelle Township High School in north-central Illinois about 90 minutes west of Chicago, then headed west to Augustana College in the Mississippi River city of Rock Island, Ill., where he was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American wrestler and three-time Academic All-American.)
In the official statement issued earlier this month by UW-Eau Claire announcing its new wrestling coach, Dan Schumacher is quoted as saying, "We are excited to add Coach Fader to our staff. He has established himself as one of the top coaches in the country and we are fortunate to bring someone like him to campus. I look forward to working with Coach Fader to build a championship wrestling program."
In his interview with InterMat last week, Schumacher echoed those sentiments, adding, "I'm for having Tim on board, for our school and our wrestling program, and, most importantly, for our student-athletes."
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