Sanderson greets the media and fans as the new Penn State head coach
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by Gary Abbott
Cael Sanderson, the new head wrestling coach at Penn State, met the media and the Pennsylvania wrestling public during a press conference and introduction held at Rec Hall on the Penn State campus this afternoon.
A large crowd of wrestling supporters attended the event, which was open to the public, as well as a number of members of the media.
"I am very honored and excited about this opportunity," said Sanderson. "I am excited about the future of Penn State Wrestling. I am very grateful that my staff at Iowa State is going to be coming here with me. That includes my brother, Cody, and Casey Cunningham. Without them, this would not have happened. I can't wait to get my feet on the ground and get moving. My plans are big, my vision is big. It's just a matter of getting it done. Let's get started and see what we can do."
Sanderson was asked about the decision he made to leave Iowa State, where he was head coach for three years and also where he was a superstar athlete, winning four NCAA titles without losing a match.
"It has been very difficult. I made a decision to leave a school I love and means so much to me. It is emotional. I made the right decision and am anxious to get here," he said.
Sanderson was asked what he would tell the fans back in Iowa about his decision to come to Penn State.
"My message is thank you. I cherished my time there. I was at Iowa State for 12 years. I loved every minute of it," he said.
He said Pennsylvania had the best high school wrestling in the country, which received applause from the crowd there.
"This is wrestling country. The potential here is very intriguing to me. It will be a challenge, I know. Every change in a career has its challenges. It is the potential in the program and the history of Penn State Wrestling that is exciting. This is a school I believe people want to come to. If we can build on Coach Sunderland's successes, we can do some special things."
Sanderson said he felt comfortable with Penn State president Graham Spanier and Athletic Director Tim Curley, who were directly involved in the negotiation to bring Sanderson to Penn State.
"I feel comfortable with their commitment to this program. I know that with that kind of commitment, we can do extremely well," said Sanderson.
He was asked about if he planned to expand the freestyle program affiliated with the wrestling program.
"We want to make this one of the main regional training sites for USA Wrestling," said Sanderson. "There are kids in this program that have aspirations to be World and Olympic champions. This is a perfect site for that."
Sanderson was asked about his reaction to the many people who showed up in Rec Hall to greet him.
"This is awesome. If we can get this many people to a press conference, I can't wait to see what we get for a dual meet."
Sanderson was introduced by Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley, who presented Cael's credentials and expressed the excitement of the Athletic Department in bringing Sanderson on staff.
"We were committed and focused on attracting the very best coach to bring us success with honor," said Curley. "After a very comprehensive national search, we attracted the very best in the country - Cael Sanderson."
Curley called Sanderson the greatest college wrestler of all time but also spoke about his personal character.
"Cael is a quality person and every single individual we spoke to had respect and admiration for him as a person," said Curley.
Curley thanked the assistant coaches at Penn State for their professionalism and commitment to keeping the program going after Penn State coach Troy Sunderland resigned two weeks ago. He also thanked those involved on the search committee for their efforts in helping land Sanderson.
"I want to thank the team itself for patience and understanding during this transition," said Curley. "Their thoughts were highly valued and very constructive. I want to give special thanks to all former Nittany Lion wrestlers. Your input during this process was very valuable. It shows the strong bond that ties all Penn State wrestlers together.
A large crowd of wrestling supporters attended the event, which was open to the public, as well as a number of members of the media.
"I am very honored and excited about this opportunity," said Sanderson. "I am excited about the future of Penn State Wrestling. I am very grateful that my staff at Iowa State is going to be coming here with me. That includes my brother, Cody, and Casey Cunningham. Without them, this would not have happened. I can't wait to get my feet on the ground and get moving. My plans are big, my vision is big. It's just a matter of getting it done. Let's get started and see what we can do."
Sanderson was asked about the decision he made to leave Iowa State, where he was head coach for three years and also where he was a superstar athlete, winning four NCAA titles without losing a match.
"It has been very difficult. I made a decision to leave a school I love and means so much to me. It is emotional. I made the right decision and am anxious to get here," he said.
Sanderson was asked what he would tell the fans back in Iowa about his decision to come to Penn State.
"My message is thank you. I cherished my time there. I was at Iowa State for 12 years. I loved every minute of it," he said.
He said Pennsylvania had the best high school wrestling in the country, which received applause from the crowd there.
"This is wrestling country. The potential here is very intriguing to me. It will be a challenge, I know. Every change in a career has its challenges. It is the potential in the program and the history of Penn State Wrestling that is exciting. This is a school I believe people want to come to. If we can build on Coach Sunderland's successes, we can do some special things."
Sanderson said he felt comfortable with Penn State president Graham Spanier and Athletic Director Tim Curley, who were directly involved in the negotiation to bring Sanderson to Penn State.
"I feel comfortable with their commitment to this program. I know that with that kind of commitment, we can do extremely well," said Sanderson.
He was asked about if he planned to expand the freestyle program affiliated with the wrestling program.
"We want to make this one of the main regional training sites for USA Wrestling," said Sanderson. "There are kids in this program that have aspirations to be World and Olympic champions. This is a perfect site for that."
Sanderson was asked about his reaction to the many people who showed up in Rec Hall to greet him.
"This is awesome. If we can get this many people to a press conference, I can't wait to see what we get for a dual meet."
Sanderson was introduced by Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley, who presented Cael's credentials and expressed the excitement of the Athletic Department in bringing Sanderson on staff.
"We were committed and focused on attracting the very best coach to bring us success with honor," said Curley. "After a very comprehensive national search, we attracted the very best in the country - Cael Sanderson."
Curley called Sanderson the greatest college wrestler of all time but also spoke about his personal character.
"Cael is a quality person and every single individual we spoke to had respect and admiration for him as a person," said Curley.
Curley thanked the assistant coaches at Penn State for their professionalism and commitment to keeping the program going after Penn State coach Troy Sunderland resigned two weeks ago. He also thanked those involved on the search committee for their efforts in helping land Sanderson.
"I want to thank the team itself for patience and understanding during this transition," said Curley. "Their thoughts were highly valued and very constructive. I want to give special thanks to all former Nittany Lion wrestlers. Your input during this process was very valuable. It shows the strong bond that ties all Penn State wrestlers together.
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