Jackson brings 'very high expectations' as next Iowa State coach
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by Craig Sesker
Kevin Jackson wrestled on the last Iowa State University team to win an NCAA team title in 1987.
He plans to be the head coach of the next ISU team to take home a gold trophy.
That could happen as early as next season.
Jackson was introduced as the new Cyclone coach on Friday morning in Ames, Iowa, and he immediately started talking about taking Iowa State to the top in his first season as head coach.
The Cyclones return six wrestlers for next season who have been All-Americans in their college careers. That group is led by three-time NCAA finalist and 2009 NCAA champion Jake Varner.
Jackson, 44, replaces four-time, undefeated NCAA champion Cael Sanderson, who coached his alma mater of Iowa State to national finishes of second, fifth and third before leaving last month to become the head coach at Penn State.
"I have very, very high expectations," said Jackson, who served as USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Coach from 2001-08. "We want to win and we want to be the best team in the country. And that starts right now, it starts today."
Jackson's goal is not only to recruit athletes to ISU who want success at the college level, but also athletes who want to go on and excel internationally.
"We want to recruit athletes who want to be NCAA champions," Jackson said, "and then go on to become World and Olympic champions. We want to build that kind of environment in our wrestling room."
He also wants to see the Cyclones close the gap on the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have won the last two NCAA titles and have dominated college wrestling the past three-plus decades with 22 national titles overall.
"They have a juggernaut over there at Iowa," Jackson said. "They've got it rolling and they are totally committed to the plan. We are going to have to change things. We are going to have to make a bigger, better and stronger commitment to this program. I'm all in, 100 percent, to beating Iowa and everybody else. We need everybody to buy into this program."
Jackson, a Lansing, Mich., native, was a three-time All-American for Louisiana State before LSU dropped wrestling. He then transferred to Iowa State and was an NCAA runner-up for the Cyclones in 1987. ISU won its last of seven NCAA team titles that season.
Jackson won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. He also won two World titles.
During Jackson's time as a coach with USA Wrestling, he helped coach Sanderson, Brandon Slay and Henry Cejudo to Olympic gold medals. He also coached Bill Zadick to a World title.
He led the U.S. to a second-place finish at the 2003 World Championships and a third-place finish at the 2006 Worlds.
Jackson resigned as U.S. National Freestyle Coach last fall and has been serving as the head coach of the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club.
Jackson applied for the ISU job right away, but had to play the waiting game as Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard looked through a strong list of candidates.
Once Jackson interviewed and was offered the position, he didn't hesitate to accept it.
"My wife (Robin) said, 'Don't accept anything without looking at the contract and talking to me first,'" Jackson said with a smile. "When I got home she asked me what happened and I said, 'I took the job.'"
Jackson said being offered the job by Pollard was one of the biggest moments in his career. He was announced as the new Cyclone coach on Thursday.
"I could've jumped through the roof I was so excited," he said. "It was equally as exciting as when I won an Olympic gold medal."
He is hoping to make Iowa State a USA Wrestling regional training site where international wrestlers would be allowed to train.
Jackson, who also had been in the running for the coaching vacancy at Arizona State, has never been a college head coach and addressed that issue during the press conference.
"I've been a head coach at the highest level in this country," said Jackson, who was an assistant coach at Arizona State. "I've coached two Olympic Teams and seven World Teams. I haven't been a head coach at a college university. But I've been a head coach the last 10 years for USA Wrestling."
Jackson also was asked about current and incoming Cyclone wrestlers who were recruited to ISU by Sanderson.
"I don't want any of our kids to leave because I truly believe they can get their needs met here at Iowa State," Jackson said. "I understand a lot of kids come to a program because of a coach. I want them all to stay. My job is to sell those kids on myself and sell those kids on the program."
That selling job could put ISU in the mix to win a national title when the NCAA Championships are contested next March in Omaha.
"We have some kids who are good - they are very, very good," Jackson said. "We want to be great. We want to go from good to great. They are exceptional wrestlers, but only one has met their goal of winning an NCAA title. Cael left a gold mine here. It is my responsibility to take the next step with these kids. That's the goal and it started yesterday."
Going from good to great also involves a change in philosophy.
"You are going to see a team competing at a much higher level," Jackson said. "The team is competing at a high level now, but you're going to see a change in our tactics, in our aggressiveness and our scoring potential."
Jackson was asked about replacing an icon like Sanderson at Iowa State.
"I love Cael Sanderson," Jackson said. "He's a great friend of mine, and I think he'll do a great job at Penn State."
One of Jackson's first big tests will come when the Cyclones meet the Hawkeyes in a dual meet. The teams are scheduled to meet this December in Ames.
"We're going to have some heated competition with the Hawkeyes," Jackson said. "I can't wait until we compete at Hilton Coliseum at the Iowa-Iowa State dual. It's one of the best rivalries in all of sports."
The first items on the new Iowa State coach's agenda include talking to current and incoming wrestlers, assembling his coaching staff and passing the NCAA recruiting test that every coach has to take.
"My goal is to see Iowa State win," Jackson said. "I'm excited to be back here. I can't wait to see what we can do.
He plans to be the head coach of the next ISU team to take home a gold trophy.
That could happen as early as next season.
Jackson was introduced as the new Cyclone coach on Friday morning in Ames, Iowa, and he immediately started talking about taking Iowa State to the top in his first season as head coach.
The Cyclones return six wrestlers for next season who have been All-Americans in their college careers. That group is led by three-time NCAA finalist and 2009 NCAA champion Jake Varner.
Jackson, 44, replaces four-time, undefeated NCAA champion Cael Sanderson, who coached his alma mater of Iowa State to national finishes of second, fifth and third before leaving last month to become the head coach at Penn State.
"I have very, very high expectations," said Jackson, who served as USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Coach from 2001-08. "We want to win and we want to be the best team in the country. And that starts right now, it starts today."
Jackson's goal is not only to recruit athletes to ISU who want success at the college level, but also athletes who want to go on and excel internationally.
"We want to recruit athletes who want to be NCAA champions," Jackson said, "and then go on to become World and Olympic champions. We want to build that kind of environment in our wrestling room."
He also wants to see the Cyclones close the gap on the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have won the last two NCAA titles and have dominated college wrestling the past three-plus decades with 22 national titles overall.
"They have a juggernaut over there at Iowa," Jackson said. "They've got it rolling and they are totally committed to the plan. We are going to have to change things. We are going to have to make a bigger, better and stronger commitment to this program. I'm all in, 100 percent, to beating Iowa and everybody else. We need everybody to buy into this program."
Jackson, a Lansing, Mich., native, was a three-time All-American for Louisiana State before LSU dropped wrestling. He then transferred to Iowa State and was an NCAA runner-up for the Cyclones in 1987. ISU won its last of seven NCAA team titles that season.
Jackson won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. He also won two World titles.
During Jackson's time as a coach with USA Wrestling, he helped coach Sanderson, Brandon Slay and Henry Cejudo to Olympic gold medals. He also coached Bill Zadick to a World title.
He led the U.S. to a second-place finish at the 2003 World Championships and a third-place finish at the 2006 Worlds.
Jackson resigned as U.S. National Freestyle Coach last fall and has been serving as the head coach of the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club.
Jackson applied for the ISU job right away, but had to play the waiting game as Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard looked through a strong list of candidates.
Once Jackson interviewed and was offered the position, he didn't hesitate to accept it.
"My wife (Robin) said, 'Don't accept anything without looking at the contract and talking to me first,'" Jackson said with a smile. "When I got home she asked me what happened and I said, 'I took the job.'"
Jackson said being offered the job by Pollard was one of the biggest moments in his career. He was announced as the new Cyclone coach on Thursday.
"I could've jumped through the roof I was so excited," he said. "It was equally as exciting as when I won an Olympic gold medal."
He is hoping to make Iowa State a USA Wrestling regional training site where international wrestlers would be allowed to train.
Jackson, who also had been in the running for the coaching vacancy at Arizona State, has never been a college head coach and addressed that issue during the press conference.
"I've been a head coach at the highest level in this country," said Jackson, who was an assistant coach at Arizona State. "I've coached two Olympic Teams and seven World Teams. I haven't been a head coach at a college university. But I've been a head coach the last 10 years for USA Wrestling."
Jackson also was asked about current and incoming Cyclone wrestlers who were recruited to ISU by Sanderson.
"I don't want any of our kids to leave because I truly believe they can get their needs met here at Iowa State," Jackson said. "I understand a lot of kids come to a program because of a coach. I want them all to stay. My job is to sell those kids on myself and sell those kids on the program."
That selling job could put ISU in the mix to win a national title when the NCAA Championships are contested next March in Omaha.
"We have some kids who are good - they are very, very good," Jackson said. "We want to be great. We want to go from good to great. They are exceptional wrestlers, but only one has met their goal of winning an NCAA title. Cael left a gold mine here. It is my responsibility to take the next step with these kids. That's the goal and it started yesterday."
Going from good to great also involves a change in philosophy.
"You are going to see a team competing at a much higher level," Jackson said. "The team is competing at a high level now, but you're going to see a change in our tactics, in our aggressiveness and our scoring potential."
Jackson was asked about replacing an icon like Sanderson at Iowa State.
"I love Cael Sanderson," Jackson said. "He's a great friend of mine, and I think he'll do a great job at Penn State."
One of Jackson's first big tests will come when the Cyclones meet the Hawkeyes in a dual meet. The teams are scheduled to meet this December in Ames.
"We're going to have some heated competition with the Hawkeyes," Jackson said. "I can't wait until we compete at Hilton Coliseum at the Iowa-Iowa State dual. It's one of the best rivalries in all of sports."
The first items on the new Iowa State coach's agenda include talking to current and incoming wrestlers, assembling his coaching staff and passing the NCAA recruiting test that every coach has to take.
"My goal is to see Iowa State win," Jackson said. "I'm excited to be back here. I can't wait to see what we can do.
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