#FreestyleFriday: A look at the NCAA DI coaches and their international successes

Photo of Coleman Scott at the 2012 Olympics. Photo by John Sachs.

The college wrestling world is coached by some of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. history, including five Olympic medalists and two other Senior World medalists. Today, we’ll take a look at Division I college coaches that have collected World and Olympic medals during their athletic careers.

Olympic medalists

Zeke Jones (Arizona State)
Coaching at his alma mater, Jones has headed the Arizona State wrestling program since 2014, where he has been named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times.

As an athlete, Jones was an NCAA finalist and three-time All-American for the Sun Devils. In his international career, Jones represented the USA at seven World Championships (1989-91, 93-95, 97) as well as the 1992 Olympics.

At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Jones claimed a silver medal at 52 kg. In addition to his Olympic medal, Jones also owns a gold medal from the 1991 World Championships as well as a bronze medal from the 1995 World Championships.

Read more about Zeke Jones here

Tom Brands (Iowa)
Brands has been at the helm of the Iowa wrestling team for 14 season, coaching the Hawkeyes to three NCAA team titles with 12 NCAA champions and 82 All-Americans.

During his wrestling days, Brands was a three-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American. After competing collegiately, he dedicated himself to freestyle and earned spots on the 1993, 1994 and 1995 World Teams.

In his Senior World debut in 1993, Brands ambushed the field, winning gold at 62 kg. He took 11th in ’94 and ninth in ’95.

Brands made the U.S. Olympic squad in 1996 and picked up a gold medal in front of a home crowd in Atlanta, Georgia.

Read more about Tom Brands here

John Smith (Oklahoma State)
Entering his 29th year as the head coach of Oklahoma State, Smith has led the Cowboys to five NCAA titles and has coached 32 NCAA champions and 134 All-Americans

A two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion at 61 kg, Smith is known as one of the greatest U.S. wrestlers of all time, winning all six gold medals in six-consecutive years.

He began his international career while still in college, winning his first Senior World title in 1987 after his junior season. The next year after finishing up his collegiate career as a two-time All-American, Smith won his first Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

He went on to win golds at the next three World Championships (1989-91) and in 1992, he completed his athletic career with another gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

Read more about John Smith here

Coleman Scott (North Carolina)
Scott enters his sixth year as the head coach at the University of North Carolina, leading eight athletes to NCAA All-American status in that short time.

As an athlete, Scott competed for Oklahoma State under John Smith, claiming an NCAA title in 2008, his senior year, and three other All-America honors.

After college, he represented the U.S. at various tournaments, including the 2010 Pan American Championships. He went on to make his first World/Olympic team in 2012, winning the Olympic spot at 60 kg.

At the London Olympic Games, his first tournament of that caliber, Scott captured the bronze medal. He hung up his wrestling shoes after a gold-medal performance at the 2016 Pan American Championships.

Read more about Coleman Scott here

Cael Sanderson (Penn State)
In a short time, Sanderson has created a dominant program at Penn State, winning eight of the last nine NCAA team titles and coaching 23 national champions and 58 All-Americans.

As an athlete, Sanderson secured his place as one of the best college wrestlers of all time, collecting a 159-0 career record and four NCAA titles for Iowa State.

After college, he turned his focus to freestyle, making the 2000 and 2001 World Teams but did not compete. In 2003, he represented the United States at the World Championships, earning a silver medal at 84 kg/185 pounds. The next year, he found himself atop the podium, winning gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

In 2006, he was named the head coach at Iowa State, and in 2009, he left to become the head coach at Penn State. At 32 years old, Sanderson made a comeback and won the 2011 World Team Trials and went on to finish fifth in the World.

Read more about Cael Sanderson here

World medalists
Brandon Eggum (Minnesota) – silver at 2001 World Championships
Cary Kolat (Navy) – silver at 1997 World Championships, bronze at 1998 World Championships, 2000 Olympian

Olympic/World Team members
Doug Schwab (Northern Iowa) – 2007 World Team member, 2008 Olympian
Lou Rosselli (Univ of Oklahoma) - 1996 Olympian
Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) – 2013 World Team member
Chris Bono (Wisconsin) – 2001 World Team member, 2005 World Team member
Rob Koll (Cornell) – 1990 World Team member
Angel Escobedo (Indiana) – 2013 World Team member