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UNC hires Olympic champion Kenny Monday as Tar Heel Wrestling Club head coach

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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling

 
 Photo provided by Coleman Scott.

The University of North Carolina is bringing in another big name to its wrestling program with the hire of 1988 Olympic champion Kenny Monday as the Tar Heel Wrestling Club head coach. It was announced today via Twitter by UNC’s head coach Coleman Scott. 

“Kenny joining us is going to be a huge asset to UNC and Tar Heel Wrestling Club,” Scott said. “He was a big factor in my Olympic journey in 2012. It’s a great opportunity for guys like Tony (Ramos) and Josh (Kindig), who want to succeed at the international level. We want to win national and World titles here at UNC, so he’s a perfect fit.”

Monday enjoyed a lot of success in his wrestling career as he was a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic medalist, earning gold in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, and silver in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. He won the World championships in 1989 and finished with World silver in 1991. In 1988, he won gold at the Tbilisi Tournament, which was considered the toughest in the word at the time.

In his collegiate career at Oklahoma State, he was a three-time NCAA finalist, who took top-prize in 1984.

He comes to UNC after working with MMA gyms around the country, including Team Takedown in Dallas, Texas, and the Blackzilians in Florida. Prior to that, he and Scott coached together at Oklahoma State’s Cowboy Wrestling Club. In 1992, Monday served as Oklahoma State’s co-head coach with John Smith. 

Monday joins an already exciting club stuff with 2014 NCAA champion and two-time U.S. World Team member Tony Ramos, NCAA finalist Josh Kindig and Braden Atwood.

Additionally, his son Kennedy joins the UNC wrestling team as a freshman this year. 

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