Ward Steps Down from Army to take Position on Oklahoma State Staff

Yesterday, Willie Saylor of InterMat and MatScouts announced that Army head Kevin Ward has stepped down from his post at West Point. Today, Oklahoma State announced that Ward will be an assistant coach on the Cowboy staff. 

Ward was a two-time national qualifier for the Cowboys in 2005-06 and was a Big 12 champion at 157 lbs  in 2005. 

Ward just recently wrapped up his 11th year at the helm for Army. It was a strong year for the Black Knights as they went 8-3 in dual competition and finished the regular season ranked #24 in the nation in InterMat’s Dual Rankings. Seven Army wrestlers qualified for the NCAA tournament - a feat they last accomplished in 2021. 

A year earlier, one of Ward’s pupils, Ben Pasiuk got on the NCAA podium with an eighth-place finish at 174 lbs. That was Ward’s first DI NCAA All-American and the program’s first since 2008. 

Ward’s dual record at Army finished at a 59-53 mark. An important facet of every Army head coach’s job is their record versus the Naval Academy. The Black Knights 2014-15 win over Navy, in Ward’s first year, gave the team their first win over their rivals in 17 years. He also had a four-year winning streak over Navy, a feat that had never previously been accomplished by an Army coach. In 2025, Army downed Navy 22-10 to run his record against the Midshipmen to 7-4. 

During his 11 years leading the Army program, 57 wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In the previous 11 years, only 33 had made it to the Big Dance. 

Ward’s staff has also been excellent on the recruiting trail. Army earned national rankings in three of the last four seasons and it’s very likely they’ll earn accolades in 2025 and 2026. The Black Knights were 24th in the nation in 2021, 23rd in 2022, and 17th in 2023. 

There was a vacancy on the Cowboy coaching staff after the departure of Thomas Gilman just over a month ago. 

We’ll track the progress by the Army athletic department as they seek to replace Ward. Associate head coach Scott Green has been named the interim head coach during the search.