Gabe Dean (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Gabe Dean, one of Cornell University's most accomplished wrestlers, has graduated to a new assignment in the Big Red practice room as volunteer coach, the upstate New York school announced Friday.
Dean replaces Donnie Vinson, who recently accepted an assistant coaching position at North Carolina State University, working with Pat Popolizio, his coach at New York's Binghamton University prior to when Popolizio became head coach for the Wolfpack.
Here's what Dean said on Facebook about his new assignment at his alma mater:
"Excited for this year and to be a part of this program from the coaching side."
The two-time NCAA champ told NewYorkWrestlingNews.com that he's thrilled to launch his coaching career with the coaches who helped shape his successful wrestling career at Cornell.
"It's awesome to have this opportunity. It's what I want to do with my life -- be a college coach," said Dean. "I had the influences of Damion [Hahn], Mike [Grey] and Coach [Rob] Koll during blessed and lucky."
"The coaches at Cornell helped me develop so much as a person during my career," Dean continued. "All the off the mat stuff was so important and I'd like to have that same kind of impact on the kids I coach. Those are the things that really matter at the end of the day."
Dean is looking forward to sharing his knowledge and experience with the wrestlers who once worked out alongside him in the Big Red wrestling room.
"It's really awesome to be here for all the guys," Dean told the New York-focused wrestling website. "As a coach now, especially for the young guys, I have the chance to help them achieve their goals and prepare for the season. Everybody coaches everybody here -- it's not super specific. I'll just be helping and running individual workouts with everyone -- from little guys to the big guys."
Dean, who graduated from Cornell this spring, has an impressive resume of on-the-mat achievements to share with current-generation wrestlers. A three-time national finalist at 184 pounds, Dean posted a career record of 152-7 with 101 bonus wins, both school records, and never finished lower than third at nationals. He is one of just 11 wrestlers in more than 100 years to win four Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) titles and was a two-time Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. The four-time, first-team All-Ivy League pick was the 2014 Ivy League and EIWA Rookie of the Year and was a two-time Coaches Trophy Award winner as the most outstanding wrestler at the EIWA meet.
Even though he has accepted the volunteer coach assignment, Gabe Dean isn't hanging up his singlet just yet. Dean continues to wrestle Greco-Roman, and plans to compete next at the U23 Trials on Oct. 7 in Rochester, Minn. at 98 kilograms/215.5 pounds.
And, if wrestling and coaching weren't enough, Dean plans to assist with Cornell wrestling's marketing efforts.
"I'm one of the people working on the new Redman's Army Facebook page," Dean said. "It's about connecting our wrestlers to their fans and even moreso to the student body here at Cornell. It's important that people get to know the guys a little bit -- maybe through funny videos, seeing the shenanigans and the goofiness of our team behind the scenes. That helps fans connect with the wrestlers and come to the matches to support them."
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