TitleIX is ripe for reform

I wish we could have kept Bobby Douglas in the coaching ranks for longer after he handed the head coaching baton at Iowa State to his protégé Cael. Previously Arizona State's rise to the 1988 NCAA D1 championship (which he led) was historic. It's the ONLY time any college wrestling team west of the Rockies has won it all at the NCAA D1 level. https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/1/9/-asuwrestling-to-honor-hall-of-fame-coach-bobby-douglas-at-sun-devil-duals.aspx Cal. State Bakersfield admittedly did well at the (I guess D2) level out there, decades ago. However, Coach Douglas showed it could be done at the D1 level in that underserved region, too. Coach Davis went on to recruit Cael Sanderson from the West (Utah) and help produce that history-maker at Iowa State. Perhaps Coach Douglas had another run left in him upon handing the Cyclone head coaching baton to Cael. I'd like to think he'd have focused on frontier-opening endeavors, post-Iowa State, but I don't know what those might have been. Any thoughts? Restoring Cal. State Bakersfield to greatness would have been hard to do without Sunkist-level funds. Rescuing Cal. State Fullerton's program from discontinuation just under two decades ago would have been, too. As for UC: Davis: I don't know either. Maybe he could have gotten the U. of Arizona's program in Tucson reinstated?

I wish we could have kept Bobby Douglas in the coaching ranks for longer. Arizona State's rise to the 1988 NCAA D1 championship (behind him) was historic. It's the ONLY time any college wrestling team west of the Rockies has won it all at the NCAA D1 level. https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/1/9/-asuwrestling-to-honor-hall-of-fame-coach-bobby-douglas-at-sun-devil-duals.aspx Cal. State Bakersfield admittedly did well at the (I guess D2) level decades ago but Coach Douglas showed it could be done at the D1 level out there. He went on to recruit Cael Sanderson from the West and help produce that history-maker at Iowa State. Perhaps Coach Douglas had another run left in him upon handing the Cyclone head coaching baton to Cael. I'd like to think he'd have focused on frontier-opening endeavors, post-Iowa State, but I don't know what those might have been. Any thoughts?

If Bo Nickal wins the Olympics, too, then wouldn't he have a stronger chance than David Taylor of being THE future coaching recruit? Even without an Olympic medal, isn't he a strong contender for a prominent coaching job somewhere? I guess his MMA endeavors have kept that from happening, for now...

Around a decade ago, Iowa State hired an olympic gold medalist (Kevin Jackson). He had also reached the NCAA finals for Iowa State after transferring in from Louisiana State University's (LSU's) suddenly canceled program. Hiring that Michigan native to run the show did not go well for the Cyclones. David Taylor is similarly from far away from Iowa, along with NCAA finalist finishings. Along with a title or two, David also wrestled Bubba Jenkins and Kyle Dake in some other NCAA finals. Losing to either one is nothing to be ashamed of, just as Kevin Jackson's losing to Royce Alger in the NCAA finals wasn't. A difference between Kevin and David is that Kevin came in after Iowa State's head coach announced his departure. In contrast, there is at least one Brands willing & eager to continue running the Hawkeye wrestling show. Personally I'd like to see them win with more Iowans on their roster, but at any rate, I'm not too thrilled with the idea of ousting head coaches that are consistently placing in the top few each year. What does my analysis lack, though? I look forward to being enlightened with opposing views.

If anyone has a better map to share, ideally with NAIA teams AND a color-code key, that would be helpful (please).

Here's a map from 2019 of NCAA (but apparently not NAIA) teams. It appears that blue signifies D1. But I'm not seeing Minnesota which existed before 2019, unlike the new D3 team in Texas (Schreiner U.). Still, the map's helpful. Although the four hour drive between Cal. Poly: San Luis Obispo and Cal. Davis is comparatively small compared to many college wrestling road trips (especially at the D1 level), I agree that it's not a particularly small distance. I looked on the map just now and am surprised to see how San Luis Obispo (where a Cal. Poly branch is that sponsors wrestling) is closer to Los Angeles than it is to San Francisco (which isn't that far from Cal. Davis... around 75 miles). This helps drive home in my mind the point that it would help Stanford U. wrestling, and for that matter San Francisco State and Oregon State if we could get more D1 teams to resurface or otherwise emerge in their region. As a sidenote, I grew up thousands of miles away from California. I did, however, work for a while in Los Angeles but I never roadtripped it far north of there (just south of there, as far as Tijuana). But I have flown in to (and visited) San Francisco, albeit from back East. Is there any chance we can boost the quantity of NCAA D1 wrestling programs in the northwestern USA? Fortunately there's some quality NAIA wrestling up there. I'd like to see the travel burden eased on the teams in that region.

Thank you for raising this matter. I subsequently researched it and it seems that Coach Azevedo was at Cal. Poly, not nearby U.C. Davis: https://mustangnews.net/azevedo-leaves-his-mark-on-wrestling-program/

Cal. State Bakersfield is now seeking an assistant wrestling coach: https://intermatwrestle.com/jobs/assistant-wrestling-coach-cal-state-bakersfield-r23/

He's been sharpening his fangs at the college level, too. Prior to that, Coach Buxton helped build Blair Academy into a wrestling dynasty... Here he is coaching at Rutgers: https://scarletknights.com/news/2022/12/6/wrestling-names-buxton-volunteer-assistant.aspx

Thanks for the interesting suggestion. Nontraditional backgrounds are not fatal to an eventual NCAA D1 coach's success, interestingly enough. Back around 2006, Va. Tech. hired a new head coach who had been a high school coach for the past 20 years or so (at Grundy & Christiansburg high schools). After a bumpy start resulting substantially from recruits' defections to Iowa City, the Hokies ended up becoming the best they had ever been, on various levels. Well enough that Iowa State subsequently strived (successfully) to lure Kevin Dresser back to his state of origin, where he coaches to this day. Meanwhile, Coach Azevedo coached from the topmost post at (I seem to recall) Cal: Davis after coaching at the high school level (Calvary Chapel, I think it was called). Similarly, Steve Martin coached at Great Bridge H.S. in Va. before taking over at Old Dominion University. If you know of other examples (and I can think of more), please feel free to share.

Is this the same guy? https://www.edgewrestling.com/ernie-monaco

As for Princeton's NCAA finalist from 2002, Greg Parker: https://www.cnywrestling.com/ii/hof/halloffamer.php?id=140 it looks like he's in San Francisco now...volunteering for Beat the Streets (wrestling) and using his computer science degree: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-r-parker?challengeId=AQF2HydOv3xxqAAAAYqMY4EKg6kLeW9EMNHCaPpfJogu2y0cEzyKcC8J3axb-A47ZyfxlH3qFCUKjrEKKRPDtiKiO32JI9sBsQ&submissionId=d4819f39-a954-8417-fd86-20ac78015467&challengeSource=AgF9uLpZpvtMBgAAAYqMY8fYBGVusV5vTOecWS2VzW5DfsocSqEXG9Z79TLPq6s&challegeType=AgEiKcFk9es6CwAAAYqMY8fbFvYoTQj-oCfN26nUv2ljukdluK5FZrY&memberId=AgEYvmeqF9NAhwAAAYqMY8feB-KGLLChT_LaYM3L1mF8A60&recognizeDevice=AgGduAkpEepHxwAAAYqMY8fgtQlDn21NoZKBbMP-qvcz_wafUeV5 Greg does not appear to be coaching, unless it's at maybe San Francisco St. Ah well...

Kyle Dake has some coaching experience. Or might he have his heart set on the '24 Olympics? https://cornellbigred.com/sports/wrestling/roster/coaches/kyle-dake-13/2134 Meanwhile, his rival Jordan Burroughs (a NJ native) comes to mind... That said, someone with quite an academic background would seemingly be well suited for the job. It's Princeton, after all. The wrestlers will have serious academic pressures on them. Any idea what 2002 NCAA finalist Greg Parker's up to these days? I recall he was a computer science major at Princeton... Maybe after 2 decades of that stuff, he's ready to get into coaching? Admittedly, it's been said that assistant coaching experience is very much needed by head coaches. https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2002/3/23/739200

Perhaps it was a Princeton grad., but (s)he was simply trying to economize on words. The statistic itself is impressive, by the way. Can Princeton maintain the favorable momentum? Hopefully so.

Might anyone here have heard, yet, about Princeton U.'s wrestling coaching situation now that their longstanding head coach (Ayres) has made a commitment to move on to Stanford U.? Hopefully Princeton can continue its favorable momentum... Here's more on Coach Ayres' accomplishments at Princeton: https://goprincetontigers.com/sports/wrestling/roster/coaches/chris-ayres/9729

I was under the impression that the Stanford wrestling program knew it had to raise funds externally in order to fund additional scholarships. Rome wasn't built in a day and the fundraising was a gradual endeavor. I haven't been under the impression that Coach Koll returned to his alma mater because he was being let-down by Stanford's administration. The cost of housing in Palo Alto was a stated factor, though. But even if it wasn't, who can blame him for wanting to return to his alma mater and be closer to his family after he'd already achieved so much with the otherwise terminated wrestling team that he inherited at Stanford. I wish Stanford and the Carolina Tarheels well with their wrestling endeavors. I do not have ties to either program, by the way. I just want to see wrestling teams survive & thrive, not wilt and pass away. That said, I would like to see Princeton U. adapt to this new coaching personnel challenge satisfactorily. Hopefully it can? Stanford & UNC adapted well, it seems. Stay tuned...

Were they previously at 9.9? I seem to recall having read that they were not. Perhaps ever, in fact. But my recollection's admittedly faint on this topic. Maybe they were at 9.9 when tuition was maybe around $12K per year during the 1980s. Might you know, though? If so, please share.

Here's more on Stanford wrestling's new head coach. Of particular interest is his undergraduate degree: marketing. That could be very helpful... https://gostanford.com/news/2023/9/11/ayres-named-matt-gentry-head-wrestling-coach.aspx

Perhaps FloWrestling ? Either way, I'm glad to see that you're interested in the topic. It seems like community colleges will be among the most resilient colleges despite: http://www.USDebtClock.org . Meanwhile there seems to be so much growth potential for wrestling at the CC & JUCO levels: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cclo/ccfacts.html

Interesting... https://goprincetontigers.com/sports/wrestling/roster/coaches/chris-ayres/9729

Reportedly, here is the Stanford wrestling situation nowadays: ***Three top-5 recruiting classes, a substantial regional training center (RTC) structure and group of athletes, and additional scholarships funded through self-endowment. Meanwhile the wrestlers have an average GPA above 3.5, "exemplifying the balance of academics and athletics for which Stanford stands."*** Meanwhile ACC affiliation will give them annual competitions against some academically motivated universities including (but not limited to) Duke, UNC & U.Va. Unfortunately Ga. Tech. does not presently sponsor wrestling at the NCAA D1 level, but the Yellow Jackets were recently ranked as either the best deal for the tuition dollars or the second best. Meanwhile Cal: Berkeley also does not presently sponsor NCAA D1 wrestling. And I'm not aware that Southern Methodist University (SMU) ever has. But maybe that can change. I think ACC teams will be very happy to have Stanford in their circle of wrestling rivals. As we know, rivalry can be converted into friendship in our great sport of wrestling during the off-season, and beyond. And there is no doubt that folks on each of the ACC's 3 coasts would like to get some experience studying and / or working on AT LEAST one of the other two coasts someday. If only they can afford the travel despite budget cuts... Either way, Rob Koll appears to have left behind a solid base after he inherited a program that was all but extinct. Hopefully he can keep wrestling alive at his alma mater in Chapel Hill, and enable it to increasingly thrive (and hopefully welcome Stanford's entry into the ACC despite UNC's, Clemson's & Florida State's reported prior disapproval).

The Community Colleges 2023-'24 wrestling season has gotten underway... albeit in California (where there are presently nearly two dozen active men's CC wrestling teams). For more info on that front: https://www.caccwrestling.com/ Wouldn't it be nice to have more CC & junior college wrestling teams nationwide? California consistently demonstrates that maintaining a healthy quantity can be achieved, and with suspenseful team title chases keeping things interesting, too. Elsewhere in the USA, there are around 55 community college / JUCO wrestling teams for men: https://productiverecruit.com/mens-wrestling/junior-colleges Meanwhile we are seeing some community colleges & JUCOs launch club teams: http://www.ncwa.net/teams There are now reportedly nearly two dozen JUCO / CC wrestling teams for women, too: https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wwrest/teams-pages Community colleges are affordable, and at least in theory...embraced by their local communities. That means they are, in theory, less likely to shut down like Alderson Broaddus (in West Va.) seems to be doing (while alumni resistance is growing, FWIW, including from the wrestling community). Hopefully more CC & JUCO wrestling programs will emerge nationwide... Might the schools nearest you be next to add wrestling?

You've asked a very interesting question. FWIW, I see that their three current coaches have apparently stayed at Stanford: https://gostanford.com/sports/wrestling/coaches Might it be best to keep the coaching staff -as is- this wrestling season? Then if they shine, well... More power to 'em. If not, at least they'll have gotten their opportunity. And the student athletes will get to experience some continuity amidst this time of coaching and conference-affiliation fluctuation... That said, if there's a fantastic candidate lurking who wants to get started ASAP, that's hard to overlook. But who could possibly be that wonderful who is available now that Coach Koll has returned to his alma mater? Stanford is a special place. Personally, I think I'd go for keeping the existing staff intact. How about the rest of you?

We know if it's on the internet, it has to be true... But seriously though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_Football_Bowl_Subdivision "In order to retain FBS membership, schools must meet several requirements.[10] FBS schools must have an average home attendance of at least 15,000 (over a rolling two-year period).[10] An FBS school must sponsor a minimum of 16 varsity intercollegiate teams (including football), with at least six men's or coeducational teams and at least eight all-female teams.[10] Across all sports, each FBS school must offer at least 200 athletic scholarships (or spend at least $4 million on athletic scholarships) per year, and FBS football teams must provide at least 90% of the maximum number of football scholarships (which is currently 85).["