Spartan Coaching and Support Staff 8
Head Coach Tom Mink el Commitment to excellence while maintaining tradition is the goal for Michigan State wrestling. Michigan State head wrestling coach Tom Minkel enters his 14th season in East Lansing following this credo as he continues to dedicate himself to producing quality student-athletes in conjunction with upholding the prestigious Spartan wrestling tradition. Minkel won his 100th career dual with a 33-7 victory over Northwestern on Jan. 24, 2003, becoming just the third coach in Spartan history to collect 100 wins. During his tenure, Minkel has produced 28 All-Americans, seven Big The Minkel File Ten Champions and one NCAA ChamTom Minkel (Central Michigan, 1971) pion, building on the success of the Career Record: 122-118-2 (15 years) program that has generated 13 NCAA Record at MSU: 107-100-2 (13 years) Champions, 61 Big Ten Champions and Big Ten Record: 47-55-2 eight Big Ten Championships. His di- Top-10 NCAA Finishes rection has also led to team success as his teams have finished in the Top Overall: 2 25 at the NCAA Championships nine out of the last 10 years. Two seasons At MSU: 2 (3rd-1995, 7th-1996) ago, six Spartans qualified for the NCAA Championships, including Gray Maynard and Nick Simmons. Maynard earned All-American honors for the Top-25 NCAA Finishes Overall: 9 third consecutive year while Simmons took All-American honors for the first At MSU: 9 (1993, 95, 96, 97, time in his career. 98, 99, 2000, 01, 03) The ascent of the Spartan wrestling program took center stage in 1995. Minkel, who was in the fourth year of rebuilding the program to its storied NCAA Champions past, led the Spartans to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, Kelvin Jackson, 118 pounds, 1995 the highest place of any MSU team since 1972. Kelvin Jackson claimed the 118-pound title, the first Spartan to win a national title in 21 years. The All-Americans (Most recent) 27 (Nick Simmons, 2003) following year, Minkel proved that the Spartan program would be a model for consistency, guid- Big Ten Champions (Most recent) ing MSU to a seventh- 8 (Nick Muzashvili, 2000) place NCAA finish. The back-to-back top eight finishes at the NCAA Championships hadn t been accomplished at Michigan State since the 1971-72 seasons, when the Spartans placed in the top five for six consecutive years. Minkel s resume is one of the most impressive in the country, highlighted by numerous international coaching experiences. After serving as head coach for three U.S. World Teams and one U.S. Pan-American team, Minkel was named the head coach for the U.S. Team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Minkel made the most of his opportunity while creating U.S. wrestling history he led the USA to a bronze medal, the highest finish ever by a U.S. team in GrecoRoman competition. Overall, Minkel s travels have taken him to more than 40 countries and have cemented his reputation as one of the top coaches in the sport. While Minkel has been all over the world coaching wrestling for the United States, his main focus continues to be the Spartan wrestling program. The program has made vast strides since his arrival in 1991 as he continues to create a first-class environment for wrestling at Michigan State. His 9
efforts led to the improvement of Jenison Field House, which now features the nation s only dual meet platform and a 20 x 25 foot mural highlighting the Spartan team. Minkel has also introduced the team s own comprehensive website and has fostered the growth of Takedown Club, increasing exposure and fund raising for the program. For all of Minkel s coaching credentials, his career as a wrestler is just as impressive. His vast knowledge of the sport stems from his own International Coaching Experience 1996 Staff, U.S. Olympic Team, 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta 1992 Head Coach, U.S. Olympic Team, 1992 Olympic Games, Spain 1991 Head Coach, U.S. World Team, Bulgaria 1991 Head Coach, U.S. Pan American Team, Cuba 1990 Assistant Coach, U.S. World Team, Italy 1989 Head Coach, U.S. World Team, Switzerland 1988 Assistant Coach, U.S. Olympic Team, South Korea 1987 Assistant Coach, U.S. Pan American Team, Indianapolis 1987 Assistant Coach, U.S. World Team, France 1986 Head Coach, U.S. World Cup Team, Chicago career as a world-class wrestler. Minkel, a three-time U.S. National Greco-Roman Champion at 149 pounds, was a member of the 1980 Olympic Team and wrestled for seven U.S. teams that competed internationally. As a collegiate wrestler at Central Michigan, Minkel was a three-time All- American twice in Division II and once in Division I and is the only wrestler in school history to go through an entire career undefeated in dual meets (35-0-1). He was the conference champion in 1969 and 1970, and earned the conference s Outstanding Wrestler Award in 1970. His overall career mark was 73-13-1, and his accomplishments landed him in Central Michigan s Hall of Fame in 1985. Minkel was also a Michigan High School State Champion in 1967. Minkel arrived at Michigan State in 1991 from his alma mater, where he was the head coach for two seasons and an assistant coach for 12 years (1977-89). In addition to his coaching duties, Minkel has been on several wrestling committees. Minkel served as second Vice-President for USA Wrestling from 1984-86 and Vice-President from 1986-90, and was also an athlete s representative to the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1984-86. Minkel and his wife, Jackie, currently live in Okemos. Minkel s Career Record Year School Overall PCT. Big Ten Finish 1989-90 Central Michigan 8-9.471 -- -- 1990-91 Central Michigan 7-9.438 -- -- 1991-92 Michigan State 6-12.333 1-6 9th 1992-93 Michigan State 5-9.357 1-8 9th 1993-94 Michigan State 11-4.733 6-3 6th 1994-95 Michigan State 14-4.778 7-2 2nd 1995-96 Michigan State 15-6.714 7-2 3rd 1996-97 Michigan State 9-12.429 3-8 8th 1997-98 Michigan State 9-10.474 5-4 7th 1998-99 Michigan State 6-11-1.353 2-5-1 8th 1999-00 Michigan State 9-5-1.643 4-4-1 4th 2000-01 Michigan State 8-8.500 3-5 7th 2001-02 Michigan State 5-12.294 2-6 8th 2002-03 Michigan State 9-5.583 5-1 T-3rd 2003-04 Michigan State 2-12.143 1-7 T-9th MSU 13 Years 108-110-2.498 47-61-2 (.440) Total 15 Years 123-128-2.492 10
David Dean Roger Chandler Assistant Coach Assistant Coach David Dean enters his 12th season as an assistant coach at MSU. This is his first year to serve as the team s strength and conditioning coordinator. Dean came to MSU after serving as an assistant at the University of Minnesota in 1989-90. During that season, the Golden Gophers finished third in the Big Ten and 10th at the NCAA Championships. A native of Montrose, Mich., Dean was a two-time Big Ten Champion at 177 pounds for Minnesota in 1987 and 1989. He placed second and third, respectively, at the NCAA Championships those two years. After his collegiate career, Dean continued wrestling at the national level. He served as an alternate at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta after finishing third at the Olympic Greco-Roman Trials. In 1994, he captured the silver medal at the Greco-Roman Pan American Championships to help lead the U.S. to the title. The United States won both the GrecoRoman and freestyle titles for the first time ever that year and Dean was honored as the Wrestler of the Year by the Michigan Wrestling Association. Dean, a 1989 graduate of Minnesota, was a two-time state champion at Montrose High School. He resides in Laingsburg with his wife, Beth, and three children: sons Gabe (10) and Max (7), and daughter Cassandra (5). Roger Chandler begins his seventh year as assistant coach at Michigan State. The Indiana University Male Athlete of the Year in 1996-97, Chandler was a three-time All-America wrestler at Indiana from 1995-97, finishing eighth, third and second, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. His only loss at the 1997 NCAA tournament came against Cary Kolat of Lock Haven, a two-time NCAA champion and 1997 World Championship runner-up. The Big Ten Champion at 142 pounds in 1997, Chandler finished his Indiana career with a 134-25 record. Chandler graduated from Indiana in 1997 with a degree in sport management. In high school, Chandler was the 1992 Ohio state champion, wrestling on a team that produced 12 state and eight national champions. He ended his prep career with a 112-12 mark. Chandler, a member of the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club, returned to competitive wrestling three years ago. He competed at the Midlands Millennium Championship in 2000, finishing fourth at 149 pounds and established a new fastest fall record at 149 pounds, pinning his opponent in 21 seconds. He finished second at 138.75 pounds (63 kg) at the Dave Schultz Memorial International Wrestling Championships in Fort Carson, Colo., in 1999. He was defeated in the finals by two-time Olympic team alternate John Fisher. He also won the Northern Plains Regional in 1999 and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler. Seeded No. 6 at the U.S. National Wrestling Championships in 1999, Chandler won by technical fall over C.C. Fisher (12-1) and Dan Smith of Arizona, 12-2 (2:10) before falling to Mark Ironside of Hawkeye Wrestling Club, 6-5. Chandler is a native of Sheffield Lake, Ohio. His wife, Mandy, is an academic coordinator for Michigan State in the Student-Athlete Academic Services. The couple have have two daughters, Kira (4) and Kylee (1). 11
Volunteer Assistant Coach Athletic T r a i n e r Leigh Weiss John Kimble Managers 12 Alicia Bowerman Ty Erickson Lindsay Glasson Jenny Hartz Jenny Gallo Dawn Konigsberg