By Brooks Hatch
Corvallis Gazette-Times
Oregon State wrestling coach Joe Wells will step down after 14 seasons and remain with the university in an as-yet unspecified position, according to several sources close to the program. An official announcement of his reassignment, which he requested, will be coming soon.
Wells, 58, came to OSU in April, 1992, after assisting at Iowa and Michigan for 17 seasons. He coached one two-time national champion, one NCAA runner-up, 17 All-Americans and 22 Pacific-10 Conference champions in his tenure, the second-longest of the 15 men to lead the program since its inception in 1909.
Neither Wells, OSU athletic director Bob De Carolis nor senior women’s administrator Marianne Vydra, who oversees the program, were available for comment on Friday.
The Beavers were 13-2-1 in duals this past season and finished fourth at the Pac-10 championships and in a three-way tie for 41st at the NCAA championships. Wells’ career dual record was 161-94-2 (.630).
He won the Pac-10 championship in 1994, took second in 1993 and 1995 and third in 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2003. He directed the Beavers to four top-10 finishes at the NCAA championships, highlighted by a runner-up performance in 1995, but they hadn’t placed higher than 18th since 1999.
Rumors of Wells’ impending departure began circulating at the March 16-18 NCAA championships at Oklahoma City. De Carolis attended the event and made preliminary contact with some prospective candidates. More formal interviews should be conducted in the near future.
The spring signing period opens on April 12. OSU signed Keegan Davis of Sprague High and Marty Eng of Newberg in November; their letters of intent remain valid.
OSU’s distinguished wrestling history, its solid financial standing and membership in a Bowl Championship Series conference should generate a strong field of potential successors.
All 9.9 scholarships, the NCAA maximum, are funded by the $4 million OSU Wrestling Endowment. The scholarships can be divided among many athletes, as wrestling isn’t a head-count sport like football, volleyball, gymnastics or basketball.
The program has two full-time paid assistants and a volunteer coaching position. OSU has tuition reciprocity with other Northwest states in some academic programs, so out-of-state athletes can attend at in-state rates, helping to stretch the scholarship dollar.
There are also plans for the Gill Coliseum annex, a new competition/workout/locker room facility for the wrestling and volleyball programs. Wrestling now practices in Langton Hall and this past year held duals in Gill Coliseum, its traditional home venue, and the Truax Indoor Center.
Wyoming coach Steven Studer has wrestled the Beavers six times during his 17-year tenure there and described OSU as “a class program.”
“Can you win there? It’s been proven that you can,” he said.
Studer said he didn’t know how much institutional support OSU received or the other departmental concerns that only the head coach would know. But from the outside, he said he’s seen consistency from three different coaching staffs.
“I’ve always looked at Oregon State as one of those programs that is solid year-in and year-out,” he said. “I wouldn’t think it would be any different for the next guy.”
Added another coach more familiar with the program, who requested anonymity so he could be forthcoming:
“Any program that is fully-funded with scholarships and coaches, and has history, is a good job,” he said. “I think there is some work to do to rebuild the connections with the alumni and high school coaches.
“There’s enough good wrestling in the Northwest, there are always tough kids. Three All-Americans puts you in the Top 10 in the country. You get several good kids each year and before long you should be right up there. The resources are there to be a good program.”
Wells’ successor will be OSU’s fourth head coach in the past 50 years. He will follow legendary Hall of Famer Dale Thomas (1957-90), current Illinois coach Mark Johnson (1991-92), and Wells (1993-2006).
The change will be a popular move with a group of OSU wrestling alums that have critical of the program’s direction for some time, letterman (1967-69) Phil Frey said. He was a Pac-8 champion under Thomas who is now the director of Auxiliary Services at Chemeketa Community College in Salem.
“I don’t think anybody’s been really happy with the program, and the majority has felt that way for several years,” he said.
The group has about between 75 and 100 members, many of whom still annually gather at Thomas’ old ranch in Harlan for a reunion weekend.
“We love the program, have given a lot to the program, and we hate to see it floundering,” Frey said. “The dual-meet season has been mediocre-to-fair, and the record at Pac-10s and nationals has been abysmal for some time.
“If you take the emotion out of it and look at the results over the past 10 years, a change is needed. If I had a manager getting those results, I’d have a new manager.
“I think (alumni) deserve a first-class program. Look at the results under Dale, and the results now.”
Current assistant coach Les Gutches was the last OSU NCAA champion, in 1996. Since then OSU has produced five All-Americans, the last being 174-pounder Nathan Coy in 2002.
Frey said the alumni group doesn’t expect two or three national champions every year, but does believe there should be more All-Americans. From 1969 through 1981, the Beavers had at least two All-Americans every year except for 1976.
“I want OSU to find a coach who can motivate people to give their best performance at nationals, because I’m not seeing that,” Frey said. “The alumni want OSU to be competitive on a national level and have three, four or five placers every year.
“They don’t all have to win national championships, which we had our share of. They should be placing and wrestling the best matches of their lives at nationals. That’s what our program should do.”
Frey said he hasn’t talked with De Carolis during the coaching search. But he knows the type of candidate he’d like to see hired.
“Somebody with a great wrestling background, a good recruiter, someone who can motivate kids to a high level of performance,” he said. “Wrestling is a tough sport, and you have to be able to turn some buttons to make today’s kids work that hard.”
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