Written by John fuller
Momir Petkovic is more American than he looks.
He can tell jokes with the best of them. He can talk trash with the best of them. And he can still wrestle with the best of them.
Petkovic, born in the former Yugoslavia, is perhaps the least recognized of USA Wrestling’s national coaches. When most think of training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, they spew out the names of Kevin Jackson, Terry Brands and Steve Fraser “all Olympic medalists.
What they soon find out, however, is that Petkovic serves as the pistons that makes the OTC motor run smooth.
“I don’t need all the attention, “Petkovic boasts in his accent. “My satisfaction comes from these wrestlers training at the Olympic Training Center winning medals overseas and dominated at the Nationals and Trials.”
And dominate they have.
At this year’s U.S. National Championships, four of the seven Greco-Roman champions are full-time residents at the Olympic Training Center. Two others are members of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, which also trains often at the Olympic Training Center.
It is no coincidence that the OTC program became dominant shortly after Petkovic’s arrival in 2002.
He was on the 2000 Olympic coaching staff that saw Rulon Gardner win gold, Matt Lindland take silver and Garrett Lowney hoist a bronze. One year later, the team placed third at the World Championships, it’s highest finish ever. Gardner and Lindland repeated their medal performances while Brandon Paulson also captured silver.
“Those two years put the United States on the Greco-Roman map, “Petkovic recalls. “Before then, we were never feared. After that, other countries knew that had to prepare for U.S. wrestlers as well.”
What has helped Petkovic relay his vast knowledge on to the Greco-Roman residents at the OTC is his personal relationship with the athletes. He’s a player’s coach and a disciplinarian rolled into one “think of it as a mix of Bill Parcells and Pete Carroll.
The wrestlers must respect him. He won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and captured four World medals as well. He even placed fourth at the 1984 Olympic Games, in the “twilight “of his extraordinary career. He moved to the United States just two years later.
But perhaps no coach at the OTC receives more respect than Petkovic. Whether it be freestyle, Greco-Roman or even women’s wrestlers “all come to him for advice on competition strategies and preparation.
“Respect is a good thing to have in this sport. I wrestled a long time, and at least on the mat, I feel like I have earned respect from these athletes. The best part is that I have never had to ask for it, though. They respect me as much as I respect them for the hard work they put in every day, “state Petkovic.
Petkovic has also been given complete respect by USA Wrestling and Fraser. He is allowed freedom to run the resident program how he sees fit, and recruit the wrestlers that he feels will have the best impact on the program as well.
If there was such a thing as a coach/General Manager in wrestling, Petkovic would be it.
But would you expect anything less from an American?
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