OSU coach was close to taking over Huskers
BY KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
John Smith declined to say how close he was to being on the Nebraska wrestling sideline, but he was close enough in 2000.
When top-ranked and two-time defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State meets No. 6 Nebraska today at 7 p.m. (tickets $1) at the NU Coliseum, it wouldn’t be hard to picture Nebraska coach Mark Manning with the Cowboys and Smith with the Huskers.
When Husker coach Tim Neumann resigned amid an NCAA investigation in the spring of 2000, Smith was in his eighth season with national power Oklahoma State. Manning coached at Northern Iowa and had worked as an assistant at Oklahoma.
“Who wouldn’t want John Smith?, “said Bob Burton, who along with (then) athletic director Bill Byrne conducted the job search. “Smith was a great wrestler, a great coach and had the highest international accomplishments in wrestling. “Besides, Burton had worked closely with Smith at Oklahoma State after the former OSU standout was named head coach when the Cowboys were in the middle of an NCAA investigation in 1992.
“I came up for an interview and I was impressed, “Smith said. “The five things that I saw at Nebraska were great potential, a great administrative staff, a solid recruiting base, a strong conference and schedule to develop and attract top wrestlers and a budget.”
Smith withdrew his name from consideration and Manning, who might have been a candidate at OSU if Smith left, took the Nebraska job.
Burton, now an assistant athletic director at Nebraska, said he was aware of Smith’s strengths and the abilities of Manning.
“Sure, I suggested we contact Smith, “Burton said. Burton, Byrne and former NU volleyball coach Terry Pettit conducted the interviews with Smith, Manning, USA Wrestling coach Bruce Burnett and UNO assistant Roye Oliver.
“I don’t remember making an offer to Smith, but we showed our interest and he showed his interest. Then he withdrew and we got Mark Manning.
“We knew we had a great coach. “
Smith said he never regretted his decision to stay in Stillwater, Okla., and agreed Nebraska made a good choice.
“Nebraska hired a great coach and he has done a fabulous job, “Smith said. “I don’t know what would have happened if I left OSU. But I’m happy here and we’re doing pretty well.”
Oklahoma State has won 32 of the 74 NCAA wrestling titles. The Cowboys have more than 400 All-Americans, 125 national champions and they have Smith, arguably the greatest wrestler in U.S. history. He won six world titles, two Olympic gold medals and had a 154-7-2 college record. Smith was the first wrestler to win the Sullivan Award for the outstanding amateur athlete in the U.S., and was the first non-Soviet to win the Wrestler of the Year award from the sport’s international governing body. He was recently named one of the 100 greatest Olympic athletes of all time.
Smith has three national titles as a coach, has a 216-25-3 record in dual meets, coached younger brother Pat to four NCAA titles, and coached U.S. teams in two Olympics and many international tournaments.
Many coaches say Smith’s current OSU team may be his best.
“We have a very good team and I like the way we’re wrestling right now, “Smith said.
He praised the efforts of top-ranked heavyweight Steve Mocco (26-0, with 15 pins) and three wrestlers who are 25-1 and ranked No. 1 in their weight class ” Chris Pendleton (174 pounds), Jake Rosholt (197 pounds) and Zack Esposito (149 pounds). Pendleton and Rosholt are defending national champions.
“We believe they have moved to the next level and our younger guys are improving as well, “Smith said.
The Cowboys are 17-0 in duals, including impressive victories against No. 2 Iowa State, No. 3 Illinois, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 8 Iowa, No. 12 Michigan State. No. 15 Cornell and No. 17 Missouri.
“We know we’re going to get a shot from Nebraska. We get the best effort from everybody we see and that’s an honor and a risk at the same time.
“What that does for our team is allow us to get better and make our best effort required in every match.”
Manning expects his team to give its best effort.
“Some Nebraska team is going to do it, “Manning said of the fact Nebraska has not beaten OSU in Lincoln since 1922 and has only beaten the Cowboys twice in 47 matches. “They have beaten everyone, dominated everyone.
“We’re loose and ready to go. We want to make it a brawl. We want to make it a conditioning dual, make it a street fight.”
According to recent national rankings Nebraska should be favored at 125 pounds with No. 7-ranked Matt Keller against No. 18 Scott Coleman, at 141 with No. 6 Matt Murray facing No. 19 Ronnie Delk, at 157 with No. 11 B.J. Wright meeting OSU’s No. 15 Kevin Ward; and at 184, with No. 2 Travis Pascoe.
Among the top matches expected are NU’s eighth-ranked Jacob Klein against OSU’s No. 2 Johnny Hendricks at 165 pounds, and Nebraska’s No. 10 B.J. Padden against top-ranked Rosholt. The Huskers will count on Mitch Manstedt at heavyweight and David Ingalls to fill in at 149.
“A big crowd, a lot of enthusiasm could help us a lot, “Manning said. “Our guys feed off that. If we get some 4,000 fans if could be the difference in getting momentum going our way.”
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or at [email protected].
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