COACHING WRESTLING AT KNOX COLLEGE
I was the head wrestling coach at Knox College from 1985 to 1989, and then again from 1992-2000.  In 2000, I demoted myself to assistant coach because I simply no longer had the time to be an effective head coach.  I have been very happy being an assistant coach since then, first to Brian Hastings for one season and then to Tony Islas.  The pictures on this page are a hodge-podge that represent just a few of the people and events from my coaching career.  I wish that I could have acknowledged all of the great people I have worked with during those years; my apologies for not having pictures of everyone -

 
     
The picture on the left shows me with two of our wrestlers, Tim Yee, '10, and Marty Dertz, '09,  before a meet against Central College of Iowa (held at Augustana College) in January of 2009.  The picture on the right is of Danny Stafford, '11, and head coach Tony Islas at the same event.


Edel Vaca, "11


This picture shows a gathering of Knox wrestling at the 2008 National Champiosnhips in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Pictured left to right are Chuck Porter, the guy who started the wrestling program at Knox almost 60 years ago, current Knox head coach Tony Islas, Jaran Rutledge, Knox's two-time All-American heavyweight, Frank McAndrew, long-time head coach and current assistant coach, and Bob Kuykendahl, a former Knox wrestler who was Jaran's high school coach at Carmel Catholic H.S. in Mundelein, Illinois.


The pictures above show Knox's first two-time All-American wrestler, Jaran Rutledge (Class of 2008), shortly after he placed 3rd in the heavyweight class at the 2007 NCAA Division III national wrestling tournament.  Shown with Jaran on the left is assistant coach Frank McAndrew and head coach Tony Islas.


Greg Leibach, Class of '08


Josh Franklin, Class of '07 


Knox Wrestling, 2006-2007


   
Knox Wrestling, 2005-2006  

                      
                 Andrew "Scooter" Batt, Class of '05                                                       Vince Singleton, Class of '03   



No record of my years of Knox wrestling would be complete without at least a mention of Janelle Curtis Eckdhal, Class of 2001.  Janelle was one of several female wrestlers that I coached at Knox, but she was the only one who had any real success.  She was a four-year letter winner, and as far as we can tell, she is the only woman ever to defeat a male opponent in NCAA competition (pinning a male wrestler from Wabash College (Time of Fall: 2:13) in a dual meet held at Knox College on February 13th, 1999).  Janelle was quite competitive in many of her matches, and while at Knox she placed 2nd in the University National Championships for women.  I love to tell people that I am one of the only wrestling coaches ever to attend the wedding of two of his wrestlers to each other.  Janelle married Eric Eckdhal, class of 2000, who was a heavyweight wrestler in our program at the same time as Janelle.  Janelle is now a dentist living in Wisconsin, and she and Eric are the proud parents of two children.



Andy Van Zee, '00



Tony Spizzirri, '98 (an Academic All-American), and Brian Hastings, '99 (for a while he was the Knox career win leader and later became an assistant and head coach at Knox).  Both are now high school teachers and wrestling coaches in the Chicago area.

                                     
                             Brian Hastings, Class of '99                                                                              Sean Hastings, Class of '98


Knox College Wrestling, 1997-98            




Me, Paul Robison & Adam Wende, Late 1990s


Knox Wrestling 1995-96



Knox Wrestling 1994-95


John Doke, Class of '95 inflicting pain on a Monmouth Wrestler

                     
                         John Martinek, Class of '90                                            Joe Salvi (on right), Class of '88


My First Knox College Wrestling Team, 1985-86