By ERIC KNOPSNYDER
The Tribune-Democrat
Think your job is pressure-packed? Try being the wrestling coach at the University of Iowa.
Jim Zalesky was let go by the school last week after nine seasons, in part because the Hawkeyes were not in the “elite” company that Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby expects from the traditional power.
After all, the Hawkeyes slipped all the way to fourth in the NCAA tournament this year. Yes, fourth.
In nine seasons as Iowa’s head coach, Zalesky compiled a 127-34 record, including 56-19 in the Big Ten. Oh, and he won three national titles.
A member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Zalesky also won three NCAA titles while he was a member of the Iowa team from 1981-84 and ended his career with an 89-match winning streak.
But, he wasn’t Dan Gable.
The face of college wrestling for more than two decades, Gable cast a shadow that no one could have escaped. His teams averaged one loss per season, racking up a 355-21-5 record in 21 years. The Hawkeyes won a Big Ten title in each year he was head coach and won 15 NCAA team titles in 21 years.
“It’s got to be hard following Gable and his success,” said Jody Strittmatter, a Cambria Heights graduate who now serves as an assistant at Pitt-Johnstown.
Strittmatter should know better than most. He was a two-time All-American under Zalesky at Iowa and still counts him as a friend, although Strittmatter said he hasn’t spoken with his former coach since the National Duals competition in mid-January.
“Every time that I go back to Iowa, we usually go to his house for dinner with his wife and kids,” Strittmatter said.
Strittmatter knew that there was talk about Iowa wanting Zalesky out, but the decision still caught him off guard.
“I was very surprised,”
Strittmatter said. “I thought they would let him finish out his contract and then see.”
Strittmatter was vacationing in Florida when he got the news, but he has kept up with information coming out of Iowa City.
He’s also kept up with the happenings in Blacksburg, Va., where Tom Brands now coaches. Brands, who was a three-time national champion at Iowa and won an Olympic gold before taking over as Virginia Tech’s head coach in 2004, is the top candidate to replace Zalesky.
“I’m sure that they’re going to hire Brands,” Strittmatter said. “I’m sure a lot of guys from Virginia Tech will follow him. That will make (Iowa) a national contender again.”
Strittmatter said some of the problems that Zalesky faced were outside of his control, such as heavyweight Steve Mocco’s decision to transfer to rival Oklahoma State, and that the program would have gotten better in the near future. But he also admitted that Brands might be able to bring back some of Iowa’s disgruntled fans.
“I’m not saying Tom’s a better coach, but maybe change is good,” Strittmatter said. “They said that (ticket) sales were down 30 percent. Maybe this will get all the hoopla back.”
Despite their friendship, Strittmatter has no desire to join Brands in Iowa City should he get the job.
“He asked me to (be an assistant) at Virginia Tech, but when I moved home I wanted to be home,” Strittmatter said. “I have the (Young Guns) wrestling club and everything is going well.”
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