Oklahoma State University Men's Wrestling

Smith is a name synonymous with wrestling success. The Oklahoma State head coach won six consecutive world championships as a competitor from 1987-92, including gold medals at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and he owns five national championships as head coach of the Cowboys. Entering his 26th year, Smith accepted the head coaching position at Oklahoma State in 1992 and the numbers and accomplishments since that time speak for themselves. He has led his alma mater to five NCAA team titles in 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, and he has coached 31 NCAA individual champions and five Olympians. Under his watch, the Cowboys have brought 16 team conference tournament championships, two Big 12 regular season titles and 102 individual conference titles back to Stillwater. He has seen his student-athletes earn All-America recognition 117 times, an average of 4.7 All-America honorees per year. He was recognized as the National Wrestling Coaches Association coach of the year in 1994 and 2003 and is a 15-time selection as his conferences coach of the year (1994 and 1996 in the Big Eight and 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013 2014, 2015 and 2016 in the Big 12). Most recently, Smith has led his squad to four consecutive Big 12 tournament titles, with seven Cowboys crowned conference champions in 2015 and 2016. The Pokes took a full squad to the NCAA Championships in New York City, where Alex Dieringer left his mark as a Cowboy Wrestling legend, earning his third NCAA title, and rising star Dean Heil won his first individual championship. Joining Dieringer and Heil on the podium was Anthony Collica (4th), Joe Smith (7th), Nolan Boyd (4th) and Austin Marsden (6th), at 149 pounds, 157 pounds, 184 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively. Upon ending the season, Dieringer became the second Oklahoma State wrestler to win the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy, the Heisman Trophy of wrestling. The Cowboys, who finished the season 13-3, took home a second-place finish at the national tournament and are primed to return a talented squad despite the absence of Dieringer, Klimara and Marsden. A native of Del City, Okla., Smith owns a 384-59-6 career dual match record as a head coach (.855 winning pct.). Smith led OSU to four consecutive NCAA team championships from 2003 through 2006. The 2003 squad compiled a perfect 17-0 dual meet record, won the Big 12 team title, crowned six individual Big 12 champions and featured a pair of NCAA individual champions in Johnny Thompson and Jake Rosholt. The 2004 squad sported a 17-2 dual meet record, won the Big 12 team title, crowned four individual Big 12 champions and was led by NCAA individual champion Chris Pendleton. Under Smiths watch, Oklahoma State compiled a 21-0 dual meet record in 2005 and capped the season with one of the most dominant showings in the history of the NCAA Championships when an NCAA-record five separate Cowboys were crowned as NCAA champions. Zack Esposito won at 149 with Johny Hendricks taking the 165 championship, Pendleton repeating as an NCAA champion at 174, Jake Rosholt claiming the title at 197 and Steve Mocco taking the heavyweight championship. OSU wrestlers compiled a 38-9 record at the NCAA Championships that year and the Cowboys set school records for points, margin of victory and national champions. Oklahoma State scored 153 team points to top second-place Michigan by 70 points. Smith and the Cowboys were 16-2 in dual meets en route to claiming their fourth consecutive NCAA team title in 2006, led by Hendricks and Rosholt, who both claimed their second consecutive NCAA individual championships. The first of Smiths five NCAA team championships was won in 1994, when the Cowboys compiled a 13-1 dual meet record, won the Big 8 team championship, crowned four individual Big 8 champions and three NCAA individual champions in Alan Fried, Mark Branch and Smiths younger brother and the first-ever four-time NCAA champion, Pat Smith. For all of the championships and success he continues to enjoy as a coach, it is his career as a wrestler that is the stuff of legend. Smith truly was the best wrestler in the world. In brief, Smith compiled a 105-5 record as a high school wrestler at Del City HS in Del City, Okla., before moving on to Oklahoma State, where he put together a 152-8-2 collegiate record that included a pair of NCAA individual championships in 1987 and 1988. He was a three-time All-America selection at OSU in 1985, 1987 and 1988. On the international stage, Smith rolled to a 100-5 career record that included six world championships (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992), two Olympic gold medals (1988 and 1992), two Pan American Games gold medals (1987 and 1991) and two Goodwill Games gold medals (1986 and 1990). To this day, Smith holds Oklahoma State school records for career victories (152), single-season victories (47 in 1988), career bonus-point wins (113), single-season bonus point wins (39 in both 1987 and 1988) and single-season bonus point win percentage (90.7 in 1987). A three-time Big Eight Conference individual champion in 1985, 1987 and 1988, Smith wrestled primarily at 134 during his collegiate career, where he strung together a 124-4 overall record. He also competed at 126, compiling a 27-4-2 overall mark, and won his lone career match at 142. After Smiths junior year at Oklahoma State, he won the first of his six world championships in Clermont-Ferrand France. Smith remains the only collegiate wrestler to win a world championship while he was still in school. Following his graduation in 1988, Smith qualified for the U.S. Olympic freestyle team and came away from the Seoul Olympics with the first of his two Olympic gold medals and the second of his six consecutive world titles. Three more world championships ensued in 1989, 1990 and 1991 before Smith claimed the second of his Olympic gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona games to cement his legacy as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. His list of awards and honors received certainly befits someone who earned the distinction of being the best wrestler on the planet. Smith was honored as the first wrestler ever to be voted as the James E. Sullivan Award winner as Americas outstanding amateur athlete when he won the award in 1990. He was the first American ever to be chosen Master of Technique and Wrestler of the Year by the International Wrestling Federation (FILA) when he received the honor in 1990. In 1992, he was presented with the Amateur Athletic Foundations World Trophy. A 2003 inductee into the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame, a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a 1997 inductee into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, Smith was recognized as one of the 100 Greatest Olympians of All Time at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Smith was the 1991 selection as FILAs Outstanding Wrestler of the Year after earning Man of the Year honors from Amateur Wrestling News in 1988, Athlete of the Year recognition from USA Wrestling in 1989 and Sportsman of the Year honors from the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1990. In 2004, Smith was presented with the Titan Award by the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the next year, he joined his brother Pat as one of 15 wrestlers named to the NCAAs 75th Anniversary Team. The Smith family legacy is strong at Oklahoma State, as Johns older brother Lee Roy was a three-time All-America in 1977, 1979 and 1980 and claimed the 1980 national championship. John was a three-time All-America in 1985, 1987 and 1988 with a pair of national titles in 1987 and 1988 and younger brother Pat was a four-time All-America with four national championships in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. Smith has also successfully established a wrestling club that allows wrestlers from across the country to prepare and train for international competition. The Gator Wrestling Club sent three former Oklahoma State wrestlers to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games. Jamill Kelly won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, with Daniel Cormier finishing fourth and Eric Guerrero also representing the USA in Athens. In 1995, Smith married the former Toni Donaldson. The couple has three sons Joseph, Samuel and Levi and two daughters Isabell and Cecilia.   John Smith Year-by-Year Coaching Capsule John Smith Year-by-Year Coaching Capsule

Guerrero is in his 12th year on the Oklahoma State wrestling staff. He was promoted to the role of associate head coach prior to the 2012-13 season. During his time on staff, he has been a key figure in four of the Cowboys NCAA team championships and ten of OSUs Big 12 tournament team championships. Additionally, he was selected to serve as head coach for the USA at the 2009 FILA Junior Freestyle World Championships in Ankara, Turkey and led that squad to its most successful showing in 11 years. A talented recruiter, Guerrero was instrumental in attracting the nations top recruiting class to Oklahoma State in 2009. Guerrero initially joined John Smiths staff as a strength and conditioning coach in 2000-01. His work in the weight room and in conditioning helped prepare Oklahoma State for NCAA team championships in 2003 and 2004. He was promoted into the position of full-time assistant coach following the 2004 season, and the success continued as the Cowboys won their third and fourth consecutive NCAA team titles with Guerrero on board in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The San Jose, Calif., native coached, 2016 NCAA champs Dean Heil and Alex Dieringer, 2015 NCAA champion Alex Dieringer, 2014 individual champions Alex Dieringer and Chris Perry, 2013 NCAA individual champions Perry and Jordan Oliver, 2011 NCAA individual champion Oliver, 2008 NCAA individual champion Coleman Scott, 2006 NCAA individual champions Johny Hendricks and Jake Rosholt, 2005 NCAA individual champions Zack Esposito, Hendricks, Chris Pendleton, Rosholt and Steve Mocco and assisted in the development of 2003 NCAA individual champs Johnny Thompson and Rosholt and 2004 NCAA individual champion Pendleton. A decorated wrestler himself, Guerrero won NCAA individual championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999 at the age of 19, 20 and 21, respectively, and he represented the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Guerrero was a four-time All-American in college, a four-time U.S. Open national champion and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2002 U.S. Open. Additionally, Guerrero was a two-time USA FILA junior world freestyle champion and won the 1995 USA junior freestyle championship. As an international competitor, Guerrero made his first USA world team while he was still just a junior in college. He earned his first berth in the World Championships following his college career in 1999. Guerrero won four U.S. Open titles from 2001 to 2004, won a World Cup Championship in 2003, was a member of the U.S. World Team five consecutive years and helped the Gator Wrestling Club win three national team titles. Guerrero compiled a 117-13 overall record during his time as a wrestler at Oklahoma State from 1996-99, highlighted by a perfect 31-0 record his senior year in which he recorded a fall, 12 technical falls and seven major decisions. He is one of only 12 four-time All-Americans in the decorated history of Oklahoma State wrestling. Additionally, he was recognized as a two-time Academic All-America selection. With Guerrero serving as one of the team leaders, the Cowboys won 68 consecutive dual matches spanning from the last four duals of his freshman year through the end of his senior year. The Cowboys won three conference championships during Guerreros time competing, claiming the 1996 Big 8 championship and the 1997 and 1998 Big 12 titles. He dominated the field at the 1999 NCAA Championships, picking up bonus-point victories in his first three matches before claiming a 1-0 win over Fresno States Stan Greene in the semifinals and a 3-1 win over Iowa States Cody Sanderson in the title bout. His route to the 1999 NCAA Championship was similar to his journey to the 1998 crown, as he claimed three straight bonus-point wins before a 2-1 victory over Iowa States Dwight Hinson in the semis and a 5-4 triumph over Wisconsins Eric Jetton for the crown. Most recently, Guerrero was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with the Class of 2014 as a Distinguished Member, which is the highest honor a wrestler can receive. Guerrero originally came to Stillwater after a stellar high school career at Independence HS in San Jose, Calif., that resulted in a cadet world title in 1993, first-team ASICS All-America recognition in 1994 and 1995, a junior national title in 1995 and California Male Athlete of the Year honors in 1995, among countless other accolades. He married the former Kristen Blair in the summer of 2012. Guerreros NCAA Team Championships 2003 - Strength and Conditioning Coach 2004 - Strength and Conditioning Coach 2005 Assistant Coach 2006 - Assistant Coach Guerreros NCAA Individual  Championships 1997 - 126 pounds 1998 - 126 pounds 1999 - 133 pounds NCAA Individual Champions Coached 2005 - Zack Esposito, 149 pounds; Johny Hendricks, 165 pounds; Chris Pendleton, 174 pounds; Jake Rosholt, 197 pounds; Steve Mocco, Heavyweight 2006 - Johny Hendricks, 165 pounds; Jake Rosholt, 197 pounds 2008 - Coleman Scott, 133 pounds 2011 - Jordan Oliver, 133 pounds 2013 - Jordan Oliver, 149 pounds; Chris Perry, 174 pounds 2014 - Alex Dieringer, 157 pounds; Chris Perry, 174 pounds 2015 - Alex Dieringer, 165 pounds 2016 - Dean Heil, 141 pounds; Alex Dieringer, 165 pounds Big 12 Team Championships As A Coach 2001 - Oklahoma State (Strength/Conditioning) 2003 - Oklahoma State (Strength/Conditioning) 2004 - Oklahoma State (Strength/Conditioning) 2005 - Oklahoma State (Assistant Coach) 2006 - Oklahoma State (Assistant Coach) 2010 - Oklahoma State (Head Assistant Coach) 2011 - Oklahoma State (Head Assistant Coach) 2012 Reg. Season - OSU (Head Assistant Coach) 2013 Reg. Season - OSU (Associate Head Coach) 2013 - Oklahoma State (Associate Head Coach) 2014 - Oklahoma State (Associate Head Coach) 2015 - Oklahoma State (Associate Head Coach) 2016 - Oklahoma State (Associate Head Coach) Guerreros International Wrestling Experience 1999 FILA Freestyle World Championships 2001 FILA Freestyle World Championships 2001 U.S. Open Champion 2002 FILA Freestyle World Championships 2002 U.S. Open Champion 2003 FILA Freestyle World Championships 2003 World Cup Champion 2003 U.S. Open Champion 2004 Athens Olympics - Team USA 2004 U.S. Open Champion 2009 Head Coach, USA Junior Freestyle World Team  

Esposito was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2016-17 season. The 2007 OSU graduate served as a club coach for the Cowboys for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, assisting with the Stillwater-based Gator Club. In just the first five years of his coaching career, he has helped guide the Cowboys to five team Big 12 championships and 32 individual Big 12 titles. He has also coached 32 All-Americans and helped lead Dean Heil to a NCAA title at 141 pounds in 2016, Alex Dieringer to his three indivdual national championships at 157 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively, Chris Perry to two-consecutive NCAA titles in 2013 and 2014 at 174 pounds and Jordan Oliver to two national championships in 2011 and 2013 at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively. Esposito was a standout wrestler for the Cowboys from 2002-2006, compiling a 120-12 overall record during his time in the Orange singlet. He compiled a 35-1 overall record en route to the NCAA 149-pound title in 2005 and has the distinction of being a starter on four Oklahoma State NCAA championship-winning teams from 2003-06. The Cowboys also claimed team Big 12 championships all four years of his impressive career. He played a vital role in each of his teams championships, as he finished second, first and third, respectively, in his three NCAA Championship appearances and second, first, first and first in Big 12 Championship appearances. He has also built an impressive list of accomplishments at the senior level of competition, including three appearances at the ASICS U.S. National Championships, a top-five finish at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, and several top finishes at international tournaments. Additionally, he was a member of the  2008 World Cup Team that competed in Russia. Espositos name can be found throughout the Cowboy record book, as his 120 career victories ties him for 10th all-time at OSU and his 32 career major decisions stands sixth on the Cowboys all-time list. The Three Bridges, N.J., native is married to the former Brandy Baker. The couple has two daughters, Evelyn and Goldie and a son, Rocco. Espositos NCAA Team Championships 2003 - 141 pounds 2004 - 149 pounds 2005 - 149 pounds 2006 - 149 pounds Espositos NCAA Individual  Championships 2005 - 149 pounds NCAA Individual Champions Coached 2011 - Jordan Oliver, 133 pounds 2013 - Jordan Oliver, 149 pounds; Chris Perry, 174 pounds 2014 - Alex Dieringer, 157 pounds; Chris Perry 174 pounds 2015 - Alex Dieringer, 165 pounds 2016 - Dean Heil, 141 pounds; Alex Dieringer, 165 pounds Big 12 Team Championships as a Coach 2010 - Club Coach 2011 - Club Coach 2012 Reg. Season - Assistant Coach 2013 Reg. Season - Assistant Coach 2014 - Assistant Coach 2015 - Assistant Coach 2016 - Assistant Coach Big 12 Individual Championships  As A Wrestler 2004 - 149 pounds 2005 - 149 pounds 2006 - 149 pounds Senior Level Experience ASICS U.S. National Championships -2006 (8th place), 2007 (3rd place), 2008 (6th place) 2006 NYAC International Tournament - 3rd place 2007 U.S. World Team Trials - 5th place 2007 Dave Schultz International Tournament 2007 Ivan Yarygin Tournament (Russia) Yasar Dogu Tournament (Turkey) - 3rd place Trofio Mione Tournament (Italy) - 1st place 2008 World Cup Team (Russia)