Heath Eslinger - Head Coach UTC

Jim Miller - Head Coach Wartburg

“This was a tremendous opportunity for those who have given so much to the sport, but it was also more importantly a time to reach out to those who will shape the future.  This will eventually help their athletes, colleges, and communities to shape the future leaders of this sport,” said Lt. Gen. Martin Steele, retired United States Marine Corps.

“The Academy was a reminder of why we are in this profession to begin with, it reinforced what we do. It was refreshing to hear what the young coaches had to say and the questions they asked were about gaining knowledge. They want to win as coaches, but they also want to do it the right way.

The best wrestling minds in the country were in that room.  I came back inspired from speakers from Lt. General Steele to Dan Gable and everyone in between, that room contained the battle lines of the profession. It was about the off the mat challenges we face, not about the technique we teach.  The NWCA Leadership Academy is the “Gold Standard” of being a coach today.  When I began coaching the ability to connect with people like this all in one place did not exist,” Jim Miller, Head Coach Wartburg College

 “What I admired the most was the cross learning that took place between the mentors and the coaches. This helped the sport so much more than I have seen before. You had rivals both young and old sharing their experiences with one another, focusing on the important topics that effect our sport daily, not talking double legs and single legs. I left that Academy proud of this sport, because we worked together; we shared our faults and our victories.” Todd Hibbs, Administrator and former Head Coach Olivet College