Former Hawkeye leads Ohio State to team title

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Ohio State's Tom Ryan has waited for this opportunity.

He devoted the time and made some difficult decisions along the way, but it was all worth it to celebrate a crowning achievement as a head coach.

The former University of Iowa two-time All-American guided Ohio State to its first team title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Scottrade Center. Ryan has been a college head coach for 21 seasons, including the last nine with the Buckeyes.

'I'm proud,” said Ryan, who also led Ohio State to a tie with Iowa for the conference tournament title. 'I'm proud for the major institution and administration that supports the sport.”

Ryan was a national finalist in 1991 and placed third in 1992 under Iowa Coach Dan Gable, living with Hawkeye assistant Terry Brands. He then served as an assistant at Indiana and led Hofstra from 1995-2006.

'Hats off to them and hats off to Tom Ryan,” former Hawkeye teammate and Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. 'He's a leader and he's dedicated his life to coaching.”

He then landed at Ohio State during the shake-up of 2006 that saw Tom Brands arrive at Iowa and Cael Sanderson move from Iowa State to Penn State. All three have won national titles now.

'I'm very fortunate,” Ryan said. 'I feel very blessed that (Ohio State Athletics Director) Gene Smith chose to hire me. There were a lot of great men in this sport and for some reason he saw something in me that he thought I could lead this program to a national championship.”

The Buckeyes finished second in 2008 and 2009. He said he had a timetable for a team title drawn up when he took over in Columbus.

'Sooner than this,” Ryan said as he smiled. 'I just felt you just serve, keep serving. You serve and serve and surround yourself with the right people and amazing things happen.”

Ryan has plenty of influences over the years, applying lessons he learned from people like Gable and Brands. He was shaped by a strong family and faith also. Ryan relied on his spirituality to help get through the death of his young son, Teague. His parents, Rosalie and Frank Ryan, and brother, Frank Jr., made a big impression on him.

'I have a mother, who was rock-solid in my life,” Ryan said. 'She worked every day, cooked for us every day (and) cleaned every day. The habits I learned as a young person are from that woman.

'There are many people along the way.”

Now he is a role model for the Buckeyes, leading three wrestlers to six national titles entering Logan Stieber's attempt to become the fourth four-time NCAA champion.

Kenny Courts placed fifth for the Buckeyes, contributing some big wins. He credited Ryan for believing in him after finishing eighth at the Big ten Championships. Unseeded Courts defeated North Dakota State's No. 6 Hayden Zilmer twice, helping secure the title.

'He's one of the greatest guys I know,” Courts said. 'He and my dad are the two best people I've ever been around, coach-wise.”

Ryan had to elevate the Buckeyes above adversity during the season, including injuries, bad losses and the death of Kosta Karageorge, a wrestler who was also a walk-on member of the Ohio State football team. He was reported missing in November and was found dead from an apparent suicide. The team honored Karageorge with a 'KK” band on their singlet, had a leather jacket on their bench all season to represent him and came out to a motorcycle anthem.

Ryan also made some moves to red-shirt some wrestlers, trying to push for a title. He was also able to keep freshman All-American Bo Jordan in state, despite his family wrestling for Wisconsin.

'We finally got it done,” Ryan said. 'Hopefully, it's one of many.”

TOUGH SHOWING FOR UNI

The University of Northern Iowa tied for 15th last season, boasting three All-Americans. The Panthers brought four wrestlers to this season's NCAA tournament, but were turned away from the awards stand at all four weights.

'Most of our whole team was here watching and if they don't have a real fire in their belly right now and a fire in their belly moving forward then we are probably going to struggle,” UNI Coach Doug Schwab said. 'They have to have that fire. It is easy to have that fire right now. It is easy to talk about all these things right now but we need to have that fire right now, two months from now and this tournament will be here before you know it.”

The Panthers finished 34th with nine points. Cooper Moore (165) and heavyweight Blaize Cabell opened their second straight NCAA tournament with two straight wins, but fell a win from placing. Senior Basil Minto won his first match before being eliminated at 197 and All-American 125-pounder Dylan Peters suffered an upset in the opening round, going 0-2.

'I've got to do things better as a coach,” Schwab said. 'I put it on me. Athletes put it on themselves and if we both put it on ourselves as coaches and athletes and we will sure as heck get better.”

IOWA NATIVE MEDALS

Two-time Iowa state champion Willie Miklus earned All-American honors at 184 pounds for the University of Missouri.

The former Southeast Polk and Ballard prep beat Nebraska's Tim Dudley, 6-5, for seventh place. Miklus went 5-2 with two falls, finishing with a 34-9 record.

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