Asst. Head Wrestling Coach Casey Cunningham Q&A

AMES, Iowa - Casey Cunningham is in his first season as assistant head coach for the Iowa State wrestling team. Cunningham was formerly an assistant head coach at his alma mater, Central Michigan, where he was the 1999 NCAA 157-pound champion. Cunningham was the first Division I national champion in CMU wrestling history.

In Cunningham's seven-year coaching stint at Central Michigan, he guided 18 Chippewa's to All-America status. While at CMU, he helped build a winning program that has won 10 straight Mid-American Conference championships.

Q: What was the biggest draw for you coming to Iowa State to be assistant head coach of the wrestling team?

"I can not say there was one thing that brought me to Iowa State. It was a combination of several things. Being able to work with and learn from Cael and Cody Sanderson was one thing. Coming to a school with such a rich history and a desire to be the best was another big draw. The support from the athletic department, alumni and the fans was a major factor as well.

Q: How has the team progressed so far this season, and how have you progressed as a coach in your time at ISU?

"I think our team is progressing well. We have a plan and with a few exceptions along the way things are going as we planned them. We are going to continue to refine our skills and continue to improve our wrestling in all positions and be ready to win a national title in March. As a coach I think I have grown a lot in a short period of time. There are many different ways to do things and to spare the details I have been reminded that you can have all the technique in the world, but if you do not teach fight and expect fight you will never get to where you want to go. We have guys that will fight and expect to win."

Q: What have you liked most about Iowa State fans and the Ames community?

“I have enjoyed the passion and loyalty of our fans in Ames and around the state and that is exciting. We have a great support base that continues to grow as our team makes its quest to be national champions.”

Q: When you aren't handling duties as the assistant head coach of the Iowa State wrestling team, what are you doing?

"I am at home chasing my two and three-year old boys around or giving my wife a break from our five-month-old who loves constant attention. We have a lot of fun in a very high energy house. I would also normally be spending time in the woods hunting but with the new baby and new job I was not able to get out this year. This is something I look forward to doing next year."

Q: Are you and your wife (Tara) happy to be able to raise your three sons, Hayden (3), Asher (2) and Ryder (5 months) in Ames, and why?

"We are very fortunate to be able to raise our family in a very family-friendly city. Ames is considered one of the top places in the entire country to raise a family and make a living and we see why. It has everything to offer that we could ever want, but yet it is a smaller town setting."

Q: What about coaching wrestling could keep you doing it for a long time?

"I enjoy the fact that you can have a major impact on a young man at a stage in their life where they can go one way or another depending on the influences in their life. I have been a coach now going on nine years and it is amazing how much I am learning. This is a job that is never the same from one day to the next and that is fun."

Q: The Cyclones look poised to do very well at this weekend's NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. What has been the team's focus since the Midlands Championships?

"Our focus is always the same in that we expect our guys to fight for seven, eight, nine or however many minutes it takes to beat a guy. Since the Midlands though we have fixed some areas of technique which were costing us matches that we should have won. Again, as long as we have guys that fight we can fix their skills."

Iowa State University Athletics

Asst. Head Wrestling Coach Casey Cunningham Q&A

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