David Taylor introduced as Oklahoma State wrestling coach
May 10—Oklahoma State needed David Taylor to lose.
If he hadn't in the championship series at the Olympic Team Trials, he wouldn't have been introduced as the university's eighth wrestling head coach Friday morning at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Athletic Director Chad Weiberg, tasked with filling the position for the first time in 33 years following John Smith's retirement, spoke with Taylor a few days after his April 20 loss to fellow Penn State Nittany Lion Aaron Brooks. Weiberg then visited Taylor and his wife in Pennsylvania.
During those conversations, Weiberg said, he learned what Taylor's vision would be for Cowboy wrestling as a first-time coach.
"He will bring a fresh set of eyes to this historic program, and at the same time, be a fit for the Cowboy family," Weiberg said.
Bringing in a fresh set of eyes was unexpected — as many theorized former associate head coach Coleman Scott, who left his head coaching position at North Carolina to return to his alma mater for a year, was handpicked to succeed Smith.
And Taylor, who lived in Pennsylvania for the past 15 years and had just ended his competitive career, was aware of how complex the situation was.
"It is the most uncomfortable decision I've ever made," Taylor said. "But just like training when I was a kid, the best results come from being uncomfortable, and I don't want to lose in anything that I do."
Taylor — an Olympic gold medalist, three-time winner at the World Championships and two-time NCAA champion — can relate to the wrestlers who are in the middle of one of the most significant hires in the history of their sport.
The only one that compares in the 21st century occurred when Penn State hired Cael Sanderson away from Iowa State in 2009. Taylor, who was committed to Iowa State at the time, was in a similar situation.
"I was in a weird limbo. I didn't know what I was going to do. I felt like I wanted to follow him, but I wasn't sure," Taylor said. "I feel like that was a decision that really changed wrestling."
Now, Taylor will work to tilt the balance of power in college wrestling back toward Stillwater.
"Oklahoma State is a place where every single recruit wants to come to school, and now we're on the top of the list," Taylor said. "It is the place to wrestle, and I'm excited to be a part of that.
"... You want to wrestle at Oklahoma State. You want to win national championships at Oklahoma State. We want to win team championships at Oklahoma State. And you want to stay and win World and Olympic gold medals at Oklahoma State."
Weiberg said Taylor's connection to the beginning of Penn State's dynasty was of interest to the administration.
"Everyone recognizes that they've set the standard for the sport right now, so I think there's a bunch of people that are trying to figure out what it is that they're doing," Weiberg said. "David was a big part of that, obviously, from the very beginning. I think we'll get part of that."
The Cowboys haven't hung a banner in Gallagher-Iba Arena since 2006. It is the longest championship drought in the program's history, the most successful in intercollegiate sports history.
Taylor, nicknamed the Magic Man, is a winner at all levels of competition, and he knows it's possible to build a championship-winning team as OSU's coach.
"We're going to create our own little magic down here," he said. "... I just realized that as my career came to an end, I wanted to pour into the next generation of kids, and I believe this is the way I can do it to the best of my ability.
"Hopefully, we can leave wrestling in a better place when my journey is done. My journey as a competitor is done, but my journey as a coach is now just getting started."
