Home Talk Live Lori Contests Nutrition Homegrown Training Galleries Muscle Scoop Die Welt About Us		Olympic Freestyle Coaches Jackson, Brands and Jones named by USA Wrestling to coach 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling. USA Wrestling has made its choice for the Olympic Coaches for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling that will participate in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Selected to join USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo. as Olympic Coaches in freestyle wrestling are Tom Brands of Iowa City, Iowa and Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va. This selection has been forwarded for final approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee. Brands served as the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed second in the World Championships. He was also the Assistant Coach of the 2002 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which did not compete in the World Championships in Iran due to a threat of violence. Brands works as the Assistant Wrestling Coach at the Univ. of Iowa. Jones was the Assistant Coach for the 2001 U.S. Freestyle World Team. After the attack of September 11, the World Championships were moved from New York to Bulgaria, and Jones assumed additional responsibility, serving as head coach of the team, which placed fifth. Jones was head coach of the 2003 Pan American Games Team, which won the team title. He was also on the U.S. coaching staff for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Jones works as the Assistant Wrestling Coach at West Virginia Univ. Jackson has been National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling since January of 2001, serving as the full-time professional coach working with the national freestyle wrestling program. The United States placed second in the 2003 World Championships and fifth in the 2001 World Championships under Jackson*s leadership. Jackson previously worked as the Freestyle Resident Coach for USA Wrestling from June 1998 through January 2001, coaching the athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. All three Olympic Coaches were teammates on the only U.S. Men*s Freestyle World Teams to win the World Team Title, the champion 1993 U.S. World Team in Toronto, Canada and the champion 1995 U.S. World Team in Atlanta, Ga. Complete biographies of each Olympic Coach selection follows, as well as quotes from each of the coaches. The two volunteer coaches selected as Olympic Coaches came from a group of five finalists. Brands and Jones were selected by the USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach Selection Committee, then approved by the USA Wrestling Executive Committee. All of the finalists were interviewed by the Freestyle Coach Selection Committee. The other volunteer coaches who were finalists for the positions were Bruce Burnett of Annapolis, Md.; Bobby Douglas of Ames, Iowa; and Mark Manning of Lincoln, Neb. USA Wrestling will add one more official volunteer coach to the freestyle coaching staff at a later date. QUOTES FROM THE OLYMPIC COACH SELECTIONS MEN'S FREESTYLE Tom Brands of Iowa City, Iowa It is a big job. It takes a lot of energy and commitment from the National Governing Body, the coaching staff and the athletes. When they all come together, great things can happen. The framework is in place. The biggest thing is to get our guys to wrestle their match. We know they will wrestle hard. If they wrestle smart, and get into their heads that they will dominate, we will do well. In the same breath, we have a lot to work on. We have some young, hungry guys. We have to build on that and capture that. Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va. It is truly an honor to represent our country and represent the Olympic freestyle wrestling team. It is a responsibility to lead this team, and I look forward to that responsibility. Our main focus will be preparation. We will focus on each athlete becoming an Olympic champion, and trying to develop seven Olympic champions. I have talked to Kevin and Tom, and that process has already begun. It is a great opportunity and I look forward to it. National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo. I'm excited to have Zeke and Tom working with our athletes to help them achieve their goals. Their experience, knowledge and dedication will show in our performance. They have been in the battle before, both as coaches and athletes. As college assistant coaches, they will have the time and support to commit to the athletes. Both have agreed to go on a winter tour, thanks to the support of their college programs. That should help our athletes tremendously. Our goals are to bring back the most Olympic medals of any wrestling nation. The experience from 2003 will show in our performance in 2004. We have many things to work on. Zeke and Tom will do anything to help them achieve their goals. Everybody who ultimately makes our team is capable of winning an Olympic gold medal. We have to improve in technical and tactical situations. If we achieve that, we should reach our goals. Our goals have not changed to be the best wrestling nation in the world! BIOGRAPHY SKETCHES OF OLYMPIC COACHES IN FREESTYLE WRESTLING Tom Brands of Iowa City, Iowa Brands served as the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed a strong second at the World Championships in New York City, led by two silver medalists. He was also the Assistant Coach of the 2002 U.S. Freestyle World Team that was scheduled to compete in Tehran, Iran. A day before the team was to leave for the competition, the U.S. government contacted USA Wrestling with information about a threat of violence against the team. USA Wrestling decided not to attend the World Championships because of that threat. Brands was a member of the U.S. coaching staff at the 2001 World Championships, and has coached a number of other U.S. teams in international competition. Brands is a club coach with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, one of the nation*s top freestyle wrestling clubs. He was named 2002 Freestyle Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. Brands has worked for 11 years as an assistant coach for the Univ. of Iowa. He was named NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000. Brands was one of the greatest U.S. freestyle wrestlers of all time, claiming a gold medal at 136.5 pounds at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. He also won a World gold medal at the 1993 World Championships in Toronto, Canada. Between 1993-96, Brands was the top U.S. wrestler at his weight class and represented the United States in numerous major international events. He won two World Cup gold medals (1994 and 1995) and was the 1995 Pan American Games champion. He also claimed four U.S. Nationals titles (1993-96) and made four straight U.S. World or Olympic teams (1993-96). Along with brother, Terry, he was named 1993 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year, the 1993 John Smith Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler, and 1993 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year. He was a three-time NCAA Div. I champion at the Univ. of Iowa (1990-92) a four-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion. He had a career mark of 158-7-2, including an undefeated season in 1991 (45-0). Brands earned his B.S. degree in Physical Education from Iowa in 1992. Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va. Jones was the Assistant Coach for the 2001 U.S. Freestyle World Team. After the attack of September 11, the World Championships were moved from New York to Bulgaria and head coach Mark Manning could not attend the World Championships. Jones assumed additional responsibility, serving as head coach. The U.S. placed fifth in the team standings and featured a pair of silver medalists. Jones was head coach of the 2003 Pan American Games Team, which won the team title and captured four individual gold medals: Stephen Abas, Joe Williams, Daniel Cormier and Kerry McCoy. He was also on the U.S. coaching staff for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. He served as head coach for the 1998 and 2000 World Cup teams, both which won the team title. He was also assistant coach of the 2001 U.S. World Cup team, also the team champions. He was a coach with the 2000 Pan American Championships team. Jones was named 2001 Freestyle Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. Jones has worked as an assistant wrestling coach for the Univ. of West Virginia, a major Div. I wrestling power, since 1993. West Virginia has developed three NCAA finalists during his tenure, and has twice placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships. He has also served assistant coaching stints at Bloomsburg Univ. and at Arizona State Univ. He is a club coach with the Sunkist Kids. Jones was one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers in U.S. history. He won a World gold medal at 114.5 pounds at the 1991 World Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. Jones also claimed an Olympic silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Jones added a World bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships in Atlanta, Ga. He placed fourth in the 1990 and 1993 World Championships. He was a member of the 1993 and 1995 U.S. World teams, which claimed the World Team title for the United States. Jones won gold medals at numerous major competitions including four World Cups, the 1995 Pan American Games and the 1994 Goodwill Games. He won six U.S. Nationals titles. Jones was a NCAA runner-up for Arizona State in 1990 and was a three-time All-American. He was No. 1 ranked freestyle wrestler in the USA while still competing in college. He is originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was a state high school champion. National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo. Kevin Jackson was named the National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling in January of 2001. Jackson serves as the full-time professional coach working with the national freestyle wrestling program and works to develop freestyle coaches and programs in the United States. Under his leadership, the United States placed second at the 2003 World Championships and fifth in the 2001 World Championships. The United States did not participate in the World Championships in Iran in 2002, due to a threat of violence against the team. In addition, the U.S. has won three straight Freestyle World Cup titles under Jackson, as well as the team title at the 2003 Pan American Games. Jackson was named the Freestyle Resident Coach for USA Wrestling in June 1998. In that position, Jackson coached the athletes involved with the U.S. Olympic Training Center freestyle resident program, as well as other freestyle wrestlers who come to Colorado Springs for training. One of the athletes he coached on a daily basis was 2000 Olympic Champion Brandon Slay. Jackson is considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers in U.S. history, winning a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain at 180.5 pounds, and claiming World Championship gold medals in both 1991 and 1995. Jackson is one of only five U.S. wrestlers to claim three career World-level titles. He competed on five U.S. World or Olympic teams, also placing fourth in the 1993 World Championships. Jackson boasts three career World Cup titles, and won the Pan American Games two times. Jackson won three U.S. Nationals titles, and placed second five times. He won many major awards, including the 1995 John Smith Award as USA Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year. He was named Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year in 1992, and was the USA Wrestling and USOC Wrestler of the Year in 1991. He was a member of the 1993 and 1995 Freestyle World Championship Teams. Jackson was an NCAA runner-up for Iowa State Univ. in 1987, a squad that also captured the NCAA team championship. Prior to Iowa State, Jackson was a three-time NCAA All-American at Louisiana State Univ. before the program was dropped. Originally from Lansing, Mich., Jackson won two state high school titles for Lansing Eastern High School and was a Junior National Greco-Roman champion. He is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.