USA Wrestling has chosen its nominees to serve as coaches for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling.

Selected by USA Wrestling to serve along with USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo. on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team freestyle coaching staff are Lee Kemp of Alpharetta, Ga. and Kerry McCoy of Stanford, Calif.

Five finalists were interviewed by the USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach Selection Committee, which selected Kemp and McCoy as its choices to join Jackson as nominees. USA Wrestling's Executive Committee approved these selections. The nominees will now be forwarded to the U.S. Olympic Committee for final approval.

The other three finalists were Sean Bormet of Naperville, Ill., Mike Duroe of Iowa City, Iowa and Lou Rosselli of Columbus, Ohio.

Jackson, who works full-time as USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Coach, also coached the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling in Athens, Greece, and was on the staff at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He was a 1992 Olympic gold medalist as an athlete, and won two World gold medals (1990, 1995).

McCoy served as an official U.S. World Team Coach in 2007, and was a member of the 2005 and 2006 World Team coaching staffs. McCoy was also a 2007 Pan American Games coach.

Kemp was an official 2007 Junior World Team Coach, and was on the coaching staff of the 2006 U.S. World Team.

Kemp and McCoy were also Olympians as athletes, with McCoy competing on the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams. Kemp was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. Kemp was also a three-time World champion in freestyle wrestling (1978, 1979, 1982).

Quotes from the nominees and complete biographies are below.

QUOTES FROM THE NOMINEES

USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo.

"The Olympic year is the year everybody points towards for great success. Our goals have not changed. We want several Olympic champions and medalists. We have a lot to work on to catch the Russians. We can close that gap. We have athletes who are working every day to prepare for the Olympic Games."

"We have a goal to qualify all of the weight classes for the Olympic Games. That is our priority now, to get the other two weight classes qualified at the Pan American Championships in late February. Once we do that, we will prepare our athletes for the U.S. Nationals, the Olympic Team Trials and the Olympics. That is the normal process that we go through. The Olympic year brings more excitement to the entire program, for the athletes, the coaches and the entire organization."

Lee Kemp of Alpharetta, Ga.

"I am really excited about the opportunity. We are really close. Our Greco-Roman team, by winning this year, showed we can get it done as a nation. On the freestyle side, we are right there. With one victory alone at the World Championships this year, such as if Joe Heskett made it the finals, we would have been right near the top. Right up the weight classes, we have veterans along the way. There are many athletes who can win medals. This is a great team to work with."

"I think the biggest thing I can bring to the table is not the fact that I competed and won at this level. I have studied wrestling extensively. The areas where I excelled were setups and having a 'go-to' move. I was scouted by opponents, but I could still get my single leg. I don't see that much now. I see a lot of scrambling now. I will try to emphasize controlling the ties and having a go-to move. Each wrestler can have their own best move. Let's make it work on anybody. I want to give them the confidence to make it happen. All of the guys are tough. We don't need to be tougher. The rules are tactical. We need to wrestle according to the rules. When I competed, I wasn't flashy. My goal was just to win. We need to be tougher by being able to execute our moves. With 30 seconds left, can we score? In the first 30 seconds, can we score? That will be my focus."

Kerry McCoy, Stanford, Calif.

"I am very honored and excited to be selected for this position. We have the potential to do very well as a country at the Olympics. Whoever makes this Olympic team will be ready to win, in every weight class. I have total confidence in saying that we can win. I have seen the plan that Kevin Jackson has put into place. We believe in it. We need a level of commitment from the athletes to make it work. As coaches, we need to help them to stay on course. Once the team is set, we will take the training from where the athletes left off."

"I have been to that level multiple times. I have the experience as an athlete, as a coach and as a training partner. I have played all of the roles. Physically, I can get on the mat and work with anybody, giving them hands-on instruction. I will work especially often with the larger wrestlers. I am also current with the rules. As a coach, working with teams and with the athletes under my care, I had to make sure that they were prepared. I have been able to stay current. This makes a good fit with our coaching team."

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE NOMINEES

USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Jackson was named the National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling in January of 2001. Jackson serves as the full-time professional coach for the national freestyle wrestling program and works to develop freestyle coaches and programs in the United States.

At the 2004 Olympic Games, Jackson helped lead the U.S. to three medals in men's freestyle wrestling, including a gold medal by Cael Sanderson.

At the 2003 World Championships, Jackson led the U.S. team to a second-place finish led by individual silver medalists Sanderson and Kerry McCoy. He led the U.S. to a third-place finish at the 2007 World Championships, led by gold medalist Bill Zadick and four medalist.
	
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 trained in Colorado Springs. An athlete he coached there 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. 

Jackson is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 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.
	
Lee Kemp of Alpharetta, Ga.

Kemp served as coach of the 2007 Junior World freestyle team, which placed 11th in the standings and featured Junior World Champion Bubba Jenkins.

In 2006, Kemp served as a member of the U.S. Freestyle World Team coaching staff, assisting with the team which won four individual World medals and placed third in the World Championships in Guangzhou, China.

Kemp is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame after one of the most successful competitive careers in history. 

Kemp won three World gold medals in freestyle wrestling (1978, 1979, 1982) and was a 1981 World bronze medalist. He was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team which did not attend the Moscow Olympic Games due to the U.S. government boycott. He also won four World Cup titles, and placed second at the 1984 Olympic Trials to Dave Schultz, who went on to win the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Kemp also had one of the greatest college careers, winning three NCAA Div. I titles and placing second as a freshman for the Univ. of Wisconsin. He was a Junior National Champion as a prep wrestling star from Chadron, Ohio.

Kemp served as a graduate assistant wrestling coach at the Univ. of Wisconsin. He also coached with high school and college teams in the cities where he held professional positions. While in the New York area, he assisted with the wrestling teams at Montclair State Univ. and Rutgers Univ., as well as at Montclair High School. When living in the Minneapolis area, he assisted with the Univ. of Minnesota and with Forest Lake High School. Kemp was a volunteer coach when Forest Lake High School won the Minnesota state team title, and helped develop state champion wrestlers with the program.

He currently coaches the Lee Kemp Cooler Wrestling Club in Georgia. 

Kemp has had a successful career in business. He received his master's degree in marketing from the Univ. of Wisconsin in 1983. He worked in the advertising field with Burrell Communications in Chicago, then was in marketing with Clairol in New York City. In 1991, he became the ownership of a car dealership, Forest Lake Ford in Minnesota, where he held expand the business serving this suburban city. Kemp has also launched his own internet company, Hire the Winners, LLC, which provides an online assessment tool for sales personnel in the auto industry.

Kerry McCoy, Stanford, Calif.

McCoy served as a 2007 U.S. World Team Coach, helping lead the United States to a fourth place finish, led by World bronze medalist Daniel Cormier. McCoy was also a coach with the 2007 Pan American Games team, which won seven medals, led by champion Henry Cejudo.

McCoy was a member of the coaching staff for the 2006 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed third in the World Championships in Guangzhou, China. He has coached numerous nationally-ranked men's freestyle wrestlers in recent years.

He is currently the head wrestling coach at Stanford Univ., where he is serving in his third season. Previously, McCoy spent five years as assistant coach at Lehigh Univ. and three years as an assistant at Penn State Univ. He was also the Director of Wrestling for the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club.

McCoy was a member of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling teams, placing fifth at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia and seventh at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, competing at super heavyweight. He was a 2003 World silver medalist, and placed fourth at the 1998 and 2001 World meets. McCoy won gold medals at the 2003 Pan American Games and won the World Cup four times (1999-2002). He was second at the 1998 Goodwill Games, and won the Pan American Championships twice.

He won the U.S. National championships five straight years (2000-2004), and placed second on two occasions (1996, 1997). McCoy was also a 1992 Junior World champion, and placed seventh in the 1993 Espoir World Championships. He competed for the New York AC.

McCoy won two NCAA titles for Penn State Univ. (1994, 1997) and placed third in the 1995 NCAA Championships. He received the Hodge Award in 1997 as the college wrestler of the year. McCoy won 131 of his last 132 matches in college, including an 88-match win streak.

He served as Chairperson of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and was also the President of Penn State's Student-Athlete Advisory Board. McCoy has also served on Athlete Advisory Committees for the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Wrestling.

A native of Middle Island, N.Y., McCoy was a New York state champion for Longwood High School in 1992 and was a state runner-up in 1991.