USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States, has named John Smith of Stillwater, Okla., Lou Rosselli of Columbus, Ohio and Casey Cunningham of State College, Pa. as coaches of the 2011 U.S. Freestyle World Team.

They will work with USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones of Colorado Springs, Colo. and the USA Wrestling national coaching staff to lead the team that will compete at the 2011 World Wrestling Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, Sept. 12-18.

Smith was selected by USA Wrestling's Freestyle Coach Selection Committee and approved by USA Wrestling's Executive Committee. Cunningham and Rosselli have been added to World Team staff position as part of their involvement with the World Team preparation process.

For Smith, it is a fifth World Team coaching assignment, including working with the last three U.S. World Teams. He was a co-coach of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team in Sydney, Australia. Rosselli has coached two U.S. Senior World Teams as well as two U.S. World University teams.

All three are top college coaches, with Smith serving as head coach at Oklahoma State, Rosselli as Associate Head Coach at Ohio State and Cunningham as head assistant coach at Penn State.

The U.S. Freestyle World Team Coaching Staff will also include USA Wrestling National Coaches Brandon Slay, Bill Zadick and Bobby Douglas, as well as volunteer coaches Cody Sanderson of State College, Pa., Troy Steiner of Corvallis, Ore., Mark Manning of Lincoln, Neb. and Matt Dernlan of Clarion, Pa.

Team Leader Mike Novogratz of New York, N.Y. is part of the staff, as well as Paul Kieblesz of New York, N.Y., who handles any and all assignments on behalf of team.

The athletes competing on the 2011 U.S. Freestyle World Team were determined at the World Team Trials held in Oklahoma City, Okla., June 9-11.

Quotes about the coaching staff

National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones

“When John Smith walks into World Team practice, he has instant respect of the team. Heck, when he walks into any room in the world, practice stops. But what makes him most effective is his ability to communicate the mindset of a World champion. He tells you what to think, what to feel, and how to get it done. If you follow his words, you stand on top of the podium. It's that simple.”

“Casey Cunningham and Lou Rosselli have been the guys in the trenches with most our World Team on a daily basis. They know our team inside and out and have put a lot of time in our preparation. They are some of our most dedicated freestyle coaches. They are smart and good at preparing their wrestlers. They're scouting the film, running the individual workouts, and laying out the conditioning plans. Bottom line... they're putting their wrestlers in position to rush the podium.”

“We have assembled a coaching staff who work with our athletes daily. Nobody knows these athletes better. They have great programs and great Regional Training Centers. They are the reason we have this program where it is. They are key to our success in getting the guys ready individually. They are an important part of our staff and it has been great working with them.”

John Smith, Stillwater, Okla.

“It is exciting to have this opportunity again. From last year’s team, we have all new guys this year. I like what they are doing and I like how they have trained. There is some excitement about this group. It has been enjoyable, but it has also been a great challenge the last two years. After 2008, we started with very little experience. It is good to see where we are now. I’ve been able to see them grind it out and improve. I am excited about where we are the year the before the Olympics.”

Biographies of the coaches

John Smith, Stillwater, Okla.

Smith served as a co-head coach for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, which competed in Sydney, Australia. The U.S. won four individual medals, including a gold medal from Brandon Slay.

Smith served as World Team coach for the 2010 U.S. World Team which competed in Moscow, Russia. He was also coach for the 2009 U.S. World Team, which competed in Herning, Denmark, and placed seventh in the team standings, led by individual medalists Jake Herbert and Tervel Dlagnev.

He also served as coach for the 1999 U.S. World Team, which competed in Ankara, Turkey, placing second in the team standings and winning three medals, including a gold medal by Stephen Neal. As coach of the 1998 U.S. World Team, the U.S. placed third in the team standings in Tehran, Iran with three medals, including a gold medal by Sammie Henson.

He was also the head coach of the 1998 U.S. Goodwill Games team, which captured the team title and featured three individual gold medalists. He was a co-coach of the 1997 U.S. World Cup team that won the team title and made history by winning every bout in the gold-medal match against Russia. 

Smith is a coach with the Gator WC, working with top Senior freestyle wrestlers from across the nation. He was previously a coach with the Sunkist Kids.

He is currently the head coach at Oklahoma State Univ., one of the most successful Div. I wrestling programs in history. He is the winningest coach in Oklahoma State history, with over 300 career coaching victories. He has led the Cowboys to five NCAA team titles (1995, 2003-2006). He has coached 24 NCAA individual champions and five Olympians, including 2004 silver medalist Jamill Kelly. Oklahoma State has won 11 Big 12 team titles under Smith. Eight times, Smith has been Big 12 Coach of the Year.

As an athlete, Smith was considered by many the best freestyle wrestler in U.S. history. He claimed gold medals at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, and won four World gold medals (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991). His six straight World-level titles is unprecedented. He also won titles at the Pan American Games (twice), Goodwill Games (twice) and the World Cup. 

Smith won most of the major awards in amateur athletics, including the James E. Sullivan Award, the USOC SportsMan of the Year and the World Trophy. He was FILA Wrestler of the Year in 1991, and won the 1990 FILA Master of Technique Award. He is a member of the FILA International Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, along with many other major honors. In 2004, Smith was presented with the Titan Award by the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the next year, he joined his brother Pat as one of 15 wrestlers named to the NCAA's 75th Anniversary Team. 

Smith was a two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State (1987-88) and a three-time All-American. He originally hails from Del City, Okla., where he won two state high school titles.

Lou Rosselli, Columbus, Ohio

Rosselli 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.

Rosselli served as a World Team Coach for the 2006 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed third as a team at the 2006 World Championships in Guangzhou, China. The team featured four individual medalists, including World champion Bill Zadick. 

He was the assistant coach of the 2005 U.S. World University Games Team, which placed third in the team standings with three individual gold medalists in Izmir, Turkey. He also coached the 2010 U.S. World University Championships team in Torino, Italy. He was also a coach for the U.S. team at the 2009 Pan American Championships. Rosselli has also coached a number of other U.S. teams on international tours.

Rosselli was named 2007 Terry McCann Freestyle Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. 

He is the coach at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, Ohio, one of the nation’s top training centers for international freestyle wrestlers. Two of the athletes from the Ohio RTC, Reece Humphrey at 60 kg and Tervel Dlagnev at 120 kg, are members of the 2011 U.S. World Team.

Rosselli serves as a club coach with the New York Athletic Club, one of the world's most successful wrestling clubs. 

Rosselli serves as the Associate Head Coach at The Ohio State University, working on the staff with head coach Tom Ryan. He has been with the Buckeyes for five seasons, and has been Associate Head Coach for the last two. With Rosselli a key part of the coaching staff, the Buckeyes placed second at the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Championships as a team.  He was named 2009 NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year.

Previously, he served 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Edinboro Univ., eight years as a full-time assistant and three years as a volunteer assistant. Rosselli has helped build the Scotsmen into a nationally competitive program on the Div. I level. He is considered one of the nation's most talented assistant wrestling coaches. 

Rosselli competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., at 114.5 pounds. His quest for an Olympic medal was cut short when he broke his arm during a victory and had to withdraw from competition. 

Rosselli was a 1997 World Cup champion, and won a silver medal at the 1998 Pan American Championships. He won U.S. National freestyle titles three times (1995, 1996, 1999) and was second in the 1998 U.S. Nationals. Rosselli was also a University Nationals freestyle champion in 1994.

Rosselli placed third at the 1993 NCAA Championships and was fourth in the 1991 NCAA Championships for Edinboro Univ. Rosselli was selected the Outstanding Wrestler at both the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament and the Eastern Wrestling League Championships in 1993. In 2004, Rosselli was inducted into the Edinboro University Athletic Hall of Fame.

A native of Middleport, N.Y., Rosselli was a two-time New York state champion at Royalton-Hartland High School, in addition to finishing second once and third once.

Casey Cunningham, State College, Pa.

Cunningham serves as a coach with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, and its Regional Training Center program there. Three athletes from the Nittany Lion WC are members of the 2011 U.S. World Freestyle Team, Teyon Ware at 66 kg, Cael Sanderson at 84 kg and Jake Varner at 96 kg.

Cunningham has served as the head assistant coach for Penn State for two years, and helped lead the Nittany Lions to the 2011 NCAA Div. I team title. He works with coaches Cael Sanderson and Cody Sanderson with the program.

Previously, he served as Cael Sanderson's head assistant coach for one season at Iowa State. He was also an assistant coach at Central Michigan for seven years (2001-2008). During his tenure at CMU, he helped lead 18 Chippewas to All-American honors and 35 Mid-American titles.

As a freestyle wrestler, Cunningham was second in the 2002 U.S. Nationals and 2002 World Team Trials. Twice, he placed third at the U.S. Nationals (2003-04). Cunningham was fifth in the 2000 World University Championships. He also won the 2003 Dave Schultz Memorial International and captured a silver medal in the 2008 Pan American Championships.

In college, Cunningham was a 1999 NCAA champion for Central Michigan, earning the school's first Division I national title and only the second individual title in school history in any sport. He was a 1998 NCAA runner-up and a three-time MAC champion. Cunningham earned his bachelor's degree in sociology with an emphasis in criminal justice from CMU in 1999.

Cunningham was a two-time Michigan state high school champion competing for Fulton/Middleton High School.