What more could a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World champion possibly have to learn about the sport of wrestling?    Unable to match that type of dominance as the coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, John Smith knew something had to change.    So he changed.    The 37-year-old Smith has shown a willingness in recent years to learn new techniques and his wrestlers have developed a more physical style to combat the hard-nosed styles of dominating programs like Iowa and Minnesota.    The end result was an amazing 2002-03 wrestling season where the Cowboys won everything:   All 16 dual meets;  The National Duals;  he Big 12 tournament;  And the elusive NCAA championship on March 22 in Kansas City, Mo.    For all those accomplishments, Smith was a deserving choice as a first-time winner of the Dan Gable Coach of the Year as the nation's best for this season.    "Personally, it is a humbling award," Smith said. "It is truly an honor to win an award named after Dan Gable. It really feels good knowing you did something right. It is satisfying to know all the hard work has paid off. When you go through a number of years where you finish second or third, it makes something like this very special."    Gable, who coached Iowa to 15 NCAA titles in 21 seasons, said Smith is the "obvious choice" for coach of the year.    Oklahoma State easily outdistanced two-time defending national champion Minnesota 143-104.5 at nationals. The Cowboys had two national champions among their seven All-Americans.    "They weren't even favored coming into the year and they dominated at nationals," Gable said.    Gable coached against Smith for six seasons before Gable retired in 1997.    "I have seen progress in John as a coach," Gable said. "He has put the time in and now he is utilizing potential in kids. The success seems to have motivated him, too."    The Cowboys' impressive season is even more remarkable when you consider that Minnesota was the consensus preseason pick to finish No. 1. Iowa also was a fashionable pick to win it all with Oklahoma State expected to be somewhere in the top three.    "Very early on, I felt like we had something pretty special this year," Smith said. "I never really thought we were in danger of not winning a national championship. This team performed really well all year. From start to finish, we were a dominant squad. It was a little bit of a surprise that we never had a stretch of the season where we wrestled poorly."    In his second full season as the coach of the tradition-laden Cowboys, Smith guided OSU to its 30th national team championship in 1994.    The next eight years were filled with plenty of high expectations, but typically concluded with an abundance of heartbreak and disappointment.    From 1995-2002, the Cowboys never finished worst than seventh in the country. But at Oklahoma State that is not acceptable. In between their two national titles under Smith, the Cowboys were seventh, sixth, second, third, third, fifth, third and fifth at nationals.    "It was a tough time," Smith said. "We were knocking on the door a lot of those years, but weren't quite getting it done. There is no real satisfaction for me in finishing second, third or fourth. I think we got the most out of a lot of those teams, but I still wished we would have brought a different trophy home."    During his six-year run from 1987-92 that clearly stamps him as one of the best wrestlers in international history, Smith was unstoppable with his trademark low single-leg takedown.    One of the criticisms of his teams by many wrestling observers was that his athletes relied too much on that move and were not as aggressive as teams like Iowa, a team that consistently spoiled OSU's title hopes in the 1990s.    "We had to reevaluate some of the things we were doing," Smith said. "I understood that some changes needed to be made. I am not doing this to be second best.  I want to be the best. In the last few years, we have become more physical and our style has changed some."    "As far as technique, we have added a lot of new drills and some moves we haven't used in the past. The low single-legs are still going to be there, but we can get physical with anybody. Our guys have a combination of being slick and physical now."    After the Cowboys clinched the national championship with a strong showing during the consolation rounds, Smith stood at the top of the tunnel that leads to Kemper Arena's main arena floor with tears streaming down both cheeks while surrounded by reporters.    All the frustration of the past decade came pouring out.    "All that emotion you saw from me, that was what winning a national championship meant to me," Smith said. "It was very, very exciting."    Smith's peers recognize the job he has done.    "I have a lot of respect for John as a person and a coach. He has great character," Nebraska coach Mark Manning said. "He has really grown as a coach over the years and he did a great job with his team this year. That was John's best team. He has really revived the wrestling program at Oklahoma State. He has set the standard there. That motivates me to want to get our program to that level and beat them."    One of the biggest surprises this season for the Cowboys was freshman Jake Rosholt, a highly-touted recruit who came on late in the year to win the national title at 184 pounds.    "We didn't really expect Jake to win it this year, but he did a great job at nationals," Smith said. "He went through a lot of adversity. He lost four straight matches at one point this season and that can be devastating to a kid who had so much success in high school. At the end of January, he was either going to change a few things or he was going to continue to slide. He made a commitment at that point to work harder."    Smith also praised the performances of sophomore Chris Pendleton and senior Muhammed Lawal. Pendleton was third at 174 and Lawal third at 197.    "We weren't quite sure what to expect from Chris, but he was very consistent and had a great year," Smith said. "Lawal transferred here from (Division II) Central Oklahoma and I didn't know quite what to expect from him either. He finished very strong."    Many expected Oklahoma State to have a freshman national champion, but not Rosholt. True freshman Zack Esposito was seeded second at nationals at 141, but failed to place.    "Zack didn't wrestle that bad at nationals. He lost a couple real tight matches," Smith said. "He took it real hard. That pain can be a real plus if you use to motivate you in the right way. He will come back strong."    Now that his program is back on top, Smith wants to stay there.    The Cowboys are a strong bet to be next season's preseason No. 1 team with six starters, including two national champions among their four All-Americans, returning for next season.    Rosholt and two-time national champion Johnny Thompson (133) will lead the way next season. All-Americans Tyrone Lewis (fifth at 165) and Pendleton also return along with Esposito and national qualifier Willie Gruenwald (heavyweight).    "We feel like we have a real good squad coming back - that's what makes this job fun," Smith said. "We created something very good for ourselves and we think we can carry that over into next season. We won't go into next fall looking to finish second or third."    W.I.N.'s DAN GABLE COACH OF THE YEAR PAST WINNERS  Year    Name, School  2003    John Smith, Oklahoma State  2002    Bobby Douglas, Iowa State  2001    J Robinson, Minnesota  2000    Greg Strobel, Lehigh  1999    Jim Zalesky, Iowa  1998    Tom Borelli, Central Michigan & J Robinson, Minnesota  1997    Dan Gable, Iowa  1996    Lars Jensen, San Francisco State  1995    Mark Johnson, Illinois