Biographies for finalist candidate for U.S. Olympic Team coaching positions

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
11/04/2003


MEN'S FREESTYLE     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.      Bruce Burnett of Annapolis, Md.    Burnett served as the National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling from in 1992-2000, the full-time professional coach that worked with the national freestyle program, coaching the elite freestyle wrestlers in the nation.    During his tenure as National Coach, the USA won World Team Titles at the 1993 and 1995 World Freestyle Championships, and claimed five medals at the 1996 Olympic Games, the most of any competing nation. The U.S. team at the 2000 Olympics won four medals. He was named USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996, and USOC Coach of the Year for wrestling in 1996.    Burnett served as the National Developmental Coach for USA Wrestling from 1990-92. He handled the coaching and development of the U.S. age-group wrestlers. As Developmental Coach, Burnett worked closely with the National Coaches in freestyle and Greco-Roman. He was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team coaching staff.    Bruce Burnett is the head wrestling coach at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., starting his fourth year there. He has improved the performance of the Navy program, which is among the top college wrestling teams in the East.    Burnett served as the assistant wrestling coach with NCAA champion Oklahoma State Univ. from 1987-1990. While Burnett was with the Cowboy program, OSU won two NCAA team championships, two NWCA National Dual Meet titles and three Big Eight conference titles.    He has a strong background on all levels of wrestling, coaching at every age-group. Burnett served as the USA Wrestling State Chairperson and Junior Chairperson in Idaho.    Burnett was the head wrestling coach at Meridian Senior High School in Meridian, Idaho, from 1974-87. He had a career coaching record of 154-13-2 (.923 winning percentage) with four state team championships. The team also claimed four state runner-up positions, six district titles and nine Southern Idaho Conference titles.    He received an Associate Arts degree from Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, Calif. in 1970, then went to Idaho State Univ., where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education in 1973. He is a member of the Idaho State University Hall of Fame.     Bobby Douglas of Ames, Iowa    Douglas served as the head coach of the 1992 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team, that competed in Barcelona, Spain. The U.S. claimed six individual medals, led by gold medalists John Smith, Kevin Jackson and Bruce Baumgartner.    He has served as head coach of  four U.S. World Championships teams. Douglas served as the Head 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 Head 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.    He led the 1989 and 1991 U.S. World teams to second-place finishes at the World Championships behind the Soviet Union. In 1989, the U.S. had six medalists, including two champions: Smith and Kenny Monday. In 1991, the U.S. won six medals, including three champions: Zeke Jones, Smith and Jackson.    He served on the coaching staff of the 1988 and 1996 U.S. Olympic teams. He coached the 1989 U.S. World Cup team as well as the 1991 Pan American Games team. He has been an assistant coach on numerous other U.S. international teams. He was named the 1992 USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year.    Douglas is a club coach with the Sunkist Kids, the most successful wrestling club in the United States. He has helped coach numerous U.S. athletes to World and Olympic medals as part of the Sunkist Kids program.    Douglas works as head wrestling coach for Iowa State Univ., where he has led their powerful Div. I program for 12 years. His Cyclones placed second in the 2002 NCAA Championships, led by three individual champions: Aaron Holker, Joe Heskett and Cael Sanderson. Douglas guided Sanderson to a historic career, becoming the first wrestler to win four NCAA titles and complete his career undefeated.     In 11 complete seasons at Iowa State, Douglas has led the Cyclones to three second-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and nine top-10 finishes.  He coached five individual athletes to NCAA Div. I titles at Arizona State.    Douglas became the first coach of a Western university to win an NCAA title when he led Arizona State to the national crown in 1988.  He was named College Coach of the Year in 1988. During Douglas' 18 years at Arizona State, his teams won nearly 75 percent of their dual matches (225-77-6). For his efforts, Douglas was named conference coach of the year nine times. His ASU record included nine conference championships, 10 top-10 NCAA team finishes and four top-two placings.     As a wrestler, he was the captain of the 1968 Olympic team, and placed fourth in the 1964 Olympic Games.  He earned silver and bronze medals in the World Freestyle Championships and competed for U.S. World Teams eight times. He was the USWF freestyle champion in 1970, and won five other national freestyle titles.  He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987. A true innovator, Douglas has authored a number of wrestling technique books and is one of the nation's top clinicians.    Douglas became the first black Ohio high school state titlist. He wrestled for West Liberty State College (W.V.). He won the NAIA title and was runner-up at the NCAA Championships. After transferring to Oklahoma State, Douglas won the Big Eight Conference 147-pound crown. Douglas earned his bachelors degree at Oklahoma State in 1967 and his masters degree at Arizona State in 1981.      Zeke Jones of Morgantown, W.Va.    Jones was the Assistant Coach for the 2001 U.S. Freestyle World Team. After the at