Oklahoma State hires Olympic gold medalist David Taylor as wrestling coach
Aaron Brooks, left, and David Taylor embrace after a bout at 86 kilograms in the finals at the U.S. Olympic wrestling team trials in State College, Pa., Saturday, April 20, 2024. Credit: AP/Aidan Conrad
Oklahoma State has hired Olympic gold medalist David Taylor as its wrestling coach to replace John Smith, the school said Tuesday.
Taylor, 33, won gold in the 86-kilogram class at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when he beat Hassan Yazdani of Iran. He sought another Olympic slot, but lost to Aaron Brooks at the Olympic Trials finals last month.
Taylor spent 11 years on Team USA and is a three-time world champion. He twice won the Hodge Trophy as the nation’s best collegiate wrestler while competing for Penn State.
He has massive shoes to fill. Smith retired after a 33-year run that produced five NCAA team championships, 33 individual NCAA champions and 23 conference titles. Under his direction, Oklahoma State produced 153 All-Americans and a 490-73-6 dual record.
