Who do you all think are some of the best ever coaches?

Bankamper and Carr

Jim Ploesser - Hopkinsville

You have to consider Gary Canter and the great job he has done in LaRue County for not only establishing a program from scratch, but making it one of the top programs year in and year out in Kentucky. 

coach anderson does in four years what it takes many of the country schools to do in eight plus years

It is obvious now that Rusty Parks was more than the figure head at Woodford.

james willburs of simon kenton

Badida!

The Carrs and Parks

Top 5 Coaches in the State (not sure on names, so I'll put teams down)

1. Campbell County

2. Woodford County

3. Seneca

4. South Oldham

5. Larue County

Honorable Mention: Ryle, Union, Simon Kenton

Coach Rusty Parks was the brains and strategy of woodford county. There should be NO argument on this post that he is THE BEST coach in the state of kentucky EVER!!!

Hands down Coach Parks and the Carrs are a devastating combination

Coach Matney, formerly of Sheldon Clark, now Johnson Central, has to be listed.  He has only been around about half the time of most of the other coaches listed, but has two state tournament championships, two dual state championships, and has coached around 16-17 state champs.

I would have to go with old grappler. Ploesser may have done some sneaky things, but the guy knew how to get talent on the mat down there in Hoptown. I can remember him and my coach, (who also should be on this list), having some amazing strategical duals back in the day. Two of the best all-time in my opinion.

I like that Ploesser and sneaky-how politically correct-he did have some talent back in the day.  There are several good coaches in the state and some IMO that are slightly better than others.  Canter is probably the best duals coach in the state, Matney's kids always seem to perform to their ability, i.e. if they are supposed to finish in the top three that is where they finish which says a lot when you don't have kids let you down in big meets, Parks had the ability to not let his kids get complacent which is why they are always a favorite to win another state title, and Bankamper runs a solid program at Campbell County never a team you want to face in duals meet.  Hopefully some of the young coaches and coaches of new programs will look at what these coaches do well and adopt some of their philosophies, so that the sport of wrestling will continue to grow in the state of KY.

I think you'll are missing some details about the Carr/Parks situation.  While Coach Parks did most of the administrative work in terms of scheduling and keeping the team organized Coach Carr has done 99% of the coaching since he arrived in Woodford County.  Coach Carr is hands down the best wrestling coach in Kentucky history.  The man has forgotten more about wrestling than most of us will ever know.  I love Coach Parks to death but if you asked him I think he would agree with me.

Plain and simple hands down Coach Cullins from Fort Knox I think. He gets wrestlers for max 3 years *most of 'em two years* and look what he does with 'em. Look at their team, only 4 guys who have past year experience under their belt (one his 2end year, 2 their 3erd year, and another one who wrestled before moving to KY not sure what year).

When talking about all time greats, most of us were not around during the golden age, but those coaches still need to be given credit.

In Nky you can ague.

Mike Bankemper---Campbell Co.

Wayne Badida-----Conner

Brother Joe--------Newport Catholic 60's-70's

other old coaches

Jim Ploeser------Hopkinsville

Coach Perrin-------Christian Co.

Tim Dentch--------Fern Creek (I think he was coach in the 80's)

Jim Matney-----Sheldon Clark/Johnson Central

Coach Canter---Larue Co.

Parks/Carr----Woodford Co.  (Maybe the greatest duo) (Parks has little success prior to Carr, we will see how much Carr has without Parks)

I agree that individually both of these are great coaches on their own, but together they complement each other greatly and make them a fantastic duo. 

Coaching is more than just showing moves, it also includes motivation, setting a schedule that is both demanding and evenly balanced, it includes people skills with the parents, wrestlers, officials, and fans, not to mention the administrative skills needed to keep a program going.

When looking at this criteria I would have to say that Canter and Bankemper would have to be at the top of this list.

Parks and Carr.  Hands down.

Parks was more than an administrator, I think this yrs. team can agree w/ that.  Just look at who is known nationally as great coaches. Sure the other names mentioned are good but they can't compare to woodford of old.

Even though he has not coached in KY in entire career, you have to put Coach Regiel from Harrison co in these talks.  He is a national hall of fame coach and has the most career dual wins of all time and is looking to make it 800 next season.  I believe is has been at Harrison Co for 13 yrs now and look what he has done with that team. 

Back in the day, Coach Badida made us practice wrestling on the gravel parking lot through the week. If we won a big tournament on Saturday he rewarded us by letting us practice on the concrete parking lot on Monday only. This style of coaching made us appreciate the soft wrestling mats. This was during the era when Conner was the only team in NKy who had state champions. Some of those state champions included 5 time state finalist and 4 time state champion Robbie Clarkston.

Coach Badida was a mentor and father figure for many of us. We wanted, I wanted to win for Coach Badida. A victory, a big smile and hand shake from Coach Badida was the only incentive we needed to wrestle hard for him. Many of us felt like we were his soldiers and it was expected by the upper classman to perform and give Coach a state title. This mentality carried on for many years when Conner was one of the dominant teams in the state. We did and still do love Coach Badida. Although Coach has 19 state champions to his credit, the success of a coach is not necessarily measured by the number of champs. It is based on the love and respect his wrestlers have for him and the coaches ability to make the athlete rise to their maximal potential. I'm sure there are many wrestlers throughout the state who have similar feeling about their coach. This is what makes a coach great. Coach Badida was a great coach for me.

Coach Carr/Coach Parks -- Woodford

Coach Canter -- LaRue

Carr and Parks for sure

My top 3 would fall like this #1Parks                                                                                                                                  #2Carr 

#3Garring (St.X)     

Coach Canter is a very good coach, one of my favorites of all time.

But their is no doubt the best coach or coaches of ALL TIME in this state is Parks and Carr.  The best of all time in any sport is usually decided by numbers.  And there are a lot of stats behind that program, even though they are on the decline.

17 years in a row placing in the top 3 is AMAZING and will probably never be topped.

grappler believe it or not, I'm with you.  Although the numbers usually get all of the press, being a good coach is much, much more than that.  That being said, here is my list:

1) Parks/Carr - not sure who to give the credit to, so for now I'll count them as co-coaches; although most wrestlers hate them, I have gained a lot of respect for Coach Parks over the last few years coaching against him; plenty of numbers to back it up

2) Bankemper - great results (3 championships) and one of the best people you will ever meet

3) Canter - it is simply amazing the program that he built at such a small school in such a short period of time

4) Ploeser - had tons of raw talent on a lot of those Hoptown teams, but he turned them into some pretty bad wrestlers

5) Fiser - year in and year out has the best coached wrestlers in the state

Honorable mention - Matney, Badida, Kraeszig

Here are the team standings from the past few state tournaments.  I wish the khsaa had more results from the past.  Anyway, it just gives you an idea of how much success the coaches have had of late.

1998

1. St. Xavier 161.00

2. Scott 146.50

3. Woodford County 139.50

4. Campbell County 82.00

5. Valley 62.00

6. Trinity 57.00

7. Eastern 54.50

8. Sheldon Clark 54.00

9. LaRue County 49.50

10. Christian County 47.00

1999

1. Woodford Co. 157.5

2. St. Xavier 111.0

3. Sheldon Clark 108.5

4. LaRue Co. 102.0

5. Wayne Co. 101.0

6. Hopkinsville 95.5

7. Campbell Co. 82.5

8. Union Co. 81.0

9. Fern Creek 76.0

10. Eastern 67.0

2000

1. Woodford County  145.50

2. St. Xavier  143.00

3. Larue County  117.00

4. Campbell County  105.50

5. Henry Clay  92.00

6. Union County  87.00

7. Trinity (Lou)  65.00

8. Simon Kenton  62.00

9. Sheldon Clark  61.00

10. Scott  59.00

2001

1. St. Xavier 158.50

2. Larue County 124.00

3. Woodford County 120.00

4. Simon Kenton 103.00

5. Wayne County 102.50

6. Sheldon Clark 90.50

7. Campbell County 87.00

8. Trinity (Louisville) 77.50

9. South Oldham 63.00

10. Henry Clay 61.50

2002

1.  Woodford County 233.50

2.  Campbell County 163.00

3.  South Oldham 162.00

4.  St. Xavier 147.00

5.  Larue County 146.50

6.  Oldham County 139.50

7.  Ryle 135.00

8.  Sheldon Clark 112.00

9.  Eastern 111.50

10.  Simon Kenton 98.50

2003

1.  South Oldham 257.50

2.  Campbell County 185.00

3.  Woodford County 174.50

4.  Ryle 152.50

5.  Sheldon Clark 141.00

6.  Simon Kenton 117.00

7.  Eastern 114.50

8.  Trinity (Louisville) 108.50

9.  Larue County 105.00

10.  Henry Clay 98.50

2004

1.  Campbell County 234.00

2.  Woodford County 168.50

3.  Seneca 128.00

4.  Sheldon Clark 120.50

5.  Ryle 117.00

6.  Larue County 112.50

7.  St. Xavier 104.50

8.  Simon Kenton 95.50

9.  Trinity (Louisville) 94.00

10.  South Oldham 91.50

2005

1.  Woodford County 183.50

2.  Larue County 138.50

(tie) Ryle 138.50

4.  Campbell County 131.50

5.  Wayne County 121.50

6.  South Oldham 116.00

7.  Union County 112.00

8.  Trinity (Louisville) 110.00

9.  Conner 108.50

(tie) St. Xavier 108.50

2006

1.  Woodford County 230.00

2.  South Oldham 166.00

3.  Larue County 143.00

4.  Union County 135.50

5.  Trinity (Louisville) 112.00

6.  Oldham County 104.00

7.  Seneca 103.50

8.  Ryle 94.50

9.  North Hardin 94.00

10.  Fern Creek 92.50

in 1998 st.x won state duals and the tournament title without a single champion

Although the numbers usually get all of the press, being a good coach is much, much more than that. 

I think another way of guaging how much impact a coach had is by looking at what the team did after they left.  You probably need to give this 2-3 years before you evaluate though.

examples:

Hopkinsville    With Ploesser top 5 team every year.

                    Without Ploesser is not a well known team.

Christian Co.  With Perrin top 5 team every year.

                    without Perrin is just now starting to re-build thier recognision.

Fern Creek    With Dentch (sp) several state champions and top 10

                  without,  Has finally made the return to top programs in state.

Sheldon Clark  With Matney a team to be feared as dual and individual

                    without?????  still to early to tell.

What will happen to the programs at Campbell Co. , Conner, or Larue when these icons leave thier respected programs? 

Lets hope we don't have to find out for a long long time.  :-D

I think one coach that everyone has left out, and I can't believe a seneca kid hasn't said anything, is Anderson.  He had probably 8 or so state champions (going based on bad memory) when he was a coach at Eastern and has several the last 15 years at seneca and team wise is usually in the top 10.  That is one school that might fall prey to going downhill after the coach leaves too since every year is talked about when will coach Anderson finally hang it up.

Coach Powell and Coach Headley from Henry Clay were great coaches also. They had many state champions and had Henry Clay in the top 10 year in and year out.

You also can't forget Rick Dingus.  He was the coach at Harrison Co. in the 70's and 80's.  He had many great teams and know helps his son coach at Bourbon Co.  At the moment there are many present Harrison Co. wrestlers who's fathers were coached by Rick Dingus.  Coach Dingus got a great thing started in Harrison Co. and Coach Riegel had continued the tradition.

This is a great thread.  As far as comparing them....how about people start putting up their coach's credentials?  Such as how many state champs, how many regional titles, career winning %...etc.  Alll the other intangibles are important, but they are what they are intangibles.  I say show me the money, let's see the indisputable facts.  Obviously this is going to show Woodford's coaches way out in front...but watch out for Larue some day...they have got a really, really good feeder program going.

Coach Powell and Coach Headley from Henry Clay were great coaches also. They had many state champions and had Henry Clay in the top 10 year in and year out

IMHO I don't think they were great coaches, good maybe but not great. They had some great wrestlers, but I never felt that there program was one that as a wrestler you would worry about having a Henry Clay kid in your bracket.  I just don't feel that they are in the same class as some of the coaches mentioned previously.

You also can't forget Rick Dingus.  He was the coach at Harrison Co. in the 70's and 80's.  He had many great teams and know helps his son coach at Bourbon Co.  At the moment there are many present Harrison Co. wrestlers who's fathers were coached by Rick Dingus.  Coach Dingus got a great thing started in Harrison Co. and Coach Riegel had continued the tradition.

Yes, Coach Dingus had quite a few great teams, especially in the early 80's.  And Harrison County fell off the map when he retired.  They came back for a few years when he came out of retirement to be an assistant while his son was wrestling, but again they were down for a number of years in the late 90's.

IMO wayne counties coach Danny Upchurch would deserve the honorable mention..  He started the program at a small school and has turned out many top notch wrestlers who are always ready to compete at the state tournament.

If I can consider club coaches/leaders the no-ox coach Joe Burroughs is one of a kind in my opinion. The guys seems really content with working hard to build a good club for the young guys.  People like him are the ones that makes the future of kentucky wrestling so bright.

Wayne County's coach might get honorable mention for coaching, but he should get a big raspberry for sportsmanship.  I've seen him in action several times and I have to say he is a sore looser.  For example Saturday one of his wrestlers got beat he wouldn't shake the kids hand that beat his kid.  He didn't think the ref gave his wrestler points he should have and was mad.  What is he teaching his kids?  He should have shaken the kids hand even though he didn't agree with the outcome of the match.  I think to be a great coach you have to teach the kids to wrestle but you also have to teach character. 

Alll the other intangibles are important, but they are what they are intangibles.  I say show me the money, let's see the indisputable facts.

I guess then "Tark the Shark" (Jerry Tarkanian) and Bobby (I'm throwing a chair) Knight, are some of the top coaches in collage basketball according to this thinking.  :-P

Wayne County's coach might get honorable mention for coaching, but he should get a big raspberry for sportsmanship.  I've seen him in action several times and I have to say he is a sore looser.  For example Saturday one of his wrestlers got beat he wouldn't shake the kids hand that beat his kid.  He didn't think the ref gave his wrestler points he should have and was mad.  What is he teaching his kids?  He should have shaken the kids hand even though he didn't agree with the outcome of the match.  I think to be a great coach you have to teach the kids to wrestle but you also have to teach character. 

You are right here...and Dan should not have done that....I wasn't there, so i obviously can't comment on that situation.  But I've known Dan for a few years now, and he definitely has a gruff demeanor, but NO ONE in this state that I know of works harder for his kids.  I've heard some amazing stories of how far he will go for his wrestlers to get them experience.  He should have shook this kid's hand, and I'm sure he'd man up and admit that....but he loves the kids he coaches like they were his own.  I've seen that time and time again from him.  So if he was a jerk on one day, maybe cut him some slack.  Hopefully he tells the kid later he was sorry or whatever.  He is an EXCELLENT coach, there is no denying that.

btw - I think with the success of m.s. & a growing youth wrestling...you're going to have to start talking more and more about some m.s. coaches on here.  My picks for top m.s. coaches would be:

Eddie Paden - Larue, Keith Ruschell - Gray, Mark Hitchings - Trinity (in no specific order).  They have really kept their h.s. programs loaded with quality wrestlers.

I think there are also coaches that should be considered for the work they do for the sport of wrestling. There are several great coaches out there that only help their program. But there are also great coaches that are building programs and at the same time going above and beyond to help build the sport. For example, the Letcher coach has no state champions (yet) but is putting in four summer tournaments. this is to help build the sport in KY. Another example is Mark Hithchings. Say ehat you want about Mark and the whole Trinity issue but he worked very hard to get middle school kids involved in the Louisville area and is one of the reasons the middle schools are coming along like they are. I know there are others but Mark put a lot of work into it. So, all of this said, lets recognize coaches also that are out for the good of the sport. Sure we can measure them by state champs and state champion teams but we should consider other things.

Back in the day, Coach Badida made us practice wrestling on the gravel parking lot through the week. If we won a big tournament on Saturday he rewarded us by letting us practice on the concrete parking lot on Monday only. This style of coaching made us appreciate the soft wrestling mats. This was during the era when Conner was the only team in NKy who had state champions. Some of those state champions included 5 time state finalist and 4 time state champion Robbie Clarkston.

Coach Badida was a mentor and father figure for many of us. We wanted, I wanted to win for Coach Badida. A victory, a big smile and hand shake from Coach Badida was the only incentive we needed to wrestle hard for him. Many of us felt like we were his soldiers and it was expected by the upper classman to perform and give Coach a state title. This mentality carried on for many years when Conner was one of the dominant teams in the state. We did and still do love Coach Badida. Although Coach has 19 state champions to his credit, the success of a coach is not necessarily measured by the number of champs. It is based on the love and respect his wrestlers have for him and the coaches ability to make the athlete rise to their maximal potential. I'm sure there are many wrestlers throughout the state who have similar feeling about their coach. This is what makes a coach great. Coach Badida was a great coach for me.

:-(  WOW!  Well said!! 

I would also like to say what a great job Mark Hithchings has done with his kids.  He is a big reason why Fern Creek has a great chance in winning a state title this year and why Trinity will win one over the next couple years.  And his kids really seem to love him...

I would also like to say what a great job Mark Hithchings has done with his kids.  He is a big reason why Fern Creek has a great chance in winning a state title this year and why Trinity will win one over the next couple years.  And his kids really seem to love him...

Hitchings really is a great coach, and I can say that even though I have never wrestled under him as part of a team. I do know however, that he let me a two of my teammates practice with them after season ended last year, and he didn't even know who I was. Everytime after those practices, he's always been outgoing and gone to say hello to me and ask how wrestling is going. He built the Fern Creek team into what it is today basically, and is going to make Trinity a freakin powerhouse. Just imagine what he can do with the numbers and talent Trinity has and the way he can just hook kids into the sport and turn them into contenders.

Hitchings really is a great coach, and I can say that even though I have never wrestled under him as part of a team. I do know however, that he let me a two of my teammates practice with them after season ended last year, and he didn't even know who I was. Everytime after those practices, he's always been outgoing and gone to say hello to me and ask how wrestling is going. He built the Fern Creek team into what it is today basically, and is going to make Trinity a freakin powerhouse. Just imagine what he can do with the numbers and talent Trinity has and the way he can just hook kids into the sport and turn them into contenders.

I agree with that. Coach Hitchings also let me practice with the trinity team after last season ended without knowing who i was

The fact is Coach Hitchings has always let others come and wrestle.  It has everything to do with his love for the sport and him wanting to further the sport in KY.  He has done a lot for youth wrestling in KY.  I don't agree with all of his decisions, but that is something that is not worth fretting about.  All in all, I agree, he is a good coach.

Coach Gary canter...he is just a good coach in General.. as u can see the numbers that he is putting up back to back state duals champs..i wrestled..but track and field was my sport and i swear if i would of never wrestled for him...i wouldnt of won state in track and been throwing at a D-1 school..

1999

1. Woodford Co. 157.5

2. St. Xavier 111.0

3. Sheldon Clark 108.5

4. LaRue Co. 102.0

5. Wayne Co. 101.0

6. Hopkinsville 95.5

7. Campbell Co. 82.5

8. Union Co. 81.0

9. Fern Creek 76.0

10. Eastern 67.0

Domination. Pre-32 man bracket, as well.  46 point win was HUGE back then.

Sorry had to relive some glory days.

I would also like to say what a great job Mark Hithchings has done with his kids.  He is a big reason why Fern Creek has a great chance in winning a state title this year and why Trinity will win one over the next couple years.  And his kids really seem to love him...

The fact is Coach Hitchings has always let others come and wrestle.  It has everything to do with his love for the sport and him wanting to further the sport in KY.  He has done a lot for youth wrestling in KY.  I don't agree with all of his decisions, but that is something that is not worth fretting about.  All in all, I agree, he is a good coach.

Are you guys saying that Coach Hall has nothing to do with Fern Creek being where it is today?

I don't know much about winning percentage for this guy I am going to mention but I do know he changed kids lives.  Coach Lineberry for Valley Highschool back in 95ish through 98 or so.  He would have kids come from different schools and he would help them with technique and things.  He didn't care if you were from his school or not.  If you wanted to learn and could make it through his practice he would do everything he could for you.  I had a situation where my team and coaches quit and I worked out with his team and still represented my school.  He helped me and so many others realize their potential.  He loved the sport and did everything he could to help it grow.  Even if that meant trainning other kids with struggling programs, to compete against his very own team.  People like him are why I now coach the sport.

Are you guys saying that Coach Hall has nothing to do with Fern Creek being where it is today?

coach hitchings has more to do with their success today than hall does, but thats just what i think. i really dont know, and i doubt any of the FC wrestlers will answer until their senior year is over  :evil:

how could anybody say anyone other than Rusty Parks and Joe Carr they are the best ever in this state and two of the best in the nation there is no competition for them. they take weak little boys and turn them into men and teach them things that they will need in the real world. the only person that will come close will be little Joe Carr who will be tearing this state apart for many years to come.

I think a really good coach would be Coach Mike "Loader" Thomas of Union Co. He led his team to 3 state titles and many state champions. I'm not sure if he started the program but Union hadn't had a team for too long before when he won his state title. He coached a few greats like Robert Ervin (2x champ and MOW) and Tim Ervin (both now assistants at Union), James Smith 6x state qualifier and multiple champ/ runner up, Brad Hagedorn state champ and recently named middle school coach of the year at the state tourny. He also coached Danny Lovell, a 2x champ who started back the program at Henderson Co. 3 years ago. Back then Union had to match against Hoptown when Hoptown was a powerhouse. Starting from nothing to creating a dynasty which is getting back to how it was in the late 70's and early 80's, Loader Thomas IMO should be given credit as a great coach.

Coach Simmons of Dixie heights has been around for ever he taught me a lot over summer he has great knowledge

Coach Hitchings brought the FC boys together, and got them to stick together. But i believe coach Hall creates well rounded wrestlers (top, bottom, neutral etc) and credits due more to him for molding the guys into better wrestlers from every position. I also think Coach Hall is probably one of the most ethical and honorable coaches in the state.

The Carrs definitely

Here is name from past - Jack Jacobs at Waggener had quite a good team for allot of years in the 70's and early 80's.  I would not put as the best of all times by any means - but "back in the day"  they produced some pretty good teams - and few champs (including a repeat).  For a what was then a smaller public school it was an accomplishment.

I'm going to weigh in here with the 2 coaches I know best, Jay McChord and Chris McCoy from Lafayette. Jay had an incredible vision for his wrestlers as people and citizens, not just wrestlers. He clearly demonstrated his concern for academics and personal growth. I was overwhelmed when he took his team to a "Protocol and Etiquette Banquet" at the Georgetown/Bengals training facility. Another year he had his guys dress for dinner at a retirement home and spend an evening with senior citizens - all incredible growth moments for his team members.  Coach McCoy was an assistant during those years and he has grasped that vision - I wish all coaches would realize that the physical skills gained are only temporary (think about all the overweight, out-of-shape, crippled ex-wrestlers you see!), but the discipline, maturity, teamsmanship and positive attitude last forever!  Those are the things that are truly meaningful.

    It's great to have kids that are winning consistently, but I'm most proud of our wrestlers when they lose with grace and dignity and can keep their head held high knowing they did their best.  Those are the real winners in life...

I'm going to weigh in here with the 2 coaches I know best, Jay McChord and Chris McCoy from Lafayette. Jay had an incredible vision for his wrestlers as people and citizens, not just wrestlers. He clearly demonstrated his concern for academics and personal growth. I was overwhelmed when he took his team to a "Protocol and Etiquette Banquet" at the Georgetown/Bengals training facility. Another year he had his guys dress for dinner at a retirement home and spend an evening with senior citizens - all incredible growth moments for his team members.  Coach McCoy was an assistant during those years and he has grasped that vision - I wish all coaches would realize that the physical skills gained are only temporary (think about all the overweight, out-of-shape, crippled ex-wrestlers you see!), but the discipline, maturity, teamsmanship and positive attitude last forever!  Those are the things that are truly meaningful.

    It's great to have kids that are winning consistently, but I'm most proud of our wrestlers when they lose with grace and dignity and can keep their head held high knowing they did their best.  Those are the real winners in life...

Every team has "special" stories to tell about how great and caring their coaches are.  That's why these guys are coaches because they care about the growth and maturity of young men (and a few women).  So with that in mind lets just look at who has enstilled those qualities in their wrestlers and at the same time experienced success in the sport.  Only a few coaches mentioned meet that criteria and, in my eyes, are the greatest. I'm not taking personal shots at who you mentioned, it just needs to be said that EVERY coach cares about what their kids do and act after they leave the wrestling room.

You guys are crazy to say parks and carr the some of the best in that nation... Not even in the top 50 programs/coaches in the nation. There dominating in kentucky and probably with out a doubt the best duo the state has seen probably ever. Some are touching on it but what about the older guys? NCC use to have a great program years back. All of woodford county supports wrestling as its main sport. Its hard to do that now a days, espically find a whole community that supports wrestling as strongly as they do down there in woodford.

Hasbeen are you from Woodford? I dont think so because if you were youd realize that as pitiful as a basketball team as we have that is the most pushed sport here. the wrestling team is by far not one of the biggest fan supported teams we have here and if you knew anything about what you speak of you would also know that Coach Parks has TWICE been named NATIONAL coach of the year.In case you didnt know, that means the whole country not just Kentucky.So Im pretty sure it would be safe to say they might have a clue about wrestling.

I would say a coach that is vastly underated and that has great capacity to teach and help many wrestlers to become champions is Coach Simmons who is now the Dixie Heights coach.  I think in a few years, they could be a state contending team thanks to him.

You guys are crazy to say parks and carr the some of the best in that nation... Not even in the top 50 programs/coaches in the nation. There dominating in kentucky and probably with out a doubt the best duo the state has seen probably ever. Some are touching on it but what about the older guys? NCC use to have a great program years back. All of woodford county supports wrestling as its main sport. Its hard to do that now a days, espically find a whole community that supports wrestling as strongly as they do down there in woodford.

You might want to give the coaches a little credit for the support that they get from the community.

Hey p. daddy think you could send me a link about Carr or Parks being National Coach of the Year?? I looked on USA Wrestling Magazine page and couldnt find anything, and i also hit up WIN Magazine and another web page and couldnt find anything..And i checked at National High School Coaches Assosiation and they weren't on there as well. As a matter of fact they have been a functioning organization since 2000 and Carr and Parks are no where on that list as well...I'm not saying your wrong i would just like to see it to believe it. And dont get me wrong i'm not saying that Carr and Parks aren't great coaches, i'm just not saying there top notch best coaches in the nation. Probably not even top 25 in the Southeast! But they get my respect, as does every coach out there. Parks and Carr duo, is the best around no doubt about it.

and ps i never said they had no clue about wrestling... come on meow, we dont need to start putting words into others mouth do we?? its a friendly website.

NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES ASSOCIATION - Coach of the Year

Head Coach of the Year

Rusty Parks

Woodford County High School-KY

http://www.atfreeforum.com/kyusawrestling/viewtopic.php?t=190&mforum=kyusawrestling

Woodford County had 38 state champions during Parks' tenure. Parks won 582 dual matches -- which ranks among the top 15 in the nation -- and 107 tournaments, which is No. 4 nationally.

I'd say that is enough to claim Parks and Carr are the best Ky has ever had. Plus two WC wrestlers are the winningest wrestlers of all time (Joe Carr 242 wins, Ian Horn 236 wins).

Thats very impressive...like i said he and carr are the best in the state, but i'm sticking to my claim that there still not the top coaches in the nation. But none the less there amazing coaches and have dominated kentucky in the years past.

Thats very impressive...like i said he and carr are the best in the state, but i'm sticking to my claim that there still not the top coaches in the nation. But none the less there amazing coaches and have dominated kentucky in the years past.

Earlier you said they deserve absolutely NO mention of national recognition, the stats show diff. Nobody said they were THE top coaches in the nation, just that they are as close to that as anyone in KY has ever been.

I think that the Woodford Coaching duo is nationally recognized by those who have a good knowledge of high school coaching. If you ask the sportswriters who specialize in wrestling they will be familiar with the Woodford program and the coaches and their accomplishments here in KY. Most wrestling fans knowledgeable in the sports history are well aware of the Carr family in the sport. I think that counts as national recognition!

Congrats to the Woodford coaches!

http://www.wrestlingusa.com/00wusawebroot/Issues%2099-00/may%2030%20Articles/8%20coah%20of%20the%20year.pdf

In 2000 Gary Canter of LaRue County was named national coach of the year runner-up by Wrestling USA magazine.