College Wrestling: Terry joins Brands brother Tom as coach at Iowa

By BRYCE MILLER and DAN McCOOL

USA Wrestling officials tried to retain resident freestyle coach Terry Brands during a shakeup of the national program this week, but Brands ultimately decided to join the staff of his brother, Tom, at Iowa.

Brands, a two-time NCAA champion and 2000 Olympic silver medalist, will join his alma mater at the end of this month as an assistant coach.

Meanwhile, former Iowa State all-American Kevin Jackson left his position as freestyle head coach, replaced by former Arizona State star Zeke Jones.

The moves come on the heels of a disappointing Olympics for the U.S., which won three total medals in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling - its lowest medal count since 1968. The single freestyle medal - gold at 121 pounds by Brands-coached Henry Cejudo - was the fewest in that discipline since 1964.

Meetings were held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs last month to evaluate programs and procedures.

USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender said he worked hard to keep Brands, but understood the appeal of returning to his roots and working with his brother.

"I'd be dishonest if I didn't say I made every effort to keep Terry in Colorado Springs - even after we named Zeke head coach," Bender said Wednesday. "I'm a huge Terry Brands fan.

"He's someone who potentially could come back and lead our national program."

Brands said the opportunity to return to Iowa City will energize him. The Hawkeyes won last season's national title.

"I'm coming back home," Brands said. "I think the mentalities are the same, you know how we approach things - that's real similar. It should be . . . real good. I'm fired up about it."

Changes seemed imminent for USA Wrestling before this week.

At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Jackson told The Des Moines Register "it's time for a major change." He expressed concerns with the lack of top athletes training full time in Colorado Springs and a disparity in performance-based financial payouts with nations such as powerhouse Russia.

Jackson, a four-time all-American who ended his college career at Iowa State, will coach the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in Phoenix, one of the top international training programs in the U.S.

Brands emphasized after the Olympics that the focus needed to be on hard work - rather than on perceived excuses.

Discussion continued at a September meeting of about two dozen of the top names in the sport, including former Iowa coach Dan Gable, Iowa State coach Cael Sanderson and Jones.

The new head of the U.S. freestyle team has a connection to Iowa, as well.

Jones' brother, Johnnie, was an all-American at Iowa State in the 1970s - finishing second in the NCAA Championships at 118 pounds in 1976 and fourth at 118 in '77.

Bender said more change is possible, but he expects Terry Steiner, another former Iowa champion, to continue leading the women's program for USA Wrestling.

In Iowa, the shakeup reunites Terry and Tom Brands - one of wrestling's most successful family combinations.

In 1986, the brothers won Iowa high school championships at Sheldon. They won NCAA championships while competing together for the Hawkeyes twice in the same season (1990, '92).

At the international level, they won world freestyle titles the same year (Toronto, 1993), and each has won an Olympic medal - Tom gold in 1996; Terry bronze in 2000.

"It was very hard, but ultimately I've got to be able to go where I think I can do the most positive work towards what my career is," Brands said. "It's a no-brainer to me right now at this point in time that it's Iowa."

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