This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Cael Sanderson became a phenomenal coach after he recognized that not every wrestler is like Cael Sanderson.
In a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York last weekend, the product of Heber City's Wasatch High School won his fifth NCAA wrestling championship in the last six years as Penn State's coach. He's succeeding in this phase of his career as few elite-level athletes ever have, in any sport.
Those people usually discover their athletes are not as talented or as driven as they were, and it frustrates them. Sanderson figured it out. "I've learned a lot of patience as a coach," he said in an interview in October, when he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. "I struggled with it, just because I didn't understand why … very few kids would do everything you asked."
The Nittany Lions have responded well to him, helping to create a dynasty that someday may rival what Dan Gable built at Iowa with 15 national titles in 22 years. As judged by a combination of their own athletic exploits and coaching success, Sanderson is the most accomplished Utah high school graduate in the profession.
That's not giving him credit, actually. Beyond the state's borders, he would compare favorably to almost anyone in any sport as an athlete/coach. Jerry Sloan, Larry Bird and Mike Ditka are examples of All-Star players who became great coaches, but Sanderson might be chasing only Gable in this discussion. At age 36, he keeps dominating collegiate wrestling as only he could, having gone 159-0 in his four-year Iowa State career. Mix in his 2004 Olympic gold medal, and it becomes clear that Sanderson is just about unbeatable on the mat.
He's thriving at Penn State. Looking back, it seems obvious that working in such a high-powered athletic department, with a healthy high school wrestling culture in the state and tremendous fan support, would make his success possible. But that's a satisfactory explanation for what he's done, only after he did it. Seven years ago, when he left his job at Iowa State after productive three seasons, including an NCAA runner-up finish, nobody could have seen this coming. Penn State's only previous national title came in 1953.
Naturally, in Iowa and everywhere else, everybody wants to know how he's doing it. Not that he's giving away all of the secrets.
"I keep my job by winning," he said during the champions' news conference in New York. "So it's hard for me to say do this, do that, because everyone's in their own situation. Everyone has their own circumstances. But I would just say you have to do things the right way and you have to recruit the right kids."
That's a telling statement. He's looking for wrestlers who may lack Cael Sanderson-level talent, but have Cael Sanderson-style commitment. Working with his older brother, Cody, Penn State's associate head coach, "We just try to recruit kids that have a similar passion to us," Sanderson said.
Yet he also knows nobody is quite like him. He had to learn that not all wrestlers are "100-percent committed like you were," he said in October. "If you can get through that part of it, which is tough, you can do well. … You have to be willing to let that go a little bit and swallow your pride and not take things as personally."
So the Nittany Lions try to outwork everybody and enjoy doing it, if that's possible. "The coaches are great at making sure that the guys are confident and have fun. That's a big part of it," said Zain Retherford, an NCAA individual champion. "You're not just robots or running into brick walls. We're having fun doing stuff."
The Lions have some style to go with their substance. Winning certainly helps, but they've also made wrestling fun to watch in State College. In February, Penn State moved a match with defending national champion Ohio State from its usual Rec Hall venue and sold out the basketball arena as nearly 16,000 fans witnessed a 24-14 victory. The Lions finished 16-0 in dual matches, and their season just kept getting better.
By now, it should be apparent that opponents' strategy of hoping Sanderson gets tired of winning just doesn't work.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Success on two fronts
Kurt Kragthorpe's all-time top 10 sports figures among Utah high school graduates, based on both their college/professional athletic careers and their work as coaches:
Athlete High school Sport
Cael Sanderson Wasatch Wrestling
Gene Fullmer Jordan Boxing
Jeff Judkins Highland Basketball
LaVell Edwards Lincoln Football
Kyle Whittingham Provo Football
Stew Morrill Provo Basketball
Bronco Mendenhall American Fork Football
Natalie Williams Mountain View Basketball
Lewis Feild South Summit Rodeo
E.L. "Dick" Romney Salt Lake Football/basketball