Former OSU Wrestlers Return to GIA Sunday as Coaches

STILLWATER - In his 29 years at the helm of Oklahoma State, John Smith has had his fair share of former wrestlers become head coaches themselves.

In fact, seven former Cowboys who wrestled under Smith are now head coaches running their own programs. That number does not even include Glen Lanham, who was a teammate of Smith at OSU, and Mark Cody, who spent his time at OSU as an assistant coach, along with the numerous assistant coaches spread across the nation.

When Oklahoma State hosts a four-team dual event this Sunday including UT-Chattanooga, Oregon State and Little Rock, three of Smith's former wrestlers will be on opposing coaching staffs.

The Cowboys begin the day at noon against Chattanooga before a bout against Oregon State at 2 p.m., which will stream on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The last time Oklahoma State wrestled Oregon State in a dual meet was Feb. 5, 2005. Chris Pendleton was in the lineup for the Cowboys and pinned his opponent, helping OSU to a 40-4 victory over the Beavers.

When the teams take the floor Sunday, Pendleton will be on the other side of the mat than Smith. The Oregon State head coach wrestled for the Cowboys from 2001-2005, amassing a career record of 118-12. A two-time national champion and three-time All-American, Pendleton will face off with Smith head-to-head for the first time as coaches.

When asked about what it's like to coach against his former wrestlers, Smith answered with a smirk.

"You know I don't think about it too much," Smith said. "We just want to whip them."

Smith has done just that over his time with the Cowboys. He owns a 19-1 dual record against his former wrestlers who have faced him as a head coach. His only loss came courtesy of Pat Popolizio in 2015 when North Carolina State defeated OSU 19-15.

Also returning to Gallagher-Iba Arena Sunday are former Cowboys Neil Erisman and Chandler Rogers. Erisman is the head coach of second-year program, Little Rock, who will not wrestle against Oklahoma State until Jan. 17, but will wrestle Oregon State and Chattanooga this weekend.

Erisman competed for OSU from 2007-2011, compiling a 92-36 record for the Cowboys during his career. He also won a Big 12 championship in 2011 at 157 pounds.

Erisman began his coaching career at OSU, working as a graduate assistant from 2011-2013. From there, he moved to Stillwater High School as an assistant, where he coached current Cowboy wrestlers Kaid Brock and Andrew Nieman to state titles in 2014.

Chandler Rogers joined Erisman's coaching staff this season and will return to Stillwater where he went 94-25 in his collegiate career. A 2019 graduate of OSU, Rogers won a Big 12 championship in 2018 at 165 pounds and was a two-time All-American in 2017 and 2018.

His 47 falls at OSU is tied for third all-time in Cowboy history and in 2019, he won 70.1 percent of his matches via fall, which was the highest single-season percentage in OSU history.

OSU will take on UT-Chattanooga at 12 p.m. and Oregon State at 2 p.m. Sunday, with the Oregon State dual being broadcast on ESPN+.

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