Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling

Ed Gallagher era (1916–1940) The Oklahoma State wrestling program began in 1914, when A.M. Colville served as the first coach at what was then Oklahoma A&M. The following season in 1916 saw athletic director Edward C. Gallagher taking over as head coach of the team. The team would record its first dual meet win in 1917, defeating Emporia State, 15–10. They went on to pick up another win and a tied decision, to bring the Oklahoma A&M Tigers to a final record of 2–2–1 by the end of the 1910s. Gallagher coached the first NCAA national championship team in 1928, and would lead the team to the first 11 NCAA national championships in school history, as his teams won in 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940. Art Griffith era (1941–1956) Art Griffith was hired following Gallagher's death in 1940, after Oklahoma A&M looked to find a coach who could continue their winning tradition and hired Griffith, a longtime coach at Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 15 years, Griffith led Central High School to 94 wins in 100 matches, including 50 in a row at one point. Once he arrived in Stillwater, he would pick up right where Gallagher left off, winning eight national championships in 1941, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1955 and 1956, while managing to continue two streaks left by Gallagher. First, he extended the four consecutive national championships Gallagher had established to seven consecutive national championships prior to losing to Cornell College in 1947. Second, he extended the 27 consecutive dual meet victory streak to 76, before finally losing in 1951. Griffith's wrestlers won 27 individual championships and were All-Americans 64 times under his leadership. He retired on top after winning three consecutive NCAA Championships and going 78–7–4 for his career, which included ten undefeated seasons. Myron Roderick era (1957–1969) Myron Roderick, one of Griffith's wrestlers, was chosen to immediately succeed his former coach following his retirement in 1956. As a wrestler for Griffith, Roderick went 42–2 and became a three-time All-American and two-time national champion. As head coach, Roderick won his first two national titles in 1958 and 1959, and followed it up with five more national championships in 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966 and 1968. By the end of his career, he had coached seven team champions, 20 individual champions, and 79 All-Americans. Tommy Chesbro era (1970–1984) Tommy Chesbro would take over the program next, and program's dual success continued into the 1970s and 80s. However, the NCAA title dominance ended during this time. Chesbro only won one national title in 1971, in part because his tenure mostly coincided with the sudden rise of Iowa under Dan Gable. Still, Chesbro managed to pass Gallagher as the winningest coach in school history, and his dual mark of 227–26–0 over 16 seasons would remain the best record in the history of the program, until it was surpassed by coach John Smith. Joe Seay era (1985–1991) Joe Seay became the head coach at Oklahoma State University following Chesbro, serving for seven years. Under his leadership, Oklahoma State won two more national titles in 1989 and 1990. During his tenure, Cowboy wrestlers also won seven individual NCAA championships, including John Smith, who won two NCAA titles under Seay’s coaching, and Pat Smith, who later became a four-time NCAA champion. Seay was suspended with pay in May of 1991, after The NCAA's Committee on Infractions uncovered several major violations. The violations dated to 1985, and included providing cash and other benefits to redshirted wrestlers so they could wrestle in open meets, and employing recruits in summer camps and giving them benefits considered inducements. In addition to the suspension, the Cowboys were banned from postseason competition for the 1992 season and new scholarships were eliminated for the year as well as the next. John Smith era (1991–2024) John Smith took over the Cowboy wrestling program in the wake of NCAA sanctions and probation left over from previous head coach Joe Seay. Smith's first season saw the Cowboys take second at the NCAA Championship, but his second season was crippled by the probation. The Pokes went 4–7 and were banned from post-season competition. But the next season, the Cowboys were back, as top wrestlers who had taken a redshirt year during the probation were back on the mat. Oklahoma State would boast a 13–1 regular season record and go on win the 30th national championship in program history at the 1994 NCAA Championship. The middle part of the 1990s, however, saw the program grow somewhat stagnant, at least by Oklahoma State wrestling standards. Cowboy wrestlers were still winning individual titles and claiming All-American honors while the team was still winning Big Eight and Big 12 Conference crowns, but their team showings at Nationals were somewhat disappointing. Between 1995 and 2002, the Cowboys placed no better than second and finished third three times. But in 2003, Oklahoma State would return to the top once again, winning the Big 12 tournament and NCAA national title and sporting a 17–0 record. It would be the first of four consecutive national championships in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, firmly reestablishing Oklahoma State's dominance in the wrestling world. The Cowboys were at their peak from 2003 to 2006, when they sported a combined record of 55–2. Smith would end his coaching career with five national championships and 490 dual wins at Oklahoma State, the most dual wins ever in school history. David Taylor era (2024–present) David Taylor took over as coach for the 2024–25 season, marking his first year coaching at any level. Under his leadership, the Cowboys secured a 13–1 dual meet record, clinched the Big 12 Conference title with one Big 12 individual champion, and finished 3rd at the NCAA Championship with six All-Americans and two individual national champions. Oklahoma State would follow with a 15–1 regular season in 2025–26, highlighted by a 32–11 victory over Iowa, snapping a six match losing streak. After repeating as Big 12 Conference champions, the Cowboys finished 2nd at the NCAA Championship with eight All-Americans and three individual national champions, becoming the first team in history to record three freshman champions in one year. Big 12 successes Oklahoma State wrestling is known for its consistent success in the annual Big 12 championship tournament. Out of the 31 trophies won throughout the tournament's history, OSU has earned 20 of them. During this event in March 2019, OSU won its seventh Big 12 team title in a row, making this the longest consecutive winning streak ever in Big 12 wrestling. This win also completed OSU's greatest amount of sequential conference tournament wins since their success in the 1920s. ==Current lineup 2025-2026==