Joe Wells was the second-winningest coach in the 93-year history of the Oregon State University wrestling program.

Wells led the Beavers to a 161-94-3 record in 14 seasons from 1993-2006. He coached one NCAA champion; two Olympians; 17 All-Americans, and 22 Pac-10 champions. His 1994 team captured the Pacific-10 Conference title and placed fourth at the NCAA championships.

Wells never had a losing record at OSU and guided the Beavers to four top-10 finishes at the NCAA championships. The Beavers placed second in 1995, tying the program's best finish; they were eighth in 1996 and ninth in 1998.

He was the 1994 and 1995 Pac-10 Coach of the Year; the 1998 ASICS Oregon Wrestling Classic’s Man of the Year, and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014.

Wells was a standout competitor before entering coaching. He wrestled at the University of Iowa and was a two-time placer at the Big Ten championships. He was also a silver medalist at the 1974 USSR National Championships at Tiblisi, Russia, and the 1976 United States Wrestling Federation freestyle champion.

Before heading west, Wells coached at the high school level in Iowa for three years and then 13 years as an assistant at the University of Michigan. He was named national Assistant Coach of the Year in 1988.

He retired from coaching in 2006 after 14 seasons with the Beavers and 31 seasons overall, and then worked for the school’s Bridge program, which helps build the skills students need to make a successful transition from high school to college.

Wells assisted with numerous U.S. national teams, including the Olympic teams in 1988 and 1992. He was the freestyle coach for the United States at the 1990 World Championships, and also assisted with Iowa’s 1973 and 1976 NCAA champions.