Joe Seay
April 29, 1939 - July 11, 2019
After leading his teams at Cal State-Bakersfield and Oklahoma State to a total of nine NCAA championships, Joe Seay then coached the USA to milestone victories in the Goodwill Games, World Championships and Olympic Games.
Seay wrestled three years at Kansas State University and later won three national Greco-Roman crowns while placing second twice in Freestyle. He received his bachelor's degree from Kansas State in 1963 and his master's degree from KSU in 1964.
But it was as a coach at all levels that he earned lasting renown.
Starting with eight years at Bakersfield South High in California, he compiled a record of 177-12-2 and was national high school Coach of the Year. Moving across town to Cal State, he coached a dozen years and won seven Division II national championships with a record of 189-56-2. At Oklahoma State, from 1985 to 1992, he went 114-8-2 with back-to-back Division I crowns in 1989 and 1990.
His folkstyle record adds up to 480 victories and an .859 winning percentage. He is the only coach to win collegiate team titles in both divisions, and he was named national Coach of the Year five times.
When his collegiate coaching career ended in 1992, Seay quickly stepped into a major role on the international scene. Already closely affiliated with the Sunkist Kids program, he became their head coach and continued the club's still unbroken streak of national freestyle championships.
He coached the USA to its first-ever Senior World Freestyle championship in 1993 and repeated two years later, also leading a Pan American Games victory in 1995. And at the Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, Seay's wrestlers won the medal count.
As a coach who has left an indelible mark on all levels of the sport, Joe Van Seay is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Awards:
Year
2021
|
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
|
Chapter/Region
California
|
Year
1998
|
Award
Distinguished Member
|
Chapter/Region
National
|
All Coaching Dual Records:
Season
2006
|
School
Tennessee-Chattanooga
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
25
|
Wins
16
|
Losses
8
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
64
|
Season
1991
|
School
Oklahoma State
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
18
|
Wins
15
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
83.33
|
Season
1990
|
School
Oklahoma State
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
19
|
Wins
18
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
94.74
|
Season
1989
|
School
Oklahoma State
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
24
|
Wins
22
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
91.67
|
Season
1988
|
School
Oklahoma State
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
18
|
Wins
16
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
88.89
|
Season
1987
|
School
Oklahoma State
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
20
|
Wins
18
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
90
|
Season
1986
|
School
Oklahoma State
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
18
|
Wins
12
|
Losses
6
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
66.67
|
Season
1985
|
School
Oklahoma State
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
17
|
Wins
13
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
76.47
|
Season
1984
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
20
|
Wins
14
|
Losses
6
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
70
|
Season
1983
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
23
|
Wins
16
|
Losses
7
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
69.57
|
Season
1982
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
21
|
Wins
14
|
Losses
7
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
66.67
|
Season
1981
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
25
|
Wins
22
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
88
|
Season
1980
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
21
|
Wins
18
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
85.71
|
Season
1979
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
17
|
Wins
14
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
82.35
|
Season
1978
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
18
|
Wins
16
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
88.89
|
Season
1977
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
20
|
Wins
16
|
Losses
4
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
80
|
Season
1976
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
21
|
Wins
18
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
85.71
|
Season
1975
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
20
|
Wins
16
|
Losses
4
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
80
|
Season
1974
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
23
|
Wins
14
|
Losses
9
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
60.87
|
Season
1973
|
School
Cal State-Bakersfield
|
Division
Division II
|
Duals
16
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
7
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
56.25
|
Season
Career
|
Duals
404
|
Wins
317
|
Losses
82
|
Ties
5
|
Win PCT.
78.47
|