Rob Koll GARY ABBOTT’S MATSIDE CHAT WITH...


Rob Koll has become one of the most successful and respected coaches in wrestling. The son of Hall of Fame athlete and coach Bill Koll, Rob won an NCAA title at North Carolina and made the 1990 U.S. World Team in freestyle wrestling. After assistant coaching stints at UNC and Cornell, he took over the Cornell program as head coach in 1993-94. He has molded Ivy League program Cornell into a national power, and has coached a number of individual NCAA champions. Cornell enters the new season as the No. 1 team. USA Wrestler visited with Coach Koll as the team began its early season workouts.


USA Wrestler: Your dad Bill Koll was a Hall of Fame wrestler


and coach. What are your earliest memories of wrestling and what was it like to grow up around the sport? Koll: I remember wrestling/fighting with my brother Mike. We


lived in an old farm house and I don’t think we really had that many possessions that we worried about breaking. I think the only things that got broken were my front two teeth and they were not my baby teeth!


USA Wrestler: When did you decide that you wanted to pur-


sue wrestling seriously, and who were some of the people who helped you to excel as a competitor? Koll: Considering the Penn State wrestling room served as


my nursery school and day care center and the child care providers were Penn State wrestlers, I’m not really sure it was my decision to pursue wrestling. Having grown up in this envi- ronment made it almost impossible not to excel in the sport. I enjoy doing what I do well so it was only natural that I was drawn to the sport. My father and brothers played the most sig- nificant impact on my wrestling success. I was also fortunate to have great coaches at every level.


USA Wrestler: Pennsylvania is a wrestling hotbed. How do


you assess your high school career, and what were your per- sonal highlights from competing in high school? Koll: Although wrestling is considered an individual sport, I


always loved the team aspect. My high school state title means as much to me, if not more than any title. We had an undefeat- ed high school team for three years and I wrestled with many of these teammates from elementary school. My state title proba- bly means so much to me because many very good friends were there to share the experience with me and my family.


USA Wrestler: Why did you decide to attend the University of


North Carolina, and what was it about that program that allowed you to develop into a successful college athlete? Koll: Other than Coach Lorenzo from Penn State, Coach Lam


of North Carolina was the only coach who recruited me. My friends called me RobKollBillKollson because that is how I was constantly referred to by the newspaper. If you didn’t figure it out, that is “Rob Koll, Bill Koll’s son.” I liked Penn State but I felt that I needed to gain a little independence. The reasons I was successful are pretty simple. I worked hard, hated losing, had great workout partners and great coaches.


24 USA Wrestler


Cornell coach Rob Koll hugs NCAA champion Kyle Dake. USA Wrestler: You won a NCAA title and four All-American


honors for the Tar Heels. What comes to mind when you look back at your college career? Koll: I formed amazingly close friendships that I would never


had formed had I not wrestled. I believe wrestling friendships are so tight because of the common sacrifices that we all endured.


USA Wrestler: When did you decide that you wanted to pur-


sue coaching as a career? Koll: To be honest my decision to coach was less glorious


than one might think. I was in Cleveland, Ohio doing a clinic for St. Eds when I called my wife to tell her what time I would be home. During the conversation, I was surprised to hear that she had all but accepted the job for me as the Cornell assistant wrestling coach! This was not all bad because we were so poor. We had recently looked under our car’s floormats, seeking change so that we could buy a Subway sub. I was also excited by the prospect of getting to work under head coach Jack Spates. I can honestly say every morning when I wake up I can’t wait to get to work. I stay motivated because I have sur- rounded myself with motivated coaches and athletes.


USA Wrestler: You competed internationally in freestyle for


many years. Your weight class within the USA was loaded with stars, including Kenny Monday, Dave Schultz, Greg Elinsky and others. What was it like to wrestle that caliber of competitors? Koll: I can’t say that I ever really enjoyed or was motivated to


wrestle internationally. I loved coaching and I always felt that I was getting behind with my job when I was gone. That being said, my coaching job paid a pittance so we needed the finan-


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