Mark Cody GARY ABBOTT’S MATSIDE CHAT WITH...


Mark Cody has become one of the nation’s most respected


college coaches. A New York state qualifier in high school, he went to junior college before becoming an All-American at Missouri. He was nationally ranked in freestyle for a few sea- sons before turning his attention to coaching. His early assistant coaching stints were for national powers Oklahoma State and Nebraska, where he developed many star wrestlers. Cody took over as head coach at American University, and in


less than a decade built it into national prominence. He has developed a number of All-Americans, and had the school’s first NCAA champion in Josh Glenn. Cody’s team is now a top national challenger, in spite of its small size, high tuition cost, academic standards and lack of wrestling tradition. USA Wrestler asked Cody about his life journey and how he built the American program.


USA Wrestler: How did you get involved in wrestling as a


youth, and who were your early influences? Cody: I got cut from CYO basketball in seventh and eighth


grade. I was actually cut by my cousin. I knew I didn’t have much future there. I was in tears the whole way home the sec- ond time I was cut. Mike Gill, a wrestler for Binghamton North High School, suggested I come to practice and that coach Bill Layton would welcome me. I went over and started wrestling for the public school. Bill Layton was a legendary coach in our area. He was Frank Bettucci and Dave Aubel’s coach. I took my lumps but I enjoyed it so much. Nobody got cut and everybody got personal attention from the coach. He was very much into showing technique. I was 120 pounds, soaking wet, and not an athletic youth. I remember he always said that movement over- comes strength.


USA Wrestler: What were the highlights of your high school


career, and what made you want to compete in college? Cody: My highlight was making the New York state tourna-


ment as a senior. I struggled early on. I wrestled 112 as a fresh- man and 126 as a sophomore. I went to 145 as a junior and 167 as a senior. I got close to six-foot tall. I had some friends in wrestling, Larry Iacovelli and Dave Turco, who were going to Delhi on a recruiting trip and they took me along. The coach Frank Millard said I was also welcome there. I basically recruit- ed myself. Turco went to Brockport and Iacovelli and I went to Delhi together.


USA Wrestler: How did your experience at SUNY-Delhi improve you as a wrestler? Cody: They had a national record for dual meet wins at Delhi.


Most of the wrestlers there had been wrestling since they were young kids. Coach Millard took kids like me who did not have a great high school background and helped us. He ran very hard practices. He said that I worked hard and would improve. That boosted my confidence, and excited me to work even harder.


USA Wrestler: What happened that you ended up at Missouri? Cody: I was fourth in the Junior College Nationals my first


24 USA Wrestler


year at Delhi. I was undefeated and was disappointed I didn’t do better. I was also undefeated my second year. I felt I had worked hard enough to win. I got to the semifinals of the JC tournament, and I was winning, when I broke my back. I broke six vertebrae. I was told my career was over. I found a doctor who said maybe I could wrestle if I built up my strength there. My right arm and leg were paralyzed for a bit. I spent a few weeks in a hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. after the injury. That was a tough time. I was being recruited by many schools, but after the accident I was knocked off their lists. I did everything I could to rehab. I worked hard and trained on my own. I won some Open tournaments and got recruited again. It seemed like everybody wanted a 177-pounder. Bob Kopnisky was the coach at Missouri. In the recruiting process, he was interested in developing you as both a wrestler and a person. I felt he was a really good guy.


USA Wrestler: What are you most proud of from your college wrestling career? Cody: My goal was to be a NCAA champion. I lost a heart- breaking match in the semis of the NCAA Tournament. I got on the podium, but I never felt good about that. It helped me be a better athlete and coach. Later on, I realized how hard it is to get on the podium. With the late start I had, with the path I took and the hardships I had, getting to the podium after all that was something I have been able to live with.


USA Wrestler: What are your memories from your years as a nationally ranked freestyle wrestler? Cody: The reason I pursued the next level was that I wasn’t satisfied with my college career. I started training freestyle at Bloomsburg when I coached there as a volunteer assistant with


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