Mike
Denney
Hall of Fame coach has won six national titles and coached more than 40 Academic All- Americans at Nebraska-Omaha By Craig Sesker
OMAHA, Neb. – It is 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday in late November and Mike Denney is on the move. The 63-year-old Denney is wolfing down a hot dog as he
swiftly walks back toward the sea of wrestling mats that are blanketing the floor of Nebraska-Omaha’s Sapp Fieldhouse. He’s a virtual red-and-black blur as he roams around to coach wrestlers, shake hands with fans and alumni, and oversee his crew of 100-plus volunteers.
All the while, he somehow manages to keep beaming with his ever-present smile while making sure the massive tournament runs smoothly.
The Kaufman-Brand Open is underway. It’s the largest col- lege wrestling tournament in the country. There are 12 large mats rolled out on the floor of Sapp Fieldhouse, with another three mats being used in the adjacent physical education center. With a record 739 entries in two divi- sions in a total of 20 brackets, the one-day tournament has almost spilled over into a second day in past years. This year’s finals are scheduled for around 9 p.m. That’s roughly 12 hours after the first whistle blows. There are no breaks – the tournament runs straight through from start to fin- ish with 1,500 matches taking place.
Running a tournament this size is enough to make even the sanest human being in the country go crazy. But Denney is his usual calm, cool and gregarious self as he pulls off another suc- cessful event. Denney’s wife of 41 years, Bonnie, pokes her head out from the concession stand she is working at to survey the large scene of humanity.
“I don’t know how Mike still does this,” she says with a laugh. “I think he’s crazy.”
Denney has put this tournament on for 30 years now. It pro- vides great competition for his team and features some of the top wrestling programs in the country. NCAA Division I powers Oklahoma State, Iowa, Iowa State and Minnesota are here, along with top Division II programs in
6 USA Wrestler
Denney hugs All-American Shane Unger following a big win at the National Duals. Tim Tushla photo.
UNO, Nebraska-Kearney, Central Oklahoma, Minnesota State, and junior-college stronghold Iowa Central. Teams from as far away as Tennessee and Utah have trav- eled to Omaha for this year’s event. Denney’s University of Nebraska at Omaha program remains on top in Division II. His teams have won six national team titles, including the last two and five of the last seven. His team is ranked No. 1 again this season. “The more I watch Coach Denney, the more amazed I am,”
said past UNO All-American Brad Hildebrandt, who has coached Omaha Skutt Catholic High School to 13 straight state titles. “He does an unbelievable job getting every ounce of
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