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David Taylor's Oklahoma State Wrestling recently made a significant addition to the program's coaching staff after appointing former Army head coach and NCAA Champion Kevin Ward as assistant coach. Ward competed for the Oklahoma State Wrestling program from 2001 to 2006, winning four national championships with the team.
During his collegiate wrestling career with OSU, Ward clinched a Big 12 title in the 157 pounds category in 2005 followed by a silver medal at the conference tournament in 2006. He stepped into the role of head coach at the Army in the 2014-15 season. Before assuming the role of assistant coach at OSU, he led the Army's squad for 11 seasons, going 59-53 record in duals.
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Ward trained 54 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. In 2019, Ward was named the EIWA Coach of the Year. Taylor shared his excitement in welcoming the former Army head coach.
"I’m excited to welcome Kevin Ward back to Oklahoma State Wrestling,” said Taylor. “Kevin was part of four NCAA team titles as a Cowboy wrestler, helped start a successful program from the ground up at Ouachita Baptist, and has been a consistent force at Army for more than a decade. His return to the wrestling room here at OSU is going to help us reach our goals for the highest levels of success on and off the mat.” (via okstate.com)
David Taylor highlights the importance of confidence before competing in a wrestling match
After collecting an Olympic gold medal, three titles at the World Championships, and six total world medals David Taylor accepted the position of head coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling program in May 2024.
In a recent interview with Flo Wrestling, he stated that while the whole season is focused on training for the national championships, the physical and mental peak is important.
"I think it's a combination of both. When we talk, we lay out a plan for the guys and it's going backwards from the National Tournament you know, everything up into that is preparation. Every step along the way you want to wrestle, but you're never going to feel your best till the National Tournament."
He added:
"With that being said I don't know that anyone necessarily feels their best at the National Tournament, but I think that's where the belief kind of element comes in just believing that you're ready to go." (0.25 onwards)
David Taylor led the program to third place at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships with OSU's Dean Hamiti and Wyatt Hendrickson dominating the 174 and 285 lbs categories, respectively.
