It took Greg Randall just seven years to direct the Boise State University wrestling program to the top of the Pac-10 Conference, while also establishing himself as one of the top collegiate coaches in the country.  Through his first seven seasons as head coach, Randall has led the Broncos to top-three team finishes at the Pac-10 Conference championships six times, including back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2008 and 2009, and four top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships.

        Randall’s success was capped last season with a 17-3 record, his third Pac-10 Championship and a 12th-place finish at the national tournament. Randall was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year after the Broncos shattered the conference championship scoring record with 172.5 team points. Boise State did so with six wrestlers earning individual conference titles, including: Andrew Hochstrasser (133 pounds), Jason Chamberlain (149), Tyler Sherfey (165), Nate Lee (174), Kirk Smith (184) and Brent Chriswell (197). Boise State had nine wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships, three of which (Hochstrasser, Sherfey and Chriswell) earned All-American honors with top-eight finishes in their respective weight classes.

        The nine BSU wrestlers at nationals tied the record for the most Broncos to qualify for the NCAA tournament since Boise State joined the Pac-10 in 1988. The Boise State wrestling program also achieved that feat in 2003 and 2008.

        Randall’s league finishes included the 2004, 2008 and 2009 Pac-10 championships, runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2005, and a third-place finish in 2006.  At the 2003 and 2009 NCAA tournaments Randall’s Broncos placed 12th, while the 2006 and 2008 teams finished 24th.

        In 2007-08 Randall earned his first Pac-10 Coach of the Year award, which came in part to his team’s dominating performance at the league championships. Boise State scored the third-highest Pac-10 tournament score in history with 152.5 total points. With the win the Broncos also sent nine wrestlers on to the national tournament, which was highlighted by Kirk Smith’s eighth-place finish at 184 pounds. 

        In 2006 Randall guided his first NCAA individual champion as a head coach as Ben Cherrington captured the national title in the 157-pound weight class.  Cherrington was the second wrestler Randall has helped to a first-place finish at the NCAA tournament.  In 1999 as an assistant coach for the Broncos, Randall helped guide Kirk White to the 165-pound national title.

        Taking over the program following the 2001-02 season, Randall has led the Broncos to a dual match record of 74-26 the past seven seasons for a 74.0 winning percentage.  In that time eight of his wrestlers earned NCAA All-America honors while capturing 17 individual Pac-10 championships, including the six Boise State brought home from the 2009 Pac-10 Championships.

        Randall became just the third head wrestling coach in the past 40 years at Boise State when he was promoted to the head coaching position on April 5, 2002, following the retirement of longtime head coach Mike Young. 

        Prior to taking over the top coaching position, Randall was known as one of the top assistants in the country, helping the Broncos to two Pac-10 championships and several top-20 finishes at the NCAA tournament during his 10 years under Young. 

        His success as an assistant carried over in his first year at the helm of the Bronco program (2002-03) when he was named “Rookie Coach of the Year” by Amateur Wrestling News.

        While the Boise State wrestling program has always been successful, it has seen unprecedented success over the past 10 seasons.  During that time Boise State fans have seen some of the top team and individual performances in the program’s history with the Broncos winning five Pac-10 championships (2000, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009), while finishing runner-up for the league title four other years (1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005).

        In his seven years as the Bronco head coach, Randall’s teams have made a habit of peaking at the right time each season.  In 2009 and 2004 his squads won eight straight dual matches before winning the league title.  In 2008 the Broncos finished the season by winning 9-of 10 duals en route to a Pac-10 title, with their only loss coming against No. 1 ranked Iowa in the season finale. His team also won its final eight dual matches before finishing second at the 2003 league championships and posting its fifth straight top-20 finish at nationals.

        In the past 11 seasons, Randall has helped Boise State wrestlers to several league and national accomplishments.  Included are 25 individual Pac-10 championships, 74 qualifiers to the NCAA championships, 17 Broncos receiving All-America honors and two individual NCAA national championships.

        Current assistant coach Kirk White came away with three of those All-America awards (1999, which came en route to his national individual title, 2000 and 2001). 

        Since Randall joined the Bronco wrestling program 17 years ago, 14 individuals have earned a total of 19 NCAA All-America awards.  Along with the three won by White, three other Broncos have also been multiple winners of the national honor.  They are Larry Quisel (third in 1999 and second in 2000 at 157-pounds), Cash Edwards (seventh in 2000 and sixth in 2001 at 184 pounds), and Ben VomBaur (fourth in 2002 and sixth in 2003 at 125 pounds).

        Broncos earning single NCAA All-America honors with Randall as an assistant or head coach include Nels Nelson (seventh in 1992 at 150 pounds), Rusty Cook (fourth in 2001 at 197 pounds), Charles Burton (third in 1996 at 167 pounds), Collin Robertson (sixth in 2003 at 149 pounds), Boe Rushton (third in 2003 at heavyweight), Cherrington (first in 2005 at 157 pounds), Smith (eighth in 2008 at 184 pounds), Hochstrasser (fourth in 2009 at 133 pounds), Sherfey (eighth in 2009 at 165 pounds) and Chriswell (sixth in 2009 at 197 pounds).

        Burton went on to become Boise State’s first student-athlete to become a member of a United States Olympic team.  The native of Meridian, Idaho, represented the United States at 2000 Sydney Games competing in the freestyle division, where he placed fifth in the 87-kilogram (187.25-pound) weight class.

        As a team at the NCAA Tournament, Boise State has finished among the top 25 teams eight of the past eleven years.  Along with their 12th place finish 2009, the Broncos also finished 24th in 2008, 24th in 2006, 12th in 2003, tied for 19th in 2002, 10th in 2001, 12th in 2000 and 10th in 1999. 

        A 1987 graduate of the University of Iowa, Randall was a three-time NCAA All-American for legendary coach Dan Gable.  In 2003 Randall had the honor to serve as an assistant to Gable for the U.S. World Cup wrestling team. 

        Randall wrestled in the 134-pound weight class at Iowa, helping the Hawkeyes to four NCAA national championships.  He was a three-time All-American, finishing runner-up for the national championship in 1984 and 1986.  As a junior in 1985 he placed fifth at the national tournament.

        Randall was a Big 10 Conference champion in 1985 and received the award for the “Most Falls in the Least of Amount of Time”.  In 1985, 1986 and 1987 he was selected as a participant for the East-West All-Star Wrestling Classic.  Following his 1987 season Randall received Iowa’s McGivern Award, which is presented each year to the team’s most courageous wrestler.

        Competing at the international level in 1989, Randall captured the gold medal for his weight class at the Pan American Games.  He has also been a runner-up at the U.S. Open Nationals and placed second at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival.

        A four-time state high school champion in Iowa during his prep career, Randall was inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame located at the Wrestling Institute in Newton, Iowa, in March of 2002, and in the state of Iowa High School Hall of Fame in 1995.  He is also a two-time junior national champion.

        Prior to joining the Bronco coaching staff, Randall was an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota.

        Randall, and his wife Chris, have three children – Rylee 14, Shea 13 and Brittlyn 8.

Greg Randall’s Career Coaching Record

Year                                 Overall                                  Pac-10                             Pac-10 Finish                       NCAA Finish

2002-03                               11-3                                         6-1                                2nd (127.0 pts.)                     12th (45.0 pts.)

2003-04                                9-3                                          4-2                                  1st (94.5 pts.)                        37th (9.5 pts.)

2004-05                                9-7                                          4-3                                 2nd (93.0 pts.)                      33rd (12.0 pts.)

2005-06                                8-5                                          4-3                                  3rd (97.0 pts.)                        24th (31.5 pts)

2006-07                               10-3                                         6-2                                  9th (58.5 pts.)                            no score

2007-08                               10-2                                         7-1                                 1st (152.5 pts.)                      24th (21.0 pts.)

2008-09                               17-3                                         8-0                                 1st (172.5 pts.)                      12th (46.5 pts.)

Totals                              74-26                                    39-12