Diversity Lands Backes Hawkeye Position

Willie Saylor, Editor

It’s the time of the year when the coaches’ carousel begins to spin. A few vacancies have been filled, a few are still open, and as the summer gets in to full swing, coaching moves will become the norm.

One position that has been filled is a vacancy at Iowa. The opportunity to serve on the staff of the nation’s most revered program is being bestowed to former Iowa State National Runner-Up, Kurt Backes.

“It feels great to be back in Iowa,” said the new Hawkeye coach. “It’s a dream come true. My wife is from Iowa. I love this state, and the wrestling here is the best in the country.”

Backes most recently served as an Assistant Coach at Virginia Tech. Prior to the that, he honed his coaching craft as part of the staff at the University of Missouri, and for a season as a graduate assistant at his alma mater.

A product of the esteemed Blair Academy (NJ) program, Backes was a National Prep Champion and a 2003 Junior World Team Member.

In a Cyclone singlet, Backes won two Big XII titles and garnered All-American honors as a freshman (7th at 184) and a senior (2nd at 197).

“I’m getting older and more experienced,” Backes said. “I’ve learned from all the coaches who’ve taught me and who I’ve worked along with. My experiences have been pretty diverse. I worked with guys like (Mike) Ellis and the Askren brothers day-in and day-out at Missouri, I’ve done things like strength and conditioning at Virginia Tech, I’ve had international experience, like traveling to Cuba. Actually, Mike (Zadick) was on that same team. And I’ve been around great wrestling minds like Bobby Douglas and Jeff Buxton. I think these things set me up to be a successful coach at a premier program.”

The position at Iowa opened last month when Doug Schwab was hired as the new Head Coach at Northern Iowa. Longtime assistant, Mike Zadick, who this weekend won a World Team berth, has been promoted. And, with Steve Mocco (now at the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club) gone, Coach Brands was in the market for an upperweights coach for his three-time defending national champion Hawkeye squad.

Backes will have talent to work with as Iowa signed several top recruits up top, including Mike Evans (#1, 174) and Bobby Telford (#3, HWT) in this years class.

But Backes notes that he’s not a one-trick pony. “I don’t like being pigeon-holed as just a big-guy coach. Don’t get me wrong, I look forward to working with the talented upper-weights in the Iowa room. But I get excited to work with anyone, at any weight. That’s what being a coach is all about. Identifying things and helping them out with it, whether it be McDonough or St. John or any one else; whether it’s on Iowa or at University World’s or Senior World’s, I want to coach athletes to the highest level of excellence.”