Indiana University Athletics
Getting to Know Head Coach Duane Goldman
10/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 12, 2005
Duane Goldman is in his 14th season at the helm of the Indiana wrestling program.
In 2005, Goldman made his mark in history by taking the Hoosiers to the NCAA Championships for the 12th time under his leadership, second most by any coach in school history. Goldman also led the squad to its highest finish (ninth) at NCAAs since 1989 when it finished eighth. Charlie McDaniel is the only coach with more appearances in the NCAA Championships with 19 over 26 years at the helm of the Hoosiers.
Goldman led a total of seven NCAA qualifiers to the championship, a mark that only has been met three times in the last 15 years. Goldman also set the school record for the most qualifiers, with eight, in 1994. Four of those seven athletes are making return appearances to the Hoosiers this season. Under his leadership, Goldman also brought IU its first national champion since Brian Dolph won it in the 150-pound class in 1990. Joe Dubuque brought home the title in the 125-pound class in 2005.
A legendary coach in the making, Goldman, led the Hoosiers to a fifth-place tie at the Big Ten Championships, tying his highest ever since taking the helm in 1992.
Goldman has amassed 40 Big Ten All-Academic team members, one national champion, 54 NCAA qualifiers and 14 All-Americans, including Brandon Becker (157-fifth), Dubuque (125-first) and Pat DeGain (HWT-third).
In the 2004 NCAA Championships, Goldman led the Hoosiers to a 28th-place finish. With IU's top-10 mark in 2005, the back-to-back performances mark the 32nd time in school history that IU had finished in the top-30. At the championships, Dubuque and Coyte Cooper became the 10th and 11th wrestlers to earn All-America honors under Goldman.
During the 2003-04 season, Goldman became the school's all-time leader in wins as he passed former Hoosier coaching legend McDaniel. Goldman enters the 2005-06 season with a 164-90-4 record and a 28-66-1 Big Ten mark.
In 2002-03, Goldman led the Hoosiers to 16 dual meet victories, a school record. Goldman then topped that record in 2004 mounting 17. He also guided Cooper Greg Schaefer and Ty Matthews to the NCAA Championships.
Goldman graduated one of his most honored wrestlers in Viktor Sveda in 2002. Sveda finished his career with a 149-28 record and 47 pins. Both the 149 wins and 47 pins are school records, eclipsing the marks set by Roger Chandler from 1994-1997. Despite graduating one of his most decorated wrestlers, Goldman brought in a recruiting class for 2002-03 that ranked among the nation's top-20 classes.
Success for Indiana wrestling under Goldman goes beyond the mat. Indiana wrestlers know they are expected to be as dedicated in the classroom as they are on the mat. In 2000-01, 11 Hoosiers earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades during the season, the most in conference history by any wrestling team in one season (Illinois also had 11 Academic All-Big Ten members in 2001). Goldman attributes this academic progress to the fact that he and his staff have made a conscious effort to recruit the best student-athletes each year, instead of just the best athletes.
"We try to recruit people that understand that their responsibilities extend further than the mat," Goldman said. "My hope for every individual is that they reach their goals in wrestling, that they earn their degree and that they develop in ways which will bring them success, happiness and satisfaction in their future endeavors."
Indiana wrestling also earned national recognition for its academic progress over the last few seasons. The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has recognized two Hoosiers as honorable mention scholar athletes in 2001 and 2003. In 2003, three Hoosiers were named NWCA Scholar Athletes. IU has also improved in the NWCA's grade point average rankings. Last season the Hoosiers ranked 20th academically as a team, improving its ranking from its 2001 finish of 23rd.
Goldman and his staff have made their presence felt on the national recruiting scene since arriving here at IU. During the 2001 recruiting period, Goldman and his staff pulled in a class ranked among many publications' top-10 lists, a feat matched again in 2005.
With a 19-18 win against conference foe Wisconsin in the 2001 Virginia Duals, Goldman recorded career win No. 100.
Goldman served as an assistant under former Indiana head coach, and current Michigan head coach Joe McFarland before being elevated to the top spot in 1992. Prior to arriving in Bloomington, he spent a year as an assistant at the United States Military Academy (Army).
As a collegiate wrestler, he dominated while under the tutelage of legendary head coach Dan Gable at the University of Iowa. In his four years as a Hawkeye, Goldman accumulated a 132-10 career record, winning four Big Ten Championships and finished as a four-time NCAA All-American. After three consecutive second-place finishes, he won the NCAA Championships in his final season at 190 lbs. After winning NCAAs, Goldman went on to compete extensively on the international level as a member of the U.S. National Team. He won the gold medal at the Pan-American Championships in 1987 and was a member of the 1987 World Cup Team. In addition, he served as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team in 1988. In 1988, he spent a season with the Martiyny Club de Lutte in Martigny, Switzerland, where he both competed and coached.
Goldman earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Iowa in 1986 in general studies. He went on to earn his master's degree from IU in administration in 1997.
During the summer of 2000, Goldman accompanied former assistant coach Charles Burton to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he served as an assistant coach and workout partner. Goldman and his wife, Patricia, have two daughters, Aphten and Avery, and one son, Garret.
