Kerry McCoy
Encyclopedia
Kerry R. McCoy is an American amateur wrestler. He is a two-time Olympian
, a four-time World Cup Championship and three NCAA All-American. He is currently the head coach of the University of Maryland
wrestling program.
As head coach of Stanford from 2005 to 2008, McCoy made a strong start with the program, leading the team to a winning record in his first season as a head coach. Under McCoy's guidance, the team finished 2005-06 with an 8-7 record in dual meets and bettered itself by two spots at the Pac-10 Championships. In addition, he helped two wrestlers qualify for the NCAA championships and coached sophomore Tanner Gardner to become the 13th All-American in Stanford history.
During McCoy's second year at the helm of the program, the improvement continued. The Cardinals finished with an 8-8 dual meet record, and climbed another rung higher, to sixth place, on the Pac-10 ladder. With the help of McCoy, five wrestlers placed in the Pac-10 and Gardner captured the program's first individual Pac-10 title since 2004. All five qualified for the NCAA Championships, one of the highest totals of NCAA qualifiers in Cardinal history. Gardner and Josh Zupancic earned All-America honors, the first Stanford pair to do so in the same season since 1967, while freshman Zack Giesen was named the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year.
Before his time at Stanford, McCoy was an assistant coach with the Lehigh wrestling program in Bethlehem
, Pennsylvania
; in his five seasons there, he coached 14 NCAA All-Americans, including two NCAA Champions, and the program won the EIWA Conference championship four times. McCoy also helped guide 197-pounder Jon Trenge to a Lehigh-record 133 victories in his career and a trio of top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships.
During his time at Lehigh, McCoy also worked for the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club as a director, . In addition, McCoy has served on Athlete Advisory committees for USA Wrestling
and the U.S. Olympic Committee, and has spent multiple seasons on the U.S. Freestyle World Team coaching staff.
Prior to his arrival at Lehigh, McCoy served as an assistant at Penn State for three seasons, during which the Nittany Lions posted two fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Tournament and produced 10 All-Americans and two NCAA Champions.
McCoy has had tremendous success as an athlete, beginning with his high school career at Longwood in Middle Island
, New York
. McCoy was named the 2005 Friends of Long Island Wrestling Man of the Year and was inducted into the Longwood High School Hall of Fame in 1998. McCoy went on to compete at Penn State, where he accumulated an impressive 150-18 overall record and won NCAA heavyweight championships in 1994 and 1997. McCoy also won three Big Ten titles and won 131 of his last 132 matches at Penn State, including an 88-match winning streak. A three-time All-American, McCoy was named the Penn State Athlete of the Year and the Nittany Lions' Wrestler of the Year in 1994 and 1997. During his senior year, he was selected as the 1997 Hodge Award winner and was chosen as W.I.N. Magazine's Wrestler of the Year. In 1997, McCoy graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing from Penn State.
A two-time Olympian, McCoy took fifth place at the 2000 Olympic Games and seventh at the 2004 Games in Athens
. In 2000, McCoy qualified for the Olympics at 286 pounds by defeating 1999 World Champion Stephen Neal
, by scores of 4-1 and 6-4. In 2004, McCoy won his fifth straight U.S. National Freestyle Wrestling Championship, taking five straight matches and defeating 2003 NCAA champion Steve Mocco
in the final, 3-0. His victory put him in the finals of the Olympic Trials, where he bested Tolly Thompson 5-3 and 8-0 to earn the right to represent the United States again at the 2004 Summer Games.
McCoy has been a consistent force on the national scene for the past decade, as he has collected numerous top finishes at the United States National Tournament with a fourth-place finish in 1994; third in 1995; second in 1996 and 1997; fifth in 1998; third in 1999; and first from 2000-04. He is a nine-time member of the National Team. In 1998 and 2001, he placed fourth at the World Championships, and won a silver medal in 2003. Then, in August 2003, McCoy won a gold medal at the Pan-American Games and was honored as the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
McCoy and his wife, Abbie, were married in June in State College, PA. The couple resides in College Park, MD.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, a four-time World Cup Championship and three NCAA All-American. He is currently the head coach of the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
wrestling program.
Biography
In his inaugural season as the Terrapin head coach, McCoy lead the team to a school record-tying 10th place NCAA Tournament finish, earning three All-Americans in Steve Bell (133, 6th), Alex Krom (141, 5th) and Hudson Taylor (197, 3rd). McCoy also lead the team to an ACC Tournament championship, crowning ACC Champions Brenden Byrne (125), Steve Bell (133), and Alex Krom (141). In the 2009-2010 season, McCoy led the team to a school record 19 duel meet victories, school record breaking career wins and career and season pins for Hudson Taylor (197 lb), McCoy's first regular season conference championship, a runner- up finish at ACC conference championship and a 20th-place finish at the NCAA Championship.As head coach of Stanford from 2005 to 2008, McCoy made a strong start with the program, leading the team to a winning record in his first season as a head coach. Under McCoy's guidance, the team finished 2005-06 with an 8-7 record in dual meets and bettered itself by two spots at the Pac-10 Championships. In addition, he helped two wrestlers qualify for the NCAA championships and coached sophomore Tanner Gardner to become the 13th All-American in Stanford history.
During McCoy's second year at the helm of the program, the improvement continued. The Cardinals finished with an 8-8 dual meet record, and climbed another rung higher, to sixth place, on the Pac-10 ladder. With the help of McCoy, five wrestlers placed in the Pac-10 and Gardner captured the program's first individual Pac-10 title since 2004. All five qualified for the NCAA Championships, one of the highest totals of NCAA qualifiers in Cardinal history. Gardner and Josh Zupancic earned All-America honors, the first Stanford pair to do so in the same season since 1967, while freshman Zack Giesen was named the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year.
Before his time at Stanford, McCoy was an assistant coach with the Lehigh wrestling program in Bethlehem
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
; in his five seasons there, he coached 14 NCAA All-Americans, including two NCAA Champions, and the program won the EIWA Conference championship four times. McCoy also helped guide 197-pounder Jon Trenge to a Lehigh-record 133 victories in his career and a trio of top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships.
During his time at Lehigh, McCoy also worked for the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club as a director, . In addition, McCoy has served on Athlete Advisory committees for USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling is the organization that currently governs freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States...
and the U.S. Olympic Committee, and has spent multiple seasons on the U.S. Freestyle World Team coaching staff.
Prior to his arrival at Lehigh, McCoy served as an assistant at Penn State for three seasons, during which the Nittany Lions posted two fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Tournament and produced 10 All-Americans and two NCAA Champions.
McCoy has had tremendous success as an athlete, beginning with his high school career at Longwood in Middle Island
Middle Island, New York
Middle Island is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 9,702 at the 2000 census. It is situated between the towns of Coram and Ridge, to the west and east, respectively, and Rocky Point and Yaphank to the north and south...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. McCoy was named the 2005 Friends of Long Island Wrestling Man of the Year and was inducted into the Longwood High School Hall of Fame in 1998. McCoy went on to compete at Penn State, where he accumulated an impressive 150-18 overall record and won NCAA heavyweight championships in 1994 and 1997. McCoy also won three Big Ten titles and won 131 of his last 132 matches at Penn State, including an 88-match winning streak. A three-time All-American, McCoy was named the Penn State Athlete of the Year and the Nittany Lions' Wrestler of the Year in 1994 and 1997. During his senior year, he was selected as the 1997 Hodge Award winner and was chosen as W.I.N. Magazine's Wrestler of the Year. In 1997, McCoy graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing from Penn State.
A two-time Olympian, McCoy took fifth place at the 2000 Olympic Games and seventh at the 2004 Games in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. In 2000, McCoy qualified for the Olympics at 286 pounds by defeating 1999 World Champion Stephen Neal
Stephen Neal
Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield...
, by scores of 4-1 and 6-4. In 2004, McCoy won his fifth straight U.S. National Freestyle Wrestling Championship, taking five straight matches and defeating 2003 NCAA champion Steve Mocco
Steve Mocco
Steve Mocco is an American amateur wrestler originally from North Bergen, New Jersey. Starting his collegiate wrestling career at the University of Iowa, Mocco was the 285-pound NCAA Division I runner-up in 2002 and champion in 2003. After taking an Olympic redshirt year, Mocco transferred to...
in the final, 3-0. His victory put him in the finals of the Olympic Trials, where he bested Tolly Thompson 5-3 and 8-0 to earn the right to represent the United States again at the 2004 Summer Games.
McCoy has been a consistent force on the national scene for the past decade, as he has collected numerous top finishes at the United States National Tournament with a fourth-place finish in 1994; third in 1995; second in 1996 and 1997; fifth in 1998; third in 1999; and first from 2000-04. He is a nine-time member of the National Team. In 1998 and 2001, he placed fourth at the World Championships, and won a silver medal in 2003. Then, in August 2003, McCoy won a gold medal at the Pan-American Games and was honored as the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
McCoy and his wife, Abbie, were married in June in State College, PA. The couple resides in College Park, MD.