Hofstra’s Head Coach Tom Shifflet Earns 4 Year Extension, Talks to TDR TV

Posted on | September 28, 2010 | No Comments

WRES: Shifflet Given Four-Year Contract Extension

Courtesy: Hofstra Athletic Communications

Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet has been given a four-year contract extension to coach the Pride through the 2013-14 season, Director of Athletics Jack Hayes announced Monday.

Shifflet, who became the 10th head wrestling coach in University history in May, 2006, has recorded a 47-30-4 record in four seasons with the Pride. In addition, Hofstra has captured three Colonial Athletic Association championships with 13 student-athletes claiming individual conference titles. He has also coached a total of 24 Pride wrestlers to the NCAA Championships including seven or more Pride wrestlers in three of the four years. As a team, Hofstra has placed in the top 15 in two of the championships and Pride wrestlers have earned All-America honors six times during his tenure.

His first season as the Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach in 2006-07 was one for the record books. Shifflet directed the Pride to an 18-4-2 dual record, a final record season ranking of ninth, the program’s sixth straight Colonial Athletic Association championship and the school’s seventh consecutive conference title, an upset victory of top-ranked Minnesota in November, a sixth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals and, most importantly, a seventh-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Along the way, the Pride developed four All-Americans, seven conference champions including the CAA Wrestler of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. For Shifflet’s efforts, he was named the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year.

In 2007-08 Shifflet directed the program to its 11th consecutive winning season with a 13-8 overall record and a 6-0 conference while leading Hofstra to its seventh straight CAA wrestling championship and eighth consecutive conference title. Along the way the Pride faced 13 Top 25 opponents and posted victories over #4 Iowa State, #13 Edinboro and #22 Old Dominion. Hofstra placed third at the Southern Scuffle, 10th in the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational, first in the CAA Championships with three conference champions and seven national qualifiers, and 15th in the NCAA Championships with two All-Americans and the Gorrarian Award winner.

In 2008-09, Shifflet, faced with a rebuilding season, captured the University’s ninth consecutive conference championship with three individual champions, posted a 10-6 dual record and a 5-1 mark in the CAA and sent eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. He was also named CAA Coach of the Year. Last season was a year filled with injuries to starters in three weight classes while a fourth was red-shirted as the Pride struggled through a 6-12-2 season. Nonetheless, three Pride wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2010.

Shifflet came to Hofstra after four seasons as head wrestling coach at UNC Greensboro. His tenure at UNCG was marked by annual improvements in recruiting, recognition and success. He also created and organized the annual 35-team Southern Scuffle wrestling tournament, which is one of the largest and more competitive Division I regular season tournaments in the country. During his tenure at UNC Greensboro Shifflet recorded a 32-32 dual meet record and had nine wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships.

A three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier as a student-athlete at national powerhouse Edinboro University from 1992 through 1995, Shifflet began his coaching career as an assistant at Georgia State University in1995, helping the Panthers post back-to-back winning seasons, and develop three conference champions and four NCAA qualifiers.

In 1997 Shifflet left Georgia State to begin a five-year tenure as an assistant coach at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. During his time with the Big Red, Shifflet coached 24 NCAA qualifiers, three NCAA All-Americans and helped head coach Rob Koll to a pair of Ivy League championships in 1999 and 2001. More importantly, Cornell was also consistently ranked among the nation’s top-15 programs. His final Big Red recruiting class placed fifth at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City.