Former Illini HD CH. Mark Johnson Talks of 100 Years of Wrestling Celebration

Posted on | October 11, 2010 | No Comments

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois wrestling program announced Wednesday the 100 Years of Wrestling Celebration on Oct. 22-23 to welcome back all former Illini wrestlers to the UI campus. Head coach Jim Heffernan will be joined by former head coaches Mark Johnson and Tom Porter at the reunion.

“The fact that wrestling has existed at the University of Illinois for 100 years is something that should be celebrated,” Heffernan said. “Beginning my 19th year on campus, I always look forward to the opportunity to spend time with our past student-athletes. It’s also a great time for former wrestlers from previous eras to reconnect with the program and university. We’re all looking forward to this event.”

The weekend will start with a tour of the UI athletic facilities on Friday at 3 p.m., with an evening social activity following. On Saturday, the Illini wrestling team will hold a practice for those attending the reunion, followed by the 100th anniversary of Homecoming football game against Indiana at 11 a.m. The official 100 Years of Wrestling Celebration will be at 6 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Room at the Bielfeldt Athletic Administration Building, where former Illini wrestlers can reconnect while checking out past photos and trophies, and sharing an open microphone.

Those wishing to register for the weekend’s festivities should contact Chris Tuttle, director of the Varsity I Association, at 217.333.7777 or c-tuttle@illinois.edu.

About Mark Johnson

• Two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year

• 1995 NWCA National Coach of the Year

A former Olympic wrestler and NCAA All-American, Mark Johnson begins his 17th season at the University of Illinois. During the Johnson tenure, Illinois has finished in the top10 at the NCAA championships on nine occasions and in the top 15 in 12 of the last 14 seasons. Johnson has led the Illinois program to more wins, NCAA champions, NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans than any coach in the school’s history. He has compiled a 190-42-3 record over the last 16 years for an .815 winning percentage.

Johnson also has guided seven individual national champions in the last 14 seasons. In 2003, 165-pounder Matt Lackey joined Adam Tirapelle (149, 2001), John Lockhart (heavyweight, 2001), Carl Perry (141, 2000), Eric Siebert (150, 1998), Ernest Benion, Jr. (158, 1995) and Steve Marianetti (150, 1995) in earning NCAA titles under Johnson’s tutelage.

For the second-straight season, Johnson had a pair of true-freshmen starters in 2007-08, with Ryan Prater (141) and Grant Paswall (149) turning in solid results throughout the season. But the Illini were led all season by Mike Poeta (157) and Jimmy Kennedy (133), who finished second and fourth, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. Poeta won his first Big Ten title after starting the season 22-0, while Kennedy put together an 11-match winning streak that included an undefeated Big Ten dual season.

In 2006-07, Johnson inserted two true-freshman into his starting lineup in Kennedy and John Dergo and got favorable results from both. Kennedy finished the season ranked No. 9 at 133 pounds and Dergo ended the year No. 11 at 184, marking the first time since Carl Perry in 1997 that at least one true-freshman ranked in the Top-20. They also were the first true-freshmen to be placed in the same lineup in the Mark Johnson era.

The Illini qualified eight for the NCAA Championships and were led by Mike Poeta, who notched a third-place finish at 157-pounds and garnered his first All-America honor.

In 2005-06, the Johnson tradition of excellence continued as the Illini took home their third-straight Midlands title, joining Iowa and Iowa State as the only three-peat champions. At Midlands, Alex Tirapelle (157) and Pete Freidl (184) took home individual titles, while Mike Poeta (165) and Tyrone Byrd (197) grappled to runner-up finishes. Rounding out the top-eight finishes for Illinois were Donny Reynolds (174) in fifth and Troy Tirapelle (149) in seventh.

At Big Tens, the Fighting Illini finished second, just behind then-No. 1 Minnesota. In all, five Orange and Blue grapplers (Byrd, Freidl, Kyle Ott, Alex Tirapelle and Troy Tirapelle) made conference finals appearances, each finishing second in their respective weight classes.

With the performance at the league tournament, the Illini became the only team in 2006 to qualify all 10 wrestlers for NCAAs in Oklahoma City, marking the third time in school history all 10 grapplers made the trip to NCAAs (1995, 2000, 2006). Freidl took home All-America honors with a third-place finish at the championships, finishing his career a three-time All-American, while Illinois finished 25th overall.

On the year, Illinois finished second during the regular season in the Big Ten with a 10-2-1 overall record and 5-2-1 ledger in conference action.

The 2005 squad brought home Johnson’s first Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship, and the first for the program in 53 years. During that season, Johnson also garnered Big Ten Coach of the Year laurels, while Alex Tirapelle (157) and Friedl (174) took home individual league crowns out of five total finalists for the Illini. For the second season in a row, the Illini won the Big Ten regular-season dual meet title with a near-perfect 7-0-1 record. The team finished sixth at the national tournament after qualifying nine wrestlers, while 125-pounder Ott made a repeat appearance in the finals.

The team matched 2004’s achievement of five All-Americans in Ott (2nd, 125), Mark Jayne (7th, 133), Cassio Pero (7th, 141), Friedl (4th, 174) and Brian Glynn (3rd, 184).

In what served as a benchmark for the Illini program, the 2004 season served as a year of firsts. Johnson led the team to a Big Ten regular-season dual meet title and a Midlands Tournament team title – the first in program history – and feats accomplished by no other coach in Illinois history. The squad concluded the season with a seventh-place finish at nationals, including a finals appearance by Ott at 125. The team brought home five All-America honors, a feat which tied 2004 national champion Oklahoma State, and was the most for Illinois since 1948.

During the 2003 season, Johnson took eight qualifiers to the NCAA Championships from a squad that had five freshmen competing most of the year. The 2003 team finished ninth overall with two national finalists.

Matt Lackey finished his climb up the ladder with his win in the finals over Troy Letters for his first national title. Freshman Adam Tirapelle became the first Illinois freshman to make the finals as he ensured All-America honors with his second-place finish.

In 2002, during a rebuilding year, Johnson led a reshaped starting lineup to a 12-4 record and 10th-place finish at nationals. With seven new starters, the Illini still managed to qualify nine wrestlers for NCAAs after a fifth-place finish at Big Tens, equaling the 2001 squad’s NCAA representation. That year, the Illini crowned three All-Americans, following two straight seasons of awarding four All-Americans.

The Illinois wrestling team has progressively made school history year after year. In 2000, the team’s sixth-place national finish was the best since 1958, only to be topped by the 2001 finish of fifth place, which was the highest since 1948. The 2001 team also took second at the Big Ten Championships, sending nine athletes to the NCAA Championships and placing ahead of national power Iowa for the first time in Johnson’s career. For his coaching efforts in 2001, Johnson garnered Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. The team posted a 12-2 dual meet record and Johnson became the school’s all-time winningest coach during that season.

In 1996-97, Johnson led his team to a 14-1 dual meet record, a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a ninth-place effort at the NCAA Championships. At the time, his third-place outing became the best in school history in 39 years.

Johnson has guided 111 wrestlers to the NCAA championships over his tenure, an average of seven qualifiers each year. During the past 14 seasons, the Illini have crowned 40 All-Americans and produced seven national champions (out of 16 finalists).

Johnson earned National Coach of the Year honors from both the National Wrestling Coaches Association and W.I.N. Magazine in 1995 after posting a 13-2 dual record and a ninth-place finish at NCAAs.

On the recruiting front, Johnson has brought in nine classes ranked among the top 20 in the nation, including the second-ranked class in the nation in 1993 and the sixth-ranked group in 2004.

Johnson came to Urbana-Champaign from Oregon State University, where he served as the head coach from 1990-1992. The Rock Island, Ill., native led the Beavers to the Pac-10 Championship in 1992, earning conference Coach of the Year honors.

An alumnus of Alleman High School, Johnson grappled to a high school national championship his senior year. He went on to the University of Michigan, where he became a two-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up at 177 pounds. Johnson captained the Wolverines and finished his college career with a 103-18-3 record. He earned a B.S. in education in 1977 and was a dean’s list student. Internationally, Johnson competed on the 1980 Olympic team and in 15 U.S.A. Wrestling teams that competed throughout the world, winning two U.S.A. Wrestling national championships.

Before moving to Oregon State, Johnson coached at the University of Iowa as the top assistant coach under Dan Gable for eight years. While at Iowa, he helped groom four NCAA championship teams, 17 national champions, 55 All-Americans and eight Big Ten championship squads. In 1986, he garnered NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year accolades.

Prior to accepting his position at Iowa, Johnson worked as a physical fitness director and wrestling coach at the Boys Club of Sarasota (Fla.) for two years. Johnson began his coaching career at the University of Iowa as a graduate assistant coach from 1978-80. Internationally, Johnson’s coaching experience includes stints as assistant coach for the 1988 Olympic freestyle team and head coach at the 1986 and 1991 Olympic Sports Festivals. He also is a USA Wrestling National Coaching Staff member and a member of the Illinois Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Johnson and his wife, Linda, have two daughters, Tricia and Mackey, and reside in Champaign.

The Johnson File

University of Illinois
– Career Record: 210-46-5 (.814)
– Record at Illinois: 190-42-3 (.815)
– Head coach with the most Illinois wins, NCAA Champions, All-Americans and NCAA Qualifiers
College Coaching Experience
– Illinois, head coach (1992-present)
– Oregon State, head coach (1990-92)
– Iowa, assistant coach (1982-90)
– Iowa, graduate assistant (1978-80)

Honors
– Big Ten Coach of the Year (2005, 2001)
– NWCA All-Star Meet Head Coach (2002)
– Quad City Sports Hall of Fame (2000)
– IWCOA Man of the Year (1999)
– NWCA National Coach of the Year (1995)
– W.I.N. Magazine National Coach of the Year (1995)
– Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1992)
– Illinois Wrestling Hall of Fame (1987)
– NWCA National Assistant Coach of the Year (1986)
Wrestling Experience
– Olympic Team, 1980
– USA Wrestling Team
– National Wrestling Champion (Twice)
– Two-time All-American (1976-77)
– B.S. in education, University of Michigan `77
International Coaching Experience
– USA National Coaching Staff member
– Olympic Sports Festival, head coach (1991 & 1996)
– USA Olympic Team, assistant coach (1988)
– World Espoir Team, head coach (1987)
Johnson by the Numbers

It is impossible to ignore the success that Mark Johnson has had during his 16 years at Illinois. In 1993, he took over a program that had posted two winning seasons in 10 years and has since transformed Illinois into a national power, having posted 16 straight winning seasons and 12 Top-15 finishes.

In 2005, Illinois won the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 1952.
Johnson led Illinois to a No. 1 national ranking in 2004.
Johnson was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1995 and also was the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2005.
The 2005-06 season marked the third year in a row the Fighting Illini have brought home the Midlands Tournament team title. The Illini join Iowa and Iowa State as the only teams to accomplish the three-peat.
Johnson has led Illinois to 12 Top-15 finishes and nine Top-10 finishes at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in the last 14 years.
Matt Lackey became the seventh NCAA Champion for Johnson at Illinois when he won his title in 2003. He joined Adam Tirapelle (2001), John Lockhart (2001), Carl Perry (2000), Eric Siebert (1998), Ernest Benion Jr. (1995) and Steve Marianetti (1995).
In the last 14 years, Illinois has had 40 All-Americans, 27 of which came over the last nine seasons. The five All-Americans in 2005 and 2004 ties the school record set in 1948.
Over the last 16 years, UI has had an impressive 111 NCAA qualifiers, including 10 in 1995, 2000 and 2006, and nine in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
NCAA Individual Champions
(During the Mark Johnson Era)

1. Iowa 26
2. Oklahoma State 20
3. Iowa State 10
4. Minnesota 8
5. Illinois 7
NCAA Top-10 Team Finishes
(During the Mark Johnson Era)
1. Iowa 15
2. Oklahoma State 14
3. Iowa State 13
4. Minnesota 12
5. Oklahoma 10
6. Illinois 9