Smith Named Big 12 Wrestling Coach Of The Year

Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith has been named Big 12 Wrestling Coach of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches. This is Smith's 12th Big 12 award and 14th conference honor.

This year under the direction of Smith, the Cowboys won their third-straight Big 12 Championship and a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, with four Cowboys earning All-America honors and one Cowboy crowned an NCAA champion.

The Cowboys compiled a 12-3 record this season, including a perfect 3-0 record against conference opponents. Oklahoma State went 7-0 in the Big 12 finals to gain seven conference champions. The Pokes also qualified nine wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. His 165 pounder, Alex Dieringer, claimed his second NCAA title, and three other wrestlers earned All-American status for the first time in their careers.

In his 24 years in Stillwater, Smith has coached 29 national champions, 111 All-Americans and 95 conference champions. With Smith at the helm of the program, OSU has racked up five NCAA team championships, 16 conference team championships and the league's regular season conference title twice en-route to a 371-55-6 overall record.

Big 12 Coach of the Year

1997 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

1998 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

1999 -- Jack Spates, Oklahoma

Bobby Douglas, Iowa State

2000 -- Bobby Douglas, Iowa State

2001 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

2002 -- Jake Spates, Oklahoma

2003 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

2004 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

2005 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

2006 -- Jack Spates, Oklahoma

John Smith, Oklahoma State

2007 -- Cael Sanderson, Iowa State

2008 -- Mark Manning, Nebraska

2009 -- Mark Manning, Nebraska

2010 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

2011 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

2012 -- Brian Smith, Missouri

2013 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State

2014 – John Smith, Oklahoma State

2015 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State