Arkansas Wrestle (All images via lyonscots.com)
BATESVILLE, Arkansas — New Lyon College Head Men’s Wrestling Coach Chris Wilmington sat down with us to preview his first season with the Scots in 2024-2025.
Coach Wilmington was named the new head coach for the Scots men’s wrestling team in July, and his team will have their opening meet of the season this Saturday at the Carl Albert State College Viking Men’s Open in Poteau, Oklahoma. He talked with us about taking over the program, what his expectations are for his team going into year one, and the landscape of the competition in the SLIAC conference this season.
How long have you been involved in wrestling?
“I started in 1980, when I was eleven years old. My first coach was a guy by the name of Bill Wick, he’s a longtime coach in USA Wrestling. He was actually the assistant coach in the 1972 Olympics, he helped Dan Gable win his first gold medal. I got my feet wet with one of the best in the world.”
When did you get your start in coaching wrestling?
“It was actually in college. I was playing football in college and we had a wrestling club at Greenville College, which is now Greenville University. It was just a club, and we only wrestled Christian colleges, which was fine, I enjoyed that. And part-time, I would step over to the local high schools and volunteer my time there. That was in 1989 and I haven’t stopped ever since, so the last three decades I’ve been into coaching. I transitioned heavily into coaching in 1994 in Florida after I graduated from college. I coached at St. Petersburg Catholic, really good program there, and then got my first head coaching job in 2001 at Northside Christian. There, we had seven individual state champions, a couple nationally-ranked guys, a number of guys went on to wrestle at Michigan State, University of Oklahoma, and even sent a kid to Ouachita Baptist, close to here. It just blossomed, I was there 18 seasons and from there I went to Victory Christian, another private school. Had a number of guys that did well there, and went on to wrestle in college … And lastly, I finished back at St. Petersburg Catholic and it was great, revived that program, and now I’m here!”
What drew you towards Lyon College and Batesville?
“I had given up the dream of coaching at the collegiate level, just decided that I would make things work at these preparatory schools in Florida, and we were really growing. Then out of nowhere, I got a phone call saying, ‘Hey, would you be interested in interviewing for a college job?’ and my response to that individual was, ‘Not really, if I’m in a pool of other coaches, I have no desire-‘ and they said ‘No, you’re the only coach.’ So I gave it a shot knowing I was the only guy. So I got here, met with Coach Jenkins, awesome guy, we sat down and talked. And I like small towns, even though I’m from Chicago, I like the idea and the feel of a small town, and I decided that this is where I want to start my collegiate coaching career.”
What do you think of the group of guys you have and how have they transitioned to your coaching style?
“They’re good kids, and they’re smart kids. We’re getting there, there’s one or two guys that really understand the process. For the others, the way I do things is different from what they’re used to. I’m kind of a ‘push, push, push’ real transitional guy, and I don’t take a whole lot of crap, so they’re getting used to that. I’m not a big screamer, so they’re getting used to, ‘How do I figure this guy out?’ Well, you’re not going to figure this guy out, and that’s my philosophy. If your athletes can figure you out as a coach, then that puts you in a tough spot. So there’s always something new — perpetual intellectual thought — so always thinking of something different and something new. They will figure out at some point that their job is to listen to their coach and do what’s asked of them. Do what I ask them to do, not what they think they should do. That’s the one thing that I really push.”
What are you expecting to see from your guys this weekend as you head into your first meet this Saturday at the Carl Albert State College Viking Open?
“Two things: attitude and effort. I want them to have the right attitude to go out there and compete, not to be afraid of anyone, and give their best effort. That’s honestly it, that’s all I want to see, best attitude and best effort.”
What’s your view on the landscape and competition of the SLIAC going into this season?
“They know us just about as well as we know them. So we’re going in with one understanding: we have to give our best and we expect them to give their best, and let the best man win.”
