Morgan State Wrestling Program Rises After Hiring Olympic Gold Medalist, Kenny Monday
With the leadership and direction of Kenny Monday, Morgan State has recorded two wins in his first year as the wrestling coach
Nearly three years ago, Morgan State University announced that Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestling champion Kenny Monday was brought on as the Athletics Department’s new men’s wrestling coach, and he has brought promise to the program by increasing the wins in just two years.
According to WBAL TV, Monday was the first Black wrestler ever to win the gold medal when he took him the prize at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He solidified his legendary status when, four years later, he brought home a silver medal in Barcelona in 1992. So, when Morgan State decided to bring back its wrestling program, it made sense to offer the coaching position to Monday.
“I got approached about it the first time. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m ready to be a head coach to D1 level,’ but then I did a deep dive and really thought about it, really did a soul search and kind of prayed about it,” Monday told the media outlet. “I think it made sense for me to take this program on, and I think my legacy probably had a bigger impact on the program and getting kids to compete, so I just thought it was a godsend.”
With Monday’s leadership and direction, Morgan State recorded two wins in his first year as the wrestling coach. Now, after another year of leading, the university has five victories.
The second-year coach used former NFL player Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders as inspiration after seeing what he has done as an inexperienced college coach revitalizing two programs since he was hired to lead the programs at Jackson State University and now the University of Colorado Boulder.
“Looking at the success of Deion, and I’ve met him a few times, and just kind of seeing what he brought to the college, the HBCU and to the world. So, I draw from that, from his success, and I look at it like read some of the things he says, and he’s a winner. Above all else, Coach Prime is a winner. He has won all of his life, kind of like me. So, I can relate to his story a little bit. Being a world champion, I can relate to his story and being able to share that knowledge with young African American kids is really, really impactful.”
Morgan State Wrestling Program Rises After Hiring Olympic Gold Medalist, Kenny Monday