Marty Morgan Steps Down From ‘U’ Wrestling Post

University of Minnesota Press Release

Marty Morgan Steps Down From ‘U’ Wrestling Post 

Head assistant wrestling coach Marty Morgan resigned from his position at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon after 16 years with the program. Morgan will go on to train former Gopher All-American wrestler Brock Lesnar, a popular Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) competitor, on a full-time basis.  

“I’m going to step back for a year to help Brock [Lesnar] train and I’ll see where I’m at next summer. I’ve been working with Brock [Lesnar] the past few years on his training and now I’ve been offered a unique opportunity to work with him full time.” Morgan said. “This has definitely been a difficult decision, considering that I have been involved with the program for 20 years as an athlete and coach. I am happy to have a great relationship with the University of Minnesota administration, J Robinson, the wrestling staff, past and current team members, and numerous fans around this great wrestling state.” 

A native of Bloomington, Minn., Morgan began his collegiate wrestling career at North Dakota State where he won a Division II national championship as a true freshman before transferring to Minnesota. Morgan was a three-time All-American for the Gophers and won a national title at 177 pounds as a senior in 1991. With a 39-0 record during his senior season, Morgan became the first wrestler in school history to finish with an unblemished record and is one of just three wrestlers in Minnesota history to accomplish that feat. He capped off his career with the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is awarded to a Big Ten student-athlete who demonstrates excellence in academics and athletics.  

Morgan was the top assistant under head coach J Robinson for 13 of his 16 seasons with the program. During his time at Minnesota, Morgan helped secure Minnesota Wrestling’s status as one of the most storied and successful programs in the nation. Under Morgan’s watch, the Gophers attracted some of the nation’s most sought-after recruits on a regular basis and won national titles in 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2006-07. The Gophers have also captured six Big Ten Conference championships under Morgan’s tutelage. 

“Marty has been around Minnesota Wrestling for 20 years, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to step away for a year and to see what else is out there,” head coach J Robinson said. “I think it’s important for people to see different opportunities that life has to offer from a different perspective and a year away from the program can provide that perspective for Marty. He will be obviously missed this year with the way we do things, but we look forward to working with him in the future.” 

The Gopher wrestling program, which boasts one of the nation’s highest-rated recruiting classes again this year, begins its 2008-09 season with the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. on Nov. 15. Minnesota’s first home wrestling event comes when the Gophers host fellow perennial national power Oklahoma State in a New Year’s Day dual at the Sports Pavilion. 

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#9	US Reign In Wrestling   September 19, 2008 at 3:17pm TJX, What reign are you talking about? it's not like the US is a traditional powerhouse at the sport who dominates the medals at the Olympics & World championships. reply
#8	Carl   September 19, 2008 at 2:55pm TJX, actually the interest in MMA has made the sport even more popular as it is increasingly more relevant and the UFC is essentially the "pro league" where none existed previously for amateur wrestlers. But across the country wrestling has seen it's popularity surge. reply
#7	Mike   September 5, 2008 at 12:46am I live in Oregon and its going to be held here since Randy is a Oregon local and I think that he has an edge because of that but he also has not fought in the UFC for a long time and Brock Lesner is really good but I think Randy can still beat him since Randy is the hvywt champion even though Dana White took it from him since he sort of retired but I think after Randy Couture wins he should get a title shot if he want to reply
#6	Zach Evenesh   September 3, 2008 at 6:50pm i believe brock is going to fight couture in the UFC - gonna be a heck of a fight b/c couture has soooooo much experience. I watched Couture beat Kevin Randleman years ago for a UFC hvywt title! randleman won the nationals i believe 2x, frshman year 2nd I think? Didnt wrestle as a senior! pretty crazy! --z-- reply
#5	J0e   September 3, 2008 at 1:59am usa wrestling needs to sponser the ufc again like they did b4 reply
#4	What A Joke   September 3, 2008 at 12:44am I humbly suggest that MMA matches might be enhanced by simply throwing some roadkill into the ring and letting the combatants fight for it. On to technical matters now, if I may: I've always preferred the windpipe choke as opposed to the classical Brazilian artery choke. Can we all agree here? If executed correctly, it will cause one opponents eyeballs to literally pop out of their head. reply
#3	MMA   September 2, 2008 at 7:31pm I agree TJ. Don't forget Koscheck, Hendricks, Rosholt. The list will continue. While the emergence of MMA will draw more people to the sport of wrestling, it will also steal some of our biggest talents and names. Hopefully USA wrestling starts working to improve conditions for wrestlers training internationally to compete with the draw of MMA. reply
#2	Joe   September 2, 2008 at 7:30pm That is true TJ, but it is also true that even more and more kids are enrolling into wrestling because they know it's a solid base for mma. If you were a high school or college kid and you knew had two options after graduation instead of just one wouldn't you be more likely to enroll/continue training in wrestling? I would. The bad side is the obvious exodus of olympic wrestlers not wanting to train another 4 years, but in the long run I believe things will balance out. reply
#1	TJ X   September 2, 2008 at 6:51pm This is the end of the United States' reign in wrestling and we can thank the UFC and other MMA organizations for it. Ben Askren going MMA, Marty Morgan leaves, the list will go on and on and become progressively more prominent in the coming years and decades. All of our potential superstars will leave the sport too early to go into MMA and chase the almighty dollar. Let it be said that The TJ X man does NOT blame a single wrestler for leaving the sport early to pursue monetary gain, that is a personal decision and only theirs to make. All The TJ X man is saying is that, right or wrong, this pursuit of the MMA and $$$ will hurt us on the international stage. reply