Smith debuts in MAC as Coach of the Year
One year after earning the same honor in the Big 12, Mizzou Wrestling head coach Brian Smith was named the 2013 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year Tuesday morning.
In the program’s first year as a member of the MAC, Smith and the Tigers won their second-consecutive conference title.
Missouri posted 136.0 team points, the most in MAC Championship history, and had four individuals place first in their brackets. Mizzou’s title ended an 11-year run by the Central Michigan Chippewas.
After sending all 10 starters to the NCAA Championships in 2012, Smith’s club qualified all 10 once again in 2013. The Tigers finished seventh in the 72-team field, and added five All-Americans — tied for the most ever in program history (2009).
After ending 2013 with a 16-3 dual record, Smith’s all-time career record in Columbia is 189-88-3. His .680 winning percentage and 189 dual wins are best in Mizzou wrestling history.
Smith has led the Tigers to 12 consecutive winning seasons and finished his latest campaign ranked No. 4 by the NWCA/USA Today poll.
For the sake of perspective, Smith inherited a program in 1998 that had not seen a winning record since the 1991- 92 campaign.
Under the guidance of Smith, Mizzou wrestling is consistently ranked among the top-10 programs in the nation, reaching as high as No. 1 during the course of the 2006-07 campaign.
