UNO's Denney named Dan Gable Coach of the Year
OMAHA, Neb. — Les Sigman, J.D. Naig and Patrick Allibone each arrived at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with solid credentials.
Sigman and Naig each won a state high school title. Allibone was a state runner-up.
But you wouldn’t have exactly labeled any of these guys as blue-chip, can’t-miss prospects. None of the three was heavily recruited and stardom at the collegiate level wasn’t a guarantee for any of them.
Nobody could have envisioned the types of careers these three athletes would piece together under the watchful eye and guidance of veteran Maverick wrestling coach Mike Denney.
Under Denney’s tutelage, the hard-working, selfless trio has combined to win seven individual NCAA titles and also mixed in a runner-up and two third-place finishes at the Division II national meet. They also led the Mavericks to three straight national team titles.
“The more I watch Coach Denney the more amazed I am,” said former UNO wrestler Brad Hildebrandt, who has coached Omaha Skutt High School to nine state titles. “He does an unbelievable job of getting every ounce of potential out of every kid he recruits. He’s a master at recruiting the type of kids who fit into his program. He does a phenomenal job bala
ncing fundraising, coaching, recruiting and motivating his athletes.”Denney’s influence was a major reason the Mavericks have emerged as the premier program in Division II. For his efforts, the 59-year-old Denney is being honored as Wrestling International Newsmagazine’s Dan Gable Coach of the Year.
“I’ve known Mike for a long time and he’s done an extraordinary job in Omaha,” Gable said. “Year in and year out, his teams are in contention to win national titles and that’s really impressive. He is a very positive individual who has done a lot of great things for wrestling. He’s very deserving of this honor.”
It was a magical 2005-06 season that saw the Mavericks go wire-to-wire as the nation’s No. 1 team in Div. II. UNO went undefeated in dual meets and won the National Duals in January.
The Mavericks went on a record-setting rampage in the post-season. UNO set a scoring record at the regional tournament while also breaking or tying regional marks for national qualifiers (10), finalists (9) and champions (5). The Mavericks carried that momentum into the national tournament in Findlay, Ohio, where they tied national records for finalists (4) and champions (3).
And of course there was Sigman, the record-smashing heavyweight who became just the fourth wrestler in Division II history to win four national titles. Sigman finished his career without allowing an offensive point in 16 NCAA tournament matches. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at nationals.
“Coach Denney has been a great mentor for me,” Sigman said. “We have a father-son type of relationship where I can talk to him about anything. The environment he creates in the wrestling room is so positive and that allows you to really grow and improve. Plus the competition in the room is very tough, and that makes everybody better.”
Sigman shattered the UNO record for career wins and also found time to knock off a number of the nation’s best Division I wrestlers en route to rolling to the title at the Midlands Championships this past season.
“Les has been a gift for our program; not just because of his wrestling but also because of the way he carried himself,” Denney said. “He doesn’t have an arrogant bone in his body. He’s confident, but he’s very humble and just goes about his business. He handled the pressure really well and provided great leadership.”
Naig, a 174-pound junior, won his second straight national title after placing third as a freshman. Allibone, also a junior, placed third this year at 157. He was second as a freshman and won a national title as a sophomore.
UNO also excelled off the mat with a team grade-point average of 3.407, the best in school history.
“Champions do what’s expected and then some; that’s what this group did,” Denney said. “They had a great work ethic on and off the mat. This was a great bunch in everything they did from academics to community service to the way they handled the pressure on the mat. They deserved to be successful. They showed great character.”
The upbeat Denney is known for developing close relationships with his athletes. During the course of a practice, he will greet each guy on his team in the form of a handshake, a slap on the back or a pat on the head. And he will flash his ever-present smile as his positive demeanor rubs off on his athletes.
“Coach has created a family and a culture here that people want to be a part of,” said Ron Higdon, Denney’s top assistant. “He’s very loyal to every guy on the team and earns their respect. They want to win for him as much as they do for themselves.”
Denney deflected much of the credit for his team’s success to the people around him.
“I’m just a small cog in this whole machine,” he said. “We not only have a great group of wrestlers, we have a great group of assistant coaches along with a great training staff and academic support staff. I was just along for the ride. I’m glad they let me come along.”
The Mavericks completed their three-peat despite battling their share of adversity. The program had its budget cut prior to the season. The Mavs also lost two starters — All-American Steve Conlin (174) and freshman phenom Jacob Marrs (197) — to knee injuries.
UNO survived a scare when Sigman dislocated his shoulder during the finals of the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Even though he wasn’t 100 percent, Sigman still managed to complete an unbeaten season.
Denney’s teams have won four NCAA titles. He also coached the Mavs to the 1991 team title. UNO has finished in the top three in the country 14 of the last 16 years.
Denney’s influence can be traced to the fact that more than 60 of his former wrestlers have followed him into coaching. Among them are Nebraska’s Mark Manning, Nebraska-Kearney’s Marc Bauer and Dana’s Steve Costanzo. Bauer’s team finished second to UNO at nationals this year. Dana won the NAIA title. Nebraska was third at the National Duals.
With a small budget, Denney spends much of his time fundraising to enable the program to stay competitive nationally. The Mavericks raise most of their money by hosting a handful of tournaments each season. This year, UNO hosted seven tournaments.
Denney credits his wife of nearly 37 years, Bonnie, for much of his success.
“I couldn’t do it without her,” Denney said. “She’s so supportive.”
Denney’s family acquired their father’s love of athletics.
His daughter, Mikki, played soccer for Minnesota and is now the head women’s coach at her alma mater. His son, Luke, played soccer for Rockhurst College and is now an assistant coach there. His oldest son, Rocky, also played soccer at Rockhurst. Rocky and his wife, Shannon, have given Mike and Bonnie three grandchildren, Brock, Cael and Olivia.
The entire Denney clan was in Omaha when the Mavs won the 2005 national title at home.
“They were very excited to see us win and that meant a lot to me,” Denney said. “It was great to share that with my whole family.”
Denney’s bunch is expected to be in the hunt for a fourth straight title next year. The Mavericks have NCAA champions back in Naig, Allibone and freshman Cody Garcia (125) along with an NCAA runner-up in sophomore Shane Unger (149) and a third-place finisher in freshman Ross Taplin (165).
Denney laughed when asked how long he will continue to coach.
“This is kind of my calling and I still have a passion for it,” he said. “Being around the young men on our team this year was motivating and inspiring. I couldn’t wait to get to practice every day. This group was really special.”
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