Little Rock’s Erisman named 2024 Gable Coach of the Year
By Mike Finn
Neil Erisman, a former Oklahoma State national qualifier, certainly had his chance to listen to many great coaches, including John Smith, his Cowboy mentor.
But the current head coach at Little Rock also remembers something Dan Gable once said.
“I think I’ve learned wrestling always changes,” he said. “You have to adapt and really learn to be ahead of the curve in a lot of ways. I’ve learned a lot of great technique and skills, but I really have learned how to build relationships.
Neil Erisman (center) was also named NWCA Coach of the Year at the 2024 NCAAs in Kansas City where Little Rock team earned two All-American honors and a Top-20 place.
“I believe it was Dan who said, ‘You’ve got to get into your guys’ dorm rooms and see where they lay their heads every night. And find out what they are really thinking and talking about if you really want to help them.”
Well in just five years, the native of DeSoto, Kan., has certainly learn what it took to help wrestlers reach their individual goals; especially that of Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little who earned All-American honors in Kansas City in March. Bailey, a freshman from Park Forest, Ill., claimed third at 133 pounds, while Little, a redshirt freshman from Sturgis, Ky., finished in seventh place at 197.
As a team, the Trojans were 15-5 in dual competition, finished in the Top 20 at the NCAAs, two weeks after claiming second in the Pac-12s; and all of this in only five years after the Arkansas school created the state’s first NCAA Division I program.
And with such quick success comes honors like being named the Dan Gable Coach of the Year by WIN Magazine for 2024.
“We have what I’ve been preaching, a brand-new school that is making something happen,” said Gable, the legendary coach who led Iowa to 15 NCAA titles over 20 years before retiring in 1997. “That is Little Rock and what Neil Erisman has accomplished. Not only is Little Rock a new school, but they are excelling and doing things that are necessary to keep building, especially in the South where we need more college programs.
“(Erisman) also has someone, Greg Hatcher, who has been helping provide the financial means to start wrestling in that state for a long time. I also want to credit the administration. They have shown you need to focus on the area where they are good and I believe Arkansas, sitting right next to Oklahoma, can provide that.”
Erisman, who also spent four years as an assistant coach at North Carolina, is well aware that he is in a good position; enough to say he had planned for the Trojans to reach this level after five years in his five-year plan.
“At one point, it seemed pretty unattainable,” admitted Erisman, whose 2022-23 team finished 5-10 and did not qualify a wrestler for the NCAAs.
“But I felt that we had the right support, so with the right vision and the right message that we would get good people on board. We were fortunate to do that. It’s probably faster than most people expected, but it was part of the goal.”
The program is now reaping the rewards of some great recruiting.
“Great athletes make great coaches,” Erisman said. “We’ve worked really hard to get great athletes. I am very grateful for them.”
What recommendations would Erisman to other coaches building programs?
“I actually heard this from (former Minnesota coach) J Robinson, that things can quickly fall off the tracks because you want to win.
“You have to have a strong message that is tied to the things you value and have some good non-negotiables and recruit toward those things.
“But don’t be afraid to recruit anybody and everybody. You only have not because you ask not. You’ve got to get yourself in front of a lot of people. Say yes to a lot of things and find people who are willing to listen.”
Erisman also credited his assistants as a critical part of the team’s success.
“Javier Maldonado has been here since my first year,” he said. “I couldn’t do it without him. He’s as much the backbone to this program as I am. And I got Albert White, who has brought a different dynamic to our program and opened the (recruiting) door to the likes of a Nasir Bailey.
“All these guys work super hard. They are really great people. I think we have a pretty good winning combination right now.”
Other candidates for the 2024 Coach of the Year Award were Penn State’s Cael Sanderson, Cornell’s Mike Grey and Iowa State’s Kevin Dresser.
WIN’s Coach of the Year for 2023, Sanderson led the Nittany Lions to a national title and a 12-0 record. Penn State set the all-time scoring record with 172.5 points and the record for the largest margin of victory, winning by 100 points.
Grey led the runner-up Big Red team to a 12-4 season, winning the EIWAs and finishing in the Top 10 for the third straight year with Grey as their coach. Cornell is the only program other than Iowa to finish in Top 10 every year since 2008.
Dresser’s Cyclones finished fourth at the NCAAs, had four All-Americans and a 13-2 dual record. Iowa State won the Big 12 Conference title and had a national champ in David Carr.
