Fresno State Athletics
What they're saying about Troy Steiner
5/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | General
May 12, 2016
Jim Zalesky, Oregon State Head Coach
"He's got an unbelievable work ethic and he's been around a lot of successful programs. He knows what it takes to develop kids to get to a championship level."
"He needs to get kids to buy into his philosophy. He knows it's going to take time. He needs kids that are going to come in and be patient and work with him and build a program."
J Robinson, Minnesota Head Coach
"I think Fresno State got a slam dunk; they got a great guy. I think that all the things you want in a coach, Troy is going to bring. I think he's going to do for California and Fresno wrestling what they want him to do." "There's a lot of things he's going to have to do. He's going to have to get ahold of alumni, boosters, he's going to have to raise some money and he's going to have to recruit. It's a lot of work, but he knows what to do. He has a pretty good idea of what has to happen and he's smart enough to do those things."
"He's got an unbelievable work ethic. I thought his hiring was great. This guy will make a difference. This guy will keep California kids in California. That's what you need to do. California is one of the top wrestling states in the country. If you did nothing but get the best California kids every year, you could be in the top 10 in the country."
Dan Gable, former Iowa Head Coach who coached Troy
"The Steiner twins mean a lot to me personally just from my point of view of coming in at a time in my coaching career where we needed a little boost. I could see the difference they were going to make. I owe them a lot from that point of view in terms of what they offered in terms of discipline, hard work, sacrifice, and that's as an athlete."
"I don't consider Fresno a startup program. I coached a long time and during my era of coaching and Fresno State had some great wrestlers and some great teams and coach DeLiddo was very competitive. I don't think Fresno State has been wiped off the map and has to start all over."
"I think he's got a few good things going for him already with the local high schools and that Fresno State has a reputation already."
"He's a very good hire. Now he's just got to back it up and prove it and show that he not only was a good wrestler and a good assistant, but he can take a program and put it back on the map."
"To get a program to be in the national rankings, it's a consumed effort. He has to go out there and show a lot of good will to a lot of people to get them on board to where they can just see the light after a certain amount of time. He's got to have a lot of patience. A lot of times people expect immediate results. People have to realize that if he does a good job, they'll see bits and pieces of the future, of the vision. He has to gather a lot of support and help."
"I think the biggest thing is if he captures the community and if he captures his team. If he can do that, it'll come."
Rich Bender, Executive Director USA Wrestling
"Fresno State coming back into collegiate wrestling means a lot to wrestling in the United States. California has long been a hot bed for the sport of wrestling and certainly Fresno State with its long and rich history of producing not only great champions for our sport domestically, but also internationally. I think Fresno State will be an example of how our sport can turn things around and grow again. It sends a great message about the importance of wrestling in California and certainly will provide a great beacon of hope for the growth of our sport."
"Troy Steiner has proven himself to be one of the top wrestling coaches in our country."
"Not only was Troy Steiner a great competitor on the mat, but he's a fantastic coach. I can't imagine Fresno State making a better decision than to put Troy Steiner at the helm of that program."
"Troy Steiner not only has an in-depth understanding of the sport, not only as an elite competitor, but he's been around some of the top collegiate programs in our country and our Olympic program. I think what makes Troy so special is his work ethic and the fact that he's a great wrestling coach, but an even better person."
