Joe Seay

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Joe Seay (April 1939 – July 11, 2019) was an American wrestling coach known for his success at the high school, college, and international levels.

Born in Altus, Oklahoma, Seay starred in wrestling at Wellington High School in Kansas, where he won a state title. He wrestled at Kansas State University and qualified for the NCAA championships three times (1962–1964). He also won three national Greco-Roman titles and finished second twice in freestyle.

Seay began his coaching career at Bakersfield South High School in California. In eight years, his teams went 177-12-2, and he was named national high school Coach of the Year.

In 1972 he moved to California State University, Bakersfield, where over 12 seasons he guided the team to seven NCAA Division II championships and an overall coaching record of 189-56-2.

He became head coach at Oklahoma State University in 1985, a position he held until 1991. Under his leadership, OSU won NCAA Division I team titles in 1989 and 1990. During his tenure, seven OSU wrestlers won individual NCAA championships, including John Smith (two titles) and Pat Smith (four-time champion).

After collegiate coaching, Seay played a key role in international wrestling. He led the U.S. men’s freestyle World Teams to the Senior World Freestyle title in 1993 and 1995. He also coached the U.S. Olympic wrestling team at the 1996 Summer Games, where American wrestlers earned three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.

Seay was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998. He died on July 11, 2019, at age 80. His coaching legacy continues to influence the sport.