Division 1 NCAA Champ And Hall Of Fame Coach Weber won two Iowa high school state titles wrestling for Dan Mashek, the winningest Iowa High School Wrestling Coach in history, at Don Bosco HS. He then went on to wrestle at the University of Iowa under Dan Gable from ’91-’96. During his time at U of Iowa, he was a three-time All-American, Big Ten titlist, and NCAA Champion.
After graduating from Iowa he continued to compete internationally in Freestyle through 2000. While competing internationally Coach Weber took second at the U.S. Open, won the Sunkist Open, and wrestled in over a dozen international freestyle tournaments. After his competitive career ended, Daryl moved to Christiansburg…
Because of wrestling’s individuality, the hard work it requires, and the extreme intensity of training and competition, it is harder for a wrestler to accept mediocrity than other athletes. Every wrestler feels a need to be in the spotlight, and all wrestlers have had a moment when they felt the low of being anonymous, obscure, and far from glory. I have had similar bumps in the road but would like to think of my career as a testament to the value of persistence, and evidence that you shouldn’t care what is supposed to happen.
I started wrestling at ten years old and, despite being part of a strong program, was at a small school that only trained three months a year. I did my best to find training and competition opportunities in the off-season, but by the end of my high school career, starting at the University of Iowa seemed like a long shot. I took it, and by the end
of my redshirt freshmen year, I was the starter. This achievement became meaningless when I failed to qualify for the national tournament. The following year I was forced out of the lineup by two 3-time national champions, but I was unwilling to accept this and chose to cut down to 142 lbs (I had been a good-sized 158 lber) where I won All-American honors for the first time. With my eyes set on a national title, my sixth-place finish as a junior was ultimately unsatisfying, and my senior year I found myself sharing a weight class with two 2-time national champions, both of whom had beaten me convincingly in the past. But the cycle continued, and once again I overcame challenging circumstances, this time to achieve my ultimate goal of being an NCAA Champion.
What is the point of this story? For virtually everyone, setbacks come with the territory, but no matter what type of imposing summits you encounter, all that matters is that you continue to scale the mountain. The most crucial characteristics of my career, and what I would most like to relate to young competitors, is finding confidence in hard work, staying focused on long term goals, and having faith that whether it is convenient or not, you can have what all wrestlers crave—the spotlight.
Coach Weber’s Coaching Credentials
Christiansburg High School Head Coach 2007-2015:
- 9 straight VA AA Team State Championships (14 in a row total)
- 42 State Champions
- Over 90% of Graduates gone on to wrestle in college.
- 2007-2015 Head Coach Christiansburg High School
- 8 straight State Championship Teams (07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15)
- 42 Individual State Champions
- 33 State Place Winners
- 2014 VA State Wrestling Coach of the Year
- 2013 Dapper Dan Team USA Coach
- District Coach of the Year (07-08-11-13-14-15)
- Region Coach of the Year (07-08-09-10-11-12-15)
- 2010-2011 VA Coach of the Year Western Region
- 2008-2009 Virginia Coach of the Year by NWCA
Other Coaching Experience
- 2000-2006 Assistant Coach Christiansburg HS (CHS was Runner-up one year and State Champs 5 of those years.)
- 2000-Present Head Coach of Hawkeye East / VA Elite Wrestling Club
- 2000-2001 National Assistant H.S. Coach of the Year
- 1997-2000 Strength and Conditioning Coach University of Iowa
Daryl Weber’s Wrestling Accolades:
- 2008 Inducted into the Iowa High School Wrestling Hall of Fame
- 1997-2000 Competed Internationally in Freestyle
- Placing in over a dozen International Freestyle Competitions
- 1998 Sunkist Open Champion
- 1998 U.S. Open Runner-up
- 1996 NCAA Champion
- 1996 Big Ten Champion
- 1996, 1995 & 1994 NCAA All-American
- 1991-1996 Wrestled under Dan Gable for University of Iowa
- 1990 & 1991 Iowa H.S. State Champion
- 1989 State Place Winner (3rd)
- 1988-1991 Wrestled for for Don Bosco HS in Gilbertville IA posted a record of 128-19-1
Coach Weber’s Iowa Hall of Fame Induction Speech
Coach Weber & Dan Gable
