Mike Duroe named head wrestling coach at Cornell College

Darren Miller Cornell College
10/12/2005

MOUNT VERNON — Mike Duroe, head coach of the 2005 U.S. Freestyle World Team and head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Club since 2003, has been named interim head wrestling coach at Cornell College.

“We’re pleased to have someone of Mike’s caliber available and able to join us on this interim basis,” Cornell athletics director Tina Hill said. “We have an exciting group of wrestlers anxious to get the season started and we’re very happy to have Mike’s skills and qualifications leading our program.”

Duroe replaces Drew Pariano, who resigned in September to become an assistant coach at Northwestern University.

Duroe, a native of Charles City, has been head coach at Northern Michigan University, an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania and head coach of the Northwestern University Wildcat Wrestling Club. He was a member of the coaching staff for the Pan American Games (2003) and the Olympic Games (2004).

At Northern Michigan from 1980-84, Duroe compiled a record of 82-27 with 23 All-Americans and two NCAA champions. For two years he was in charge of the Northwestern Wildcat Wrestling Club before leading New Trier (Ill.) High School from 1986-98. He was named Illinois High School Athletic Association regional coach of the year four times.

From 1998-2001 Duroe worked for USA Wrestling as its freestyle developmental coach and freestyle resident coach. He was the head assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania from 2001-03 before joining the Hawkeye Wrestling Club in 2003.

“I have extremely high expectations for this program,” Duroe said. “My goals are always to win, and I’ll work tirelessly to make this program better. I’m fired up about these kids, and my job will be to instill in them that they can achieve greater things.”

Cornell has won 43 conference championships with 57 NCAA All-Americans, eight individual national champions, seven Olympians and one NCAA national team championship. The Rams are in a rebuilding phase going 6-12 last season. Their last winning season (10-5) was in 1995-96 when they won the Midwest Conference championship.
Cornell’s 2005-06 preseason roster includes two seniors, 10 sophomores and 14 freshmen.