Glancing down the bench at a recent Virginia wrestling meet, three men stood out among the orange-and-blue-clad athletes going through their pre-game motions and head coach Lenny Bernstein.
One was a light-haired man in his mid-twenties, calmly checking with officials and conversing with Cavalier head coach Bernstein before competition got under way. Seated next to him was a man who looks barely old enough to be out of college and has the build of someone who has obviously logged his time on the mat.
Furthest from the scorers' table and closest to the wrestlers sat the last member of this unlikely trio -- a white-haired man wearing all black and giving passionate instructions to athletes 40 years his junior.
Many casual observers at Memorial Gym weren't aware of who these assistant coaches are. Still fewer realize they were looking at the two most accomplished wrestlers in the building and one of the most renowned coaches in the nation. The three boast among their many accomplishments a combined four All-American titles, two Division I national championships and the head coaching job at the 1996 Olympics.
The young coach in Bernstein's ear is Pat McNamara, a three-time All-American at Michigan State, now in his second year as an assistant at Virginia. McNamara compiled an impressive 108-28 record as a Spartan, qualifying for the NCAA tournament four times and winning a Big Ten Conference title as a sophomore in 2000.
"Pat and I pretty much share running practices now," Bernstein said. "He brings an intensity level to practices and a high expectation for work ethic from our guys. Our guys look at him and know he's walked the walk."
Joining McNamara on the staff this year is Scott Moore, an All-American wrestler in his one season at Virginia in 2004. A transfer from Penn State, Moore compiled a stunning 51-1 record as a Cavalier, setting marks for the most wins and falls in a single season. He was also the top-seeded 141-pound wrestler at the 2004 NCAA tournament before joining the coaching staff this year.
"Being an athlete for so many years, you kind of wonder what it's like on the other side," Moore said. "It seems like it'd be fun to help other people learn the sport and have a lot of control over what goes on in a program."
The final member of the coaching trio is without a doubt the most decorated and intense person in the building. Joe Seay, a head coach for 40 years before volunteering his time at Virginia, has guided wrestlers at the high school, college and international levels. Named National Coach of the Year five times, Seay was recently voted a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He has over 480 career wins as a head coach and guided perennial power Oklahoma State to back-to-back national championships in 1989 and 1990.
"He's good with the mental aspects of wrestling, as far as guys trying to reach that next level," Bernstein said. "Each of my assistant coaches has a different role depending on what their strengths are. We brought Joe in to juice up the freestyle program we had and to get guys to beyond the college level."
Although they may not be in the limelight, McNamara, Moore and Seay join Bernstein in rounding out one of the most potent coaching staffs in the country. Even if current Cavaliers don't go as far as their mentors, there is no question they are learning from the best.
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