Former Iowa State wrestling coach Mike Zadick responds to his dismissal

Cody Goodwin | The Des Moines Register

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Mike Zadick, the former Iowa State associate head wrestling coach, was silent and unreachable last week when his dismissal from the Cyclone wrestling program was announced by head coach Kevin Dresser.

On Monday, Zadick opened up in the form of a press release sent to the Des Moines Register.

“In light of the press release circulated by ISU and Coach Dresser, and the speculation surrounding the same, I feel compelled to respond,” his letter began. “First and foremost, to the remaining ISU staff, athletes and their families, I will dearly miss the relationships we formed and the confidence you placed in me and my plan for the program’s success.

“There remains a firm foundation of staff, athletes, and coaches and I wish them nothing but the greatest success.”

Zadick was dismissed from his position last week due to “significant differences of opinion,” Dresser said at the time. He had spent the last three years under Dresser, coaching for two seasons at Virginia Tech before spending last season in Ames.

“Mike was given the opportunity to run our practice room and have substantial input on all elements of the program,” Dresser continued in last week’s announcement. “At the end of the day, however, I'm the leader of this program, and our staff has to be aligned and unified.”

Upon Dresser’s hire at Iowa State, he brought along Zadick, as well as Derek St. John and Brent Metcalf — all former Iowa wrestlers — as his assistants. Dresser gave Zadick the opportunity to lead practices, among other responsibilities. He referred to his coaching assembly as his “dream team.”

The Cyclones ultimately went 8-10 overall and qualified one wrestler for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships — Jarrett Degen, who reached the bloodround at 149 pounds. Zadick also helped Iowa State secured a top 10 recruiting class in 2018.

Dresser has already embarked on a nationwide search to fill the third assistant coaching vacancy, and said that he, St. John and Metcalf would assume Zadick’s responsibilities until that position is filled.

In Zadick’s release to the Register, he said he was given the option “to resign or be terminated.” He opted not to resign because he felt like his actions “did not warrant dismissal.”

“Additionally,” he continued, “had I accepted ISU’s offer to resign, I would be sending a message to the athletes that I coached contrary to the character traits that I endeavored to instill in them.”

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His statement went on: “My position as the Associate Head Coach required that I devote my best energies and abilities for the exclusive benefit of ISU. Even with the current developments, I can rest easy as I believe I accomplished that goal. Coaching and leadership come in many styles and forms and there will be differences of opinion from one coach to the next.

“I was hired as the Associate Head Coach to bring my coaching style and form to ISU. My coaching philosophies were known prior to my employment with ISU and they did not change during my employment with ISU.”

Zadick was a decorated competitor prior to becoming a coach. He was a four-time Montana state champion and a three-time NCAA All-American at Iowa. He was a 2006 world silver medalist and a 2008 Olympian. After his competitive career, he jumped into coaching, spending his first 10 years with the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

“I’ve watched Mike corral a group of guys and have them truly believing in what we’re doing,” St. John, a former Iowa wrestler who coached alongside Zadick both at Virginia Tech and Iowa State, said during the staff’s introductory press conference in April 2017. “And then they actually get results from what he’s doing.

“To me, it’s been a great learning process and soaking up a lot of what he’s throwing out to them.”

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At that time, Zadick felt confident in the current group of Cyclones, saying, “I think we have the firepower in our program,” but he also added, “There’s definitely a lot of development to be done.”

In Zadick’s statement, he addressed that his coaching style may have clashed with others on staff, but declined to name specific names or instances.

“There were occasions that others made decisions that I believed were contrary to the best interests of ISU,” Zadick wrote. “I expressed my beliefs as was required of me in my position as the Associate Head Coach.

“As I now understand, the expression of my beliefs is the genesis of the alleged conflict that led to my premature departure.”

Zadick and the rest of the Iowa State staff faced a turbulent first season in Ames. As many as eight wrestlers defected from the program before, during and after the 2017-18 season. But there was steady improvement from beginning to end — the Cyclones won eight duals after winning just one the year before.

Iowa State is expected to make leaps and bounds of improvement during the 2018-19 season. Zadick ended his statement by expressing his disappointment that he won’t be part of the action.

“I am disappointed that I am unable to contribute to the goals that I believed in and was 100 (percent) committed to at ISU,” he wrote. “I take away many great memories from the ISU family for which I am thankful. Particularly, I am proud of the effort and trust the athletes shared with me.

“They will become great leaders in life in whatever path they choose and that is ultimately what I believe is the greatest measure of a coach’s success.”

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

You can read Mike Zadick's full statement below: