1 Seizing The Moment! (A Unique Opportunity in Time) Prepared by: The Clemson Wrestling Alumni Steering Committee Alan C. Leet - The College Sports Council With Support from: National Wrestling Coaches Association, The US Olympic Committee, NUWAY, and USA Wrestling The Case for Clemson Wrestling

2 Thank You  For Hosting Our Wrestling Reunion Going Into Our 4 th Year  For Recognizing Noel Loban and Sam Henson in the Athletic Hall of Fame  For Taking Time to Meet Today

3 The History of Clemson Wrestling  Term of Program:  2 Olympic Medalists  1 World Championship  3 Individual NCAA Championships  8 All-Americans  1 ACC Team and 28 Individual ACC Championships  Numerous Military Officers and Successful Business Leaders

4 What are the National and Regional Trends in the Sport of Wrestling?  The Popularity of Wrestling in South Carolina and the Southeast is Growing  Despite the Sport’s Popularity Intercollegiate Wrestling Opportunities are Very Limited in the Southeast  High School Wrestlers are an Under-Recruited Talent Pool Nationally

5 Popularity of Wrestling in South Carolina and the Southeast  Scholastic wrestling ranks sixth of all boys sports in terms of participation at the high school level with over 272,000 participants nationwide.  There are approximately 4,800 high school wrestlers in the state of South Carolina.  Between FL, GA, and SC, there are approximately 22,000 scholastic wrestlers and only one NCAA Division I wrestling team.  Wrestling is a growing youth age group sport, with over 50 club teams in South Carolina, and athlete participants ranging in age from Elementary School to High School.  Wrestling’s popularity crosses geographic and socio-economic boundaries— illustrated by strong South Carolina High School programs in both public and private schools located in the “Upstate” and “Lower State”.

6 Despite the Sport’s Popularity Intercollegiate Wrestling Opportunities are Very Limited in the Southeast  South Carolina has only one NCAA Division I Wrestling Program (the Citadel), and only four other Intercollegiate Wrestling Programs (Anderson, Newberry, Limestone and Spartanburg Methodist).  There are no NCAA Intercollegiate Programs in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.  In contrast, Intercollegiate Wrestling is very well represented to our North, with many Intercollegiate Programs in North Carolina (11), Virginia (8), Maryland (4) and Tennessee (3).  As a Result, Most of the State’s and Region’s Elite Wrestlers Are Forced to Give Up the Sport, Compete at the Club Level or Attend an Out-Of-State College or University at significant additional expense.

7 High School Wrestlers are an Under-Recruited Talent Pool Nationally Sport High School Participants College Opportunities Percent HS to NCAA 1. Football 1,009,279 64, Basketball 540,207 16, Track and Field (outdoor) 572,123 24, Baseball 472,644 29, Soccer 391,839 21, Wrestling 272,890 6, Cross Country 239,608 13, Tennis 162,755 7, Golf 157,756 8, Swimming/Diving 131,376 8, TOTALS 3,620, ,

8 Clemson Uniquely Positioned to Add Wrestling  Wrestling Offers Clemson the Ability to Win Championships and Build a Nationally Competitive Program  There are Modest Costs and Facility Needs  It Helps Clemson Achieve its Mission Statement and Goals  ACC is on the Rise, and so it is a Natural Extension of Conference Programs  Clemson has a Strong Wrestling Alumni Group

9 Clemson Positioned to Win Championships Build a Nationally Competitive Program  Numbers Advantages:  Only 79 Division I Wrestling Programs – Versus 302 Division I Cross Country Teams, 291 Golf Teams, 258 Tennis Teams and 197 Soccer Teams  Elite Wrestlers are the Most Under-Recruited Student-Athlete!  Elite Academic Institutions Are Succeeding in Division I Wrestling:  Cornell, Lehigh, Penn, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin are Perennial Top 20 Programs  Stanford, Harvard and Lehigh have had National Champions in recent years  Elite Wrestlers Succeed in the Classroom—Nine of the 20 NCAA Finalists in 2011 Are Also Academic All-Americans  Clemson Would “Own” the Southeast and Be an Attractive Program/Location to Student Athletes From the NE and Midwest  American University, Cornell and VT provide case studies for how quickly an NCAA DI Wrestling Program can reach the Championship Level  Clemson Wrestling has done it before—achieving National and Olympic success in Wrestling without the support infrastructure that now exists

10 Modest Cost and Facility Needs  Cost of Division I Wrestling Program Among Lowest of Collegiate Sports  Principal Cost is Coaching Staff - - Head Coach and One or Two Assistants  Operating Costs for ACC Wrestling Programs: Less Than All Other Men’s Athletic Programs at Clemson – See attached analysis  Team Size: Typically 25 to 30; Ten Athletes Travel  With ACC, Southern Conference and Other Teams in Region, Bus Travel is Feasible  Modest Facilities Requirements; Existing Clemson Facilities would Accommodate Wrestling  Full Scholarship Support (9.9 per NCAA Rule) Not Essential  Most Programs Not fully Funded; Option to increase scholarship support over time  Ivys and Duke Are Competitive Without Scholarships  Unlike Some Sports (e.g., Soccer), Not Necessary to Recruit Foreign Student- Athletes to Be Competitive  Camps and Clinics a Meaningful Source of Income to Support Program and Coaches

11 CLEMSON OPERATING EXPENSE DATA (1) 2009/10 REPORTING YEAR FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION WEBSITE (1)Does not include coaches’ salaries and scholarships. (2)Represents an average of the data reported by the six ACC schools with wrestling programs. Varsity Teams Men’s Teams Participants Operating Expenses per ParticipantBy Team Women’s Teams Participants Operating Expenses per ParticipantBy Team Total Operating Expenses Baseball32$15,038$481,215 Basketball15$58.851$882,77014$35,593$498,306$1,381,076 Football115$38,845$4,467,215 Golf11$6,494$71,435 Rowing---80$2,149$171,930 Soccer25$4,169$104,22827$3,752$101,292$205,520 Swimming and Diving 24$3,197$76,72637$2,659$98,368$175,094 Tennis9$10,851$97,6618$16,866$134,925$232,586 Track and Field, X-Country 46$3,704$170,38964$3,100$198,383$368,772 Volleyball15$13,948$209,227 Total Operating Expenses 277$22,930$6,351,639245$5,765$1,412,431$7,764,070 Wrestling (ACC Avg.) (2) 35$2,644$92,554

12 Helps Achieve Clemson’s Mission Statement and Goals  “The mission of the Athletic Department is to sponsor broad-based athletics programs that provide educational, athletic and equitable opportunities for all students and staff….”  Adding Wrestling moves Clemson’s athletic program offerings—in terms of the number of sports sponsored—closer to the “broad based” approach employed by Clemson’s peer schools in the ACC (noting that BC, UNC, Maryland, Duke and NC State offer 27, 24, 22, 22, and 18 sports programs, respectively)  Adding wrestling addresses a very inequitable landscape in South Carolina for dedicated wrestlers wishing to compete at the collegiate level; the opportunity at the collegiate level does not fairly match the interest at the high school level when it comes to wrestling  Adding wrestling offers Clemson the ability to demonstrate excellence in achievement through Conference, National and Olympic Championships (as was the case in Clemson Wrestling’s earlier lifespan)

13 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling A Growing Force to be Reckoned With!  Six Member Schools Participate in Wrestling—Duke, Maryland, NC State, Virginia, Va. Tech and UNC  Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech Have Been Top 25 Programs in recent years (e.g., VT placed second at the 2011 National Duals Beating Okla. State and Wisconsin in the process)  Nationally Prominent Coaching Talent Recently Recruited by Va. Tech, Maryland, UNC and Virginia  Duke—Without Scholarships—is sending Wrestlers to the NCAA Championships (and had a National Runner Up in 2010)

14 Clemson Wrestling Alumni – An Organized and Committed Support Group  There are 250 Former Varsity Wrestlers not Including Former Club Wrestlers  The Group is Mature, Organized and Motivated—Able to Mentor and Support Student Athletes  Taking on the Scroll of Honor Fundraising Effort, the Group is the First to Complete its Campaign for the USMC Monument  The Wrestling Alumni Group is Currently Setting up an Official Website

15 What Can Wrestling Offer Clemson?  Championships!  HUGE National Exposure and Access to Funding  Attract the Highly Motivated Student-Athletes that can Succeed in the Classroom  A Proving Ground for Military and Corporate Leaders  Diversity

16 Consultative Sources Steve Erber – Asst. AD Rob Cole – Head Coach Dave Martin – Sr. Assoc. AD John Smith – Head Coach Tim Curley – Athletic Dir. Jan Bortner – Assoc Head Coach Derek van der Merwe – Sr. Assoc. AD Tom Borrelli – Head Coach John Barrett – Assoc. AD Brendan Buckley – Head Coach Chris Boyer – Sr. Assoc. AD Kerry McCoy – Head Coach Jon Jaudon – Assoc. AD Tony Roby – Asst. Coach Debbie Yow – Asst. AD Carter Jordan – Head Coach Valerie Richardson – Asst. AD Steve Garland – Head Coach Beth Miller – Asst. AD C.D. Mock – Head Coach Jon Jackson – Athletic Dir. Clar Anderson – Head Coach

17 Consultative Sources Mike Moyer – Executive Director Jordan Griffith – Senior Director Scott Blackmun – CEO Rich Bender – Executive Director Dave Dean - Founder John Mitchell – SC Director Cliff Fretwell – GA Director COLLEGE SPORTS COUNCIL Leo Kocher – President and University of Chicago Professor & Wrestling Coach

18 Discussion/Comments? Next Steps?