Most high school coaches’ decision to enter the coaching profession was not a random decision. Instead, a lot of them, are former athletes that had their lives influenced by coaches and they want to make that same impact on students. Curt Hodges is in his tenth season leading the Carl Albert Titan wrestling program and he says that he was influenced by a number of his former coaches.
“The coaches who influenced me most were Anthony Vargas and Mark Lundquist,” Hodges said. “They were my little league coaches. Dean Robertson, my Junior High Coach and my High School Coaches Doug Rial, Tim Nutter and Tim King. I can’t thank them enough for what they did for me. My tennis coach Monroe Sullivan was one of my favorites as well. Some college coaches I think highly of are Tom Brands at Iowa, Cael Sanderson at Penn State, and Oklahoma State’s John Smith. I like their different personalities, how they approach technique, and their competitiveness. I won’t tell you who my favorite is though.”
Throughout his ten years leading the Titan program, Curt has had a lot of great experiences and made some memories he will not soon forget.
“As far as highlights, coaching my first state champion Grant Gober as head coach of Carl Albert stands out,” he said. “We qualified for Dual State last year and that was really gratifying because it had been thirteen years. It took time to rebuild the program and there were many people involved in that process, so getting Carl Albert wrestling to where it is now has been a highlight for sure. We have had several All-State selections as well, so those things stand out.”
Becoming a coach was a great decision for Hodges because it allow him to be around the sport he loves and also impact the lives of the next generation.
“I really enjoy teaching technique and the skills of wrestling to our student athletes and developing them into the best wrestlers possible. Also, establishing relationships with them and wanting them to have a positive experience as part of our program. I want them to know I cared about them as a person and wrestler.”
