Tolly Thompson joined the West Virginia wrestling program as a volunteer assistant in the summer of 2017.
Thompson’s primary responsibilities include coaching the heavier weight classes. He also coordinates the team’s camps throughout the year.
Before joining the Mountaineer wrestling staff, Thompson spent 11 seasons at Northern Iowa. He was the Panthers’ volunteer assistant from 1999-00 before embarking on a three-year stint at the University of Nebraska as the strength and conditioning coach for the Huskers’ wrestling program.
He returned to Northern Iowa in 2003, spending another six years with the team before taking two years off from coaching. Thompson returned to UNI again in 2011 and was the Panthers’ volunteer assistant for the next five seasons.
Over the course of 11 years, Thompson helped the Panthers produce 28 NCAA qualifiers and six All-Americans.
Thompson earned the 2005 John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. He also won the 2005 and 2006 U.S. World Team Trials to represent the United States at the World Championships.
He placed third at the 2005 World Championships (264.5 lbs.) in Budapest, Hungary, and was a member of the USA Wrestling Freestyle National Team. Following a first-round loss, Thompson won three straight matches to claim his first world medal. He capped his medal-winning performance with a 1-0, 1-0 win over 1997 world champion Kuramagomed Kuramagomedov of Russia. Thompson’s rally to bronze propelled the United States to an eighth-place finish in the freestyle competition. Overall, the U.S. team ended the competition with two bronze medals.
Along with taking bronze at the 2005 World Cup, Thompson placed second at the Cerro Pelado International and was the 2005 Dave Schultz Memorial International Champion.
In March of 2004, Thompson placed fourth at the Acropolis Tournament in Athens, Greece, in the 264.5-pound weight class. He then continued his run for an Olympic bid at the U.S. National Championships a month later, putting together a top finish to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. At the trials, Thompson rolled through the competition to win the mini-tournament, which placed him in the title bout for an automatic Olympic bid. In a best of three series, Thompson was defeated by Kerry McCoy, 5-3 and 8-0, finishing his 2004 Olympic run with a second-place finish.
In 2003, he placed second at the U.S. Open and World Team Trials. Thompson also was the 2002 Sunkist International Open champion and the New York Athletic Club champion. In his quest to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, he was defeated at the team trials in the semifinal round by world and national champion Stephen Neal of Bakersfield, California.
During his collegiate tenure, he compiled a career record of 157-21, including 54 falls, from 1993 to 1997 at Nebraska. His 157 wins placed him on the NCAA’s all-time wins list. As a Husker, he became Nebraska’s sixth national champion as a sophomore in 1995 by defeating UNI’s Justin Greenlee. He finished third at the 1996 and 1997 championships while also winning the Gorrarian Award for the most falls in the least time at the 1997 championships. A three-time Big Eight/Big 12 champion, Thompson also was a three-time NWCA All-Star.
Thompson was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.
A native of Janesville, Iowa, he and his wife, Tracy, have three daughters, Payton, Bree and Kendall.
