IOWA CITY, Iowa – USA Wrestling staff member Gary Mayabb will join the University of Iowa women’s wrestling program as associate head coach, it was announced Friday by head coach Clarissa Chun.
“I saw firsthand the work Gary did with USA Wrestling and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with and alongside him in building this program,” said Chun. “We worked in different programs (at USA Wrestling), but I got to see all the work he put into building men’s Greco in the U.S.
“Gary is a hard worker, unites people and is well-connected. He has trained the development age group all the way to senior level athletes for decades, so he knows how to relate to different athletes.
“During the interview process it was clear that our values aligned in how we wanted to build this program. Gary has high integrity and will serve our student-athletes well.”
For more than three decades, Mayabb has served in various capacities with USA Wrestling and was an accomplished high school wrestling coach in Kansas City, Missouri, winning seven team state championships.
“During the interview process it was clear that our values aligned in how we wanted to build this program. Gary has high integrity and will serve our student-athletes well.”
Clarissa Chun, Iowa head women's wrestling coach
“The University of Iowa is a special place for wrestling,” said Mayabb. “I am excited for the opportunity to work with coach Chun and the history-making women who have committed to grow our sport.”
Mayabb (MAY-abb) served as manager of Greco-Roman programs for USA Wrestling from 2017-22, where he had direct oversight of the daily operations for the Greco-Roman program as well as the development in the U20-U17-U15 age groups. He was also a five-time member of the U.S. Olympic Team Training Camp staff.
As a USA Wrestling NCEP Gold Level Certified Coach, Mayabb has also been named the USA Wrestling Regional Developmental Coach of the Year, USA Wrestling Junior National Greco-Roman Coach of the Year and USA Wrestling Cadet National Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. He also served as the Missouri Cadet and Junior National Team Greco-Roman head coach from 1987-2016, where he worked with 17 champions and 71 All-Americans.
At the high school level, Mayabb served as head coach at Oak Park and Staley High Schools. He is a two-time NWCA Region Coach of the Year and State Coach of the Year, a five-time MWA State Coach of the Year and two-time NSHSAA Coach of the Year.
He led Oak Park High School to six MSHSAA team state titles, including five straight. His team was nationally ranked eight times in his tenure and his athletes won 38 individual state titles, had 96 state medalist and 145 state qualifiers.
Mayabb moved to Staley High School, becoming the first head coach in the program’s history. He led the team to a team championship in 2017, as well as four top-four finishes, six individual state titles, 34 state place finishers and 59 state qualifiers. In his career, more than 100 former student-athletes have gone on to coach at all levels.
As a competitor, Mayabb competed at the University of Central Missouri, where he was a NCAA qualifier and the MIAA Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler. The two-time team captain was a U.S. Open finalist in 1990 and a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992). He is a member of Central Missouri’s Hall of Legends and Athletic Hall of Fame, as well as other Halls of Fame in Missouri.
Mayabb has been a member of the Missouri Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Coaches Association, Collegiate Wrestling Officials Association, National Wrestling Officials Association and United States Wrestling Officials Association. He was also a collegiate official from 1985-2017, and during that time served as a Big Ten Conference official from 2006-17, and an NCAA Championships official from 2000-17.
Mayabb graduated from Central Missouri with a degree in secondary education and he earned his master’s degree in curriculum instruction with an emphasis in psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Mayabb and his wife, Dorothy, have three daughters — Katie (husband, Brent), Kelsey and Breeley and two granddaughters, Eloise and Remy.
