Leading Oklahoma City University’s charge for national prominence in men’s and women’s wrestling is Archie Randall, who has been mentioned among the nation’s elite as a coach.
In 2008-09, the Stars captured the WCWA national championship and the NWCA women’s national title, the latter for the second year in a row. OCU’s men finished 15th in the NAIA Championships as Corey Johnson and Nik Turner finished as all-Americans. The Stars went 22-1 in women’s duals and 9-13 in men’s duals.
In 2007-08, Randall directed OCU’s men to a 10th-place finish at the NAIA Championships. OCU had four all-Americans, John Wilcox won the Lindenwood Open and Mitchell Eichenauer became a national finalist. OCU went 19-7-1 in duals.
Also in ’07-08, OCU became an instant women’s contender. In its first year, OCU finished as national runner-up and won the NWCA National Duals. Three individuals became national champions, and 14 Stars were all-American. OCU was 13-3-1 in duals.
In 2006-07, Randall directed OCU to a 12th-place finish at the NAIA Championships despite being a first-year program. Three Stars became all-Americans, and two won open tournament titles. OCU broke into the national rankings and posted a 6-11 record in duals.
After turning El Reno High School into a perennial state champion, Randall was named to revive the wrestling program at OCU on Jan. 27, 2006. Randall holds the title as Oklahoma’s winningest high-school coach. He guided El Reno to 11 consecutive team tournament championships and 10th dual state championships in a row. Randall, who has coached wrestling for 28 years, went 232-16 in duals in 13 years at El Reno.
Randall coached 44 wrestlers who went on to the college ranks. Randall has coached 54 state champions, 57 state tournament placers, 22 all-staters and a four-time state champion.
Randall’s teams have won 65 tournament championships, 11 regional crowns, 12 Suburban Conference championships and 13 district titles. In the classroom, El Reno was academic state champion in 1998 and 1999. Nationally, El Reno had been in the top 25 high-school rankings for eight consecutive years.
Randall is seven-time Oklahoma Coaches Association coach of the year and three-time Oklahoman all-city coach of the year. Other coach of the year awards Randall has earned: 2003 National Coaches Association regional coach of the year, 2002 National Federation of Coaches sectional coach of the year, 2002 U.S. Olympic Committee development coach of the year, 2002 USA Wrestling development coach of the year and 1999 Wrestling USA Magazine Dream Team coach and coach of the year.
On the national level, Randall is a member of the USA Wrestling board of directors. Randall has won nine junior national dual team tournament championships. In 1987, USAOK’s cadet program set a state record with 20 all-American wrestlers in one season under Randall’s guidance.
Randall earned a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education from Texas-El Paso in 1977 and a master’s degree in administration from Central Oklahoma in 2004.
Randall and his wife Kathy have three children, Zach, Preston and Heather.
