CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois wrestling coaches are pretty well-known as having had outstanding wrestling careers themselves.
Wrestling for the University of Iowa, Illini head coach Jim Heffernan won the NCAA title at 150-pounds in 1986, was a four-time All-American and is one of just 16 wrestlers all-time to win four consecutive Big Ten titles. Assistant coach Mike Poeta was a three-time All-American at Illinois and two-time NCAA finalist and Big Ten champion.
Everyone around wrestling, though, knows just how dominant Illini assistant coach Jeremy Hunter was in his 2000 NCAA title campaign and throughout his career at 125-pounds at Penn State. Hunter was 33-1 in back-to-back seasons in 1999 and 2000. He was the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year in 2000. A three-time All-American and four-year dual starter, he led Penn State in scoring for three consecutive seasons, and compiled a string of 41-straight dual wins.
At the end of his dominant collegiate career, Hunter knew he wanted to continue to give to the sport through coaching.
"Once I got done competing, this was the next step and I knew coaching was what I was going to move into," said Hunter. "I enjoy working with the guys. I enjoy going in in the mornings and drilling with them, seeing guys getting better."
Hunter's final year of collegiate eligibility was his championship season in 2000. While still finishing classes at Penn State the following year, he ran into former Illinois head coach Mark Johnson and Heffernan, then an assistant with the Illini, at an Illinois/Penn State dual meet in State College.
"They asked me 'What are you going to do next year?'" Hunter said. "I was like 'I'm leaving here, I want something different.' We talked and they asked me to come out and coach at Illinois. I said yeah, let's do it."
Hunter moved to Champaign in 2002 to join the Illinois coaching staff. He continued to train at Illinois towards his post-collegiate career while also being involved with the Illini program. Hunter competed post-collegiately from 2000 to 2004, competing in two World Team Trials and the 2004 Olympic Trials, where he finished fourth at 55 kg.
The connection between Hunter and Illinois, though, had developed years prior. Hunter was recruited in high school by Illinois, and they were one of his top choices.
"I wanted to go in the Big Ten," Hunter said. "I got recruited here. For me deciding, it came down to between Penn State and Illinois. Coach Heff coached me on the Cadet World Team in high school."
Speaking of high school, Hunter was one of the greatest wrestlers in Pennsylvania high school history. At McGuffey High School in Claysville, Pa., Hunter was a four-time state champion, who tallied a final record of 171-2. He won every match his final three years, with his only two losses coming as a freshman.
Current Illini wrestler and South Fayette, Pa. native Mike Carr credits Hunter as a main reason for him deciding to come to Illinois.
"His name was the one I knew on the coaching staff because growing up he was a wrestling legend in Pennsylvania," said Carr. "Like, praised like a god in the wrestling world."
His dominance on the mat would transition to excellence in coaching. Since arriving in 2002, Hunter has helped the staff produce 23 All-Americans, 16 of which earned All-America honors at least twice. He was instrumental in the careers of All-Americans Kyle Ott (125), Jimmy Kennedy (133,141) and Mike Poeta (157).
"It was incredible to have the opportunity to work closely with a coach similar in size, especially one with the wrestling credentials and technique expertise of Jeremy Hunter," said Ott, a two-time NCAA finalist for the Illini. "More so, I appreciated how Coach Hunter cares about his athletes personally, much more than the win-loss records. He knew how important wrestling was to me, and unselfishly gave the extra time, effort, encouragement, backing and undue stress on his body to help me achieve my goals."
"Hunter was one of the top reasons I chose to wrestle at Illinois," said Kennedy. "I worked out with Hunter once or twice a week throughout my five years at Illinois and would not be the wrestler I am today without his trusted guidance and mentorship. I am forever thankful for his willingness to warm up with me almost every morning prior to weigh-ins, and for his quiet intensity during my career."
"Coach Hunter is true to the craft," said Poeta. "I've never seen him take one short cut with a guy because he didn't want to be up that early or leave late. He gets so much out of the guys because his expectations were so high of himself when he competed, and he expects the same now. You always hear things at our level like 'it's what you do when no one's watching that counts or separates the champions', and that's how I've always felt about Hunter. He's in the room helping someone nearly every time I walk in, no matter the time or day."
After guiding several Illini wrestlers to top All-America honors during the 2000s, Hunter coached his first national champion in 2013 in 125-pound sophomore Jesse Delgado. Delgado would win back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
"Seeing those guys win those big matches," Hunter said of his proudest coaching moments. "Seeing Delgado when he won his first national title, or seeing Isaiah (Martinez), winning his titles. There have been a bunch. It's seeing all the work that those guys have put in, and then getting to see the results of that work, whether it's national titles or being All-Americans."
Fighting Illini wrestling has produced at least one All-American in each of the last 28 seasons. Head coach Jim Heffernan acknowledges that Hunter, his top-assistant since taking over as head coach in 2009, has been a crucial part in maintaining that success.
"Jeremy has been a constant, integral part of our program for the past 16 years," said Heffernan. "Because of his quiet nature, he too often goes unnoticed. He's been a critical part of our success, and continues to have a tremendous impact on our guys."
"He has no social media and probably thinks the guys still use MySpace, but it seems like nowadays everyone only gets attention through social media," Poeta said. "His impact sometimes goes unnoticed to outsiders of the program because he doesn't need or seem to care for the attention. He inspired me when I wrestled for him and now he's doing the same as a 'co-worker'."
Illini wrestlers past and present say that Hunter has had such a great impact in coaching by instilling in his wrestlers the values of hard work, passion and persistence.
"It's how he sets the example so consistently," Ott said. "Simply being around him is motivating to keep moving forward with his no short-cut mentality, leadership by action, exceptional character and the utmost integrity he embodies daily."
"He makes me work harder each day, constantly reminding me you can always work harder," Carr said. "It's an ever-going grind, and the amount of work you put in one day can for sure increase the next day and the next day. When you think you can't go any harder, he reminds me I am wrong and helps me to get over that hurdle."
The Illini will look to make it 29 straight years with an All-American next season. Carr and the rest of the wrestlers on the Illini roster will work under Hunter's guidance to achieve that goal. Hunter's emphasis on hard work is something that every wrestler on the roster will need to embody to reach All-America heights. His passion towards that hard work made him one of the best wrestlers and best coaches in the country.
"You've got four or five years here, and you can't cut corners," Hunter said. "You can't take the easy way or you're never going to get to where you want to be. It's hard work. That takes you a long way. You don't always have to be the most talented kid in the world. If you're willing to work the right way and do it every day, and not just when you want to, you'll get results."
