2002-03 College News - J Robinson suspended for Minnesota-Michigan State meet

J Robinson suspended for Minnesota-Michigan State meet

January 22, 2003

University of Minnesota Head Wrestling Coach J Robinson is suspended from this Saturday's Minnesota vs. Michigan State dual meet at the Sports Pavilion. School officials, in collaboration with the Big Ten Conference, agreed to require Robinson and University of Iowa coach Jim Zalesky to sit out their teams' first Big Ten Conference regular season home meet this season. The coaches have been suspended for failing to follow an NCAA rule prior to last season's Border Brawl at Target Center between the Golden Gophers and Hawkeyes. Zalesky will sit out Iowa's meet against Wisconsin on Friday in Iowa City.

Robinson and Zalesky mutually agreed to start the Feb. 1, 2002, dual meet at 125 pounds, an infraction of an NCAA rule which has since changed. Rule 3-3 now states "... coaches may mutually agree to determine the order of matches to be wrestled, allowing for a particular weight class to be featured. Once the first weight class is established, subsequent matches will continue in the traditional sequence. If coaches cannot agree on the wrestling order, a random draw shall be conducted to determine which weight class will be wrestled first."

Last season's Border Brawl drew 15,646 fans to downtown Minneapolis' Target Center, setting an NCAA record for wrestling dual meet attendance. The top-ranked Golden Gophers defeated No. 2 Iowa, 22-15. "Obviously, it was not a good rule because it changed. If [Zalesky] and I had not agreed to start at 125, the rule would not have changed," Robinson said. "There were two main reasons why we did it. First, it was easier to market the meet, promoting the fact that the premiere match at heavyweight would come last in the dual. Second, the powers that be wouldn't listen to us. How do we, as coaches, draw attention to issues in which nobody will listen to us? Finally, we did something about it and somebody listened. Now the rule has changed."

"Although the coaches' intentions were good, we need to comply with all rules that are on the books," Minnesota Athletics Director Joel Maturi said. "We may not agree with all the rules, but there are proper procedures that must be followed. The good news is that this will not be an issue anymore as this specific situation appeared to help change the rule."

Head Assistant Coach Marty Morgan will assume coaching duties for Minnesota, which is looking to rebound after a fifth-place finish at last weekend's National Duals.