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Tim Flynn, Head Coach
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10th Year, Penn State '86
Mike DeAnna, Bruce Baumgartner, and now Tim
Flynn. Edinboro University has been blessed with outstanding
wrestling coaches since elevating the program to Division I status
in the mid-80's. Flynn enters his tenth season in charge of the
Fighting Scot wrestlers, and prior to that he served as an
assistant coach under Baumgartner for five years.
The former Penn State All-American has produced
quite a legacy in his nine seasons at the helm. Edinboro has
dominated eastern wrestling circles during Flynn's reign, winning
the Eastern Wrestling League Championship eight of the last nine
years, along with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Tournament title seven times in the last nine campaigns.
To top it off, Flynn guided his 2005-06
Fighting Scot edition to one of the most dominant campaigns in
Edinboro history. The Fighting Scots finished with a perfect 12-0
record, the only Division I team in the country to go undefeated.
They dominated the PSAC Championships, as nine wrestlers reached
the finals and six earned championships, both PSAC records.
Next came the EWL Tournament, where despite
just two wrestlers capturing first place, nine earned a trip to
Nationals, as Edinboro outdistanced West Virginia for its fourth
straight EWL crown. Flynn would later be named the EWL Coach of
the Year for the fourth time.
Finally came a memorable three-day stay in
Oklahoma City, OK. Edinboro departed the NCAA Division I National
Championships with three All-Americans and an eighth place finish,
the highest since the 1997 team finished sixth, and the
second-highest finish ever. The three All-Americans were the most
since 2000.
In 2005, The Fighting Scots finished 28th at
Nationals, the first time that Edinboro had not finished in the
top 25 during Flynn’s tenure. However, the Fighting Scots
could still take solace in Shawn Bunch’s second place finish
at 133 lbs. He became just the sixth Boro grappler to earn a
runner-up spot.
Edinboro previously recorded a 12th place
finish in 2001 and a 14th place finish in 2002 under Flynn, plus a
pair of 15th place finishes.
Edinboro has a 94-31-3 record in dual matches
under Flynn. During that period he has produced 17 All-Americans
and 71 national qualifiers, capped by Josh Koscheck's national
championship at 174 lbs. in 2001. Koscheck became Edinboro's
second all-time national champion at the Division I level, and
with a third place finish in 2002, became Edinboro's first
four-time All-American.
Three years ago Edinboro had two All-Americans
in Matt King, who finished third at 165 lbs., and Nate Yetzer, who
placed eighth at 174 lbs.
In 2004-05, Flynn took a young and
inexperienced lineup, and one which would battle injuries
throughout the year, and led it to a 9-5-1 record. It would have
been easy to use the inexperience and injuries as an excuse,
particularly when the Fighting Scots failed to win their fourth
straight PSAC title. Instead, Flynn rallied his grapplers to a
resounding first place finish at the EWL Tournament. Bunch was the
lone individual champion, but six Fighting Scots qualified for
Nationals.
Flynn was recognized as the PSAC Coach of the
Year for the fifth time in 2004 after guiding Edinboro to a 10-3
finish and a third straight PSAC title. In 2003 he was named both
the EWL and PSAC Coach of the Year.
The 2003-04 Fighting Scot edition matured as
the year went on, easily capturing the PSAC crown as five
grapplers brought home individual titles, one shy of the school
record. Just over a month later the Fighting Scots rallied from
six points down entering the final session to tie West Virginia
for the EWL championship. A record-tying four Scots were crowned
champions, with six Edinboro wrestlers qualifying for Nationals.
Edinboro also won the EWL dual meet title for
the fourth time in six seasons, unseating West Virginia with a
25-13 upset of the Mountaineers in Morgantown and ending WVU's
19-match EWL winning streak. The Fighting Scots posted a perfect
7-0 record in EWL competition.
A youthful Edinboro squad surprised the experts
by finishing with a 10-5 record in 2003, winning both the EWL and
PSAC Championships. The Scots only finished third during the EWL
dual meet season, but thanks to four first place finishes and all
ten wrestlers placing no lower than fourth, Edinboro outdistanced
West Virginia to reclaim the EWL Tournament crown from the
Mountaineers. The PSAC Championship featured four individual
champions. Matt King went on to place fourth at 165 lbs. at
Nationals, with eight Scots qualifying for Nationals.
The Fighting Scots posted a 10-4 ledger the
year before, extending their EWL unbeaten streak to 25 straight
matches before an injury-ravaged team suffered a loss at Lock
Haven. The Boro edged Lock Haven in the PSAC Championships, and
later went on to finish second to West Virginia at the EWL
Tournament. Seven Fighting Scots qualified for Nationals at EWLs,
with Koscheck and Cory Ace going on to earn All-American status at
Nationals. Ace finished eighth at 133 lbs.
Edinboro finished with an 11-3-1 record in
2001, concluding the campaign with an EWL unbeaten streak of 22
matches. The streak was interrupted by a 16-16 tie with Virginia
Tech early in the season, but Edinboro went on to finish as the
regular season EWL champion for the sixth time in the last eight
years, including the last three seasons. The Scots were 21-0-1
during their 22-match unbeaten streak. Edinboro then easily
outdistanced Lock Haven at the EWL Championships.
To top it off, a record-tying nine Fighting
Scots qualified for Nationals, helping the Boro finish with an
all-time high point total in Iowa City, IA. The 12th place finish
led all eastern schools, and was the highest finish by an Edinboro
squad since the 1996-97 squad finished sixth. Flynn was recognized
as the EWL Coach of the Year following the 2001 season.
Flynn came to Edinboro following three seasons
as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Penn State. In his first
season as head coach the Fighting Scots were only 7-7 in dual
matches, but went on to win the PSAC Championship and the EWL
Championship. It marked the first-ever EWL crown for Edinboro.
With a record nine wrestlers going to Nationals, the Boro placed
15th at Nationals.
In 1998-99, the Fighting Scots closed out the
season with eight straight wins to finish at 11-3-1. For the
second year in a row they captured the PSAC and EWL crowns, with
eight Scots heading to Penn State for the NCAA Tournament.
Edinboro finished 18th among the 79-team field. Flynn was
recognized as the EWL Coach of the Year thanks to a perfect 7-0
league mark.
Edinboro's unbeaten dual match streak reached
19 in 1999-2000 before Central Michigan handed the Scots an 18-15
defeat. It would be the only setback that year, as Flynn's third
team went 14-1. That included a first-ever win over Penn State by
a 19-14 count in State College. Edinboro had lost its previous
eight meetings with the Nittany Lions. In addition, the Scots took
first place at the prestigious Virginia Duals.
The Scots would win their third straight PSAC
and EWL titles, with Flynn recognized as the PSAC Coach of the
Year for the third straight year. He was also honored as
Edinboro's Coach of the Year in 1999-2000. Eight more wrestlers
headed to Nationals, securing a 15th place finish for the Scots.
Joining the program as an assistant coach prior
to the start of the 1992-93 season, Flynn assisted Baumgartner to
a 56-21 record during his five year period as an aide, including a
perfect 14-0 dual match record and a 6th place finish at
Nationals, the best in school history, in '95-96. The Scots won
three out of four EWL dual meet championships from 1994-97, with
perfect 6-0 records each year, and claimed just the second PSAC
Championship in school history in 1994-95.
Following three standout seasons at Vista High
School in Vista, CA, Flynn moved east to finish his prep career at
Annapolis Senior High School in Annapolis, MD. He went on to enjoy
a stellar career at Penn State, captaining the 1986-87 squad while
earning All-American honors at 134 pounds. He went 30-10-1 as a
senior, winning the EWL title and finishing seventh at Nationals.
The Nittany Lions enjoyed one of their greatest seasons ever with
an 18-1-1 record and a third place finish at the NCAA Tournament.
Flynn finished with a 105-32-2 record, still
ranking among the all-time career leaders in victories for the
Nittany Lions. He also won the EWL title as a junior in 1986 while
competing at 126 pounds, finishing with a 30-7-1 mark. He
qualified for Nationals as a sophomore as well after finishing
second at the EWL Championships. He was four-time Midlands
Championships place winner, a two-time Mat Town USA champion, and
was an Espoir National freestyle runner-up in 1984.
Flynn is thrilled to have his 2006-07 staff
completed, and excited with what Moore will bring to the Fighting
Scots.
"We are all excited to have Cliff
on board,” related Flynn. “He is exactly what you want
in an assistant coach. He is an excellent role model for our kids.
His work ethic is unbelievable, and obviously, he is a great
wrestler! Cliff has what all of our kids want....an NCAA
Championship! Cliff also has experience in the office to help with
our many fundraisers, recruiting and administratively! We could
not be more pleased!"
Flynn was graduated from Penn State in 1987
with a bachelor's degree in Business Management. He later earned
his master's degree in Business Administration with a
concentration in Finance in 1990.
He and his wife, Tanya, reside in Edinboro with
their two children - Logan, nine years old, and Riley, six years
old.
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