The Parallels Between David Taylor and John Smith at Oklahoma State

The conversation between a pair of world champions was to the point: “Good luck. Go win.”

It was just before David Taylor stepped on the mat when John Smith texted him. Smith led the Oklahoma State wrestling program for 33 years. And when he retired, Taylor, at 33 years old, replaced Smith as the Cowboys’ head coach.

“It’s exciting,” Smith said after Taylor was hired. “It’s what you hope for. These guys are good. They’ve got a plan. They’re good. It’s going to be a fun journey watching them while I’m retired. It’s impressive. You heard Coach DT, he was sincere, he knows how to win, he knows how to deliver. We got a great coach.”

When Taylor accepted that first coaching job, he said he was done competing. But a few months later, he came out of retirement in September to compete at the Unites States World Team Trials. Taylor won the 92-kilogram title and solidified his spot at the Senior World Championships in Albania, which starts early Wednesday morning.

“Coach Smith has been, he’s been awesome just in the time that I’ve been here and definitely super supportive,” Taylor said. “… I was talking to him a little bit after I finished, and he said he was watching me wrestling, just coaching me through the phone during my matches. So I think it’s just really cool. I think he’s enjoyed it and he can relate.

“There’s a lot of parallels in our careers, a lot of parallels. I think we have a lot of parallels in our personalities, and I think to be so competitive at that level, obviously, you’re wired a little different. So I think there’s a lot of similarities there. But yeah, definitely talk with him and get his advice.”

Taylor, who has already won three world titles and an Olympic gold medal, will compete for what he says will be the last time only weeks before his first season as a coach begins. Back in 1991 while Smith was leading the Cowboys for his first time, he was also preparing for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, where he won his second gold medal before stepping away from competition. As a coach, Smith went on to lead the Cowboys to five NCAA titles.

“I’m sure he’s going to go through some times when he feels like an administrator rather than a coach — that’s required,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of things that when you’re wrestling and you’re trying to be the best in the world, there’s not a lot of administrative things that you’re doing other than taking care of yourself. You’re going to go from that to 40 athletes that are calling for your help. Listening to him talk – he gets it. He knows the challenge ahead, and he’s not afraid of it. He said some things that were powerful. I look forward to sitting back and watching it and enjoying Oklahoma State wrestling.”

Even after after earning a spot on the U.S. World Team, David still contemplated even competing at the World Championships because of his responsibilities as a coach. But with support from administration and his team, Taylor realized opportunities are limited to compete to be the best in the world.

Already as a four-time world champion, this bracket could be the deepest Taylor has ever had to fight through. He will start the tournament against Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a seven-time world champion from Russia but competing as an Independent Neutral Athlete. With Taylor bumping up to 92 kg for the first time, this will be the first time these two have met, setting up one of the most anticipated wrestling matches of the year. The bracket also includes Kamran Ghasempour, a two-time world champion from Iran.

Session I of the Senior World Championships will start at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. The tournament will conclude with medal matches at noon Thursday.

The Cowboys’ season will start Nov. 15 at Utah Valley, beginning a monumental 33-year change at OSU as Taylor begins his era leading the program. It’s a time of change, though, that seems all too familiar.

“I think being down here and just hearing about him and just to understand more about him and the program and things that he did well and the things that he had challenges in, I think we have similar things in that,” Taylor said. “But I think, ultimately, we both were just fierce competitors. With that, yeah, you just have a little different wire, you know? But it’s good. Obviously his success here was awesome, and I hope to have some more success, as he did.”