Ross Thatcher
Position: Volunteer Strength Coach Experience: 2nd season College: Penn State, 2000

Ross Thatcher will enter his second year on the OSU wrestling staff and first as the volunteer strength and conditioning coach. Thatcher was a Penn State letterwinner from 1997-2000 and served as an assistant coach at PSU from 2000-2003. Thatcher has helped long time friend and Olympic hopeful Tommy Rowlands as a training partner for the past three years. He is active with USA wrestling and was an assistant coach for the 2006 Junior Fila World Team.

Competing for the Nittany Lions, Thatcher was named captain and garnered All-America honors in 2000. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in the college of health and human development. Following his time at Penn State, Thatcher wrestled for the New York Athletic Club, where he was a two-time Sunkist International Open Champion, New York Athletic Club International Open Champion, Dave Schultz International Open Champion and North East Regional Outstanding Wrestler and champion. Additionally, he was a Bronze medalist for the 2001 U.S. Pan-American team and was a member of the U.S. World University Games Freestyle and Greco Roman squads.

Thatcher was a two-time Ohio high school state champion and a three-time Ohio state finalist at Bishop Ready High School in Columbus.

Thatcher is the son of Randy and Sandy Thatcher and has three brothers, Cris, Todd and Matt.