A lesson about patriotism, not wrestling, first pushed Glen Lanham toward a career in coaching.
And what began with a love for country has appropriately translated into breaking barriers—Lanham is the first black head coach in Duke history and just the sixth in Division I wrestling.
“You definitely want to make sure you get it [based] on your ability, what you bring to the table,” Lanham said. “But I definitely do embrace [being the first].”
While at a wrestling jamboree in seventh grade, Lanham let the American flag drag on the ground instead of holding it upright. His coach, a former Marine, was furious at him for the disrespectful act.
“I didn’t really understand what that meant,” Lanham said. “He taught me what it meant to be someone who loves this country.... I never forgot those types of lessons.”
His desire to coach was solidified by a similar lesson he received as a sophomore from his high school coach, who told him winning was not the job’s only focus.
“He said, ‘It’s about how you develop people as well,’” Lanham recalled his coach saying. “‘You have to take a stake in everything they do.’”
Lanham hopes to continue reinforcing those all-encompassing values at Duke as he takes on the head coaching role—the first in his 24-year coaching career, which has spanned four universities and several high schools—after two years as a Blue Devil assistant.
“Coach Lanham is a natural leader,” Director of Athletics and Vice President Kevin White wrote in an email Tuesday. “Moreover, he is a career educator, who just happens to be exceedingly passionate about imparting his insatiable commitment and dedication relative to his sport [and] to our student-athletes.”
Lanham’s “ability” as a competitor is clear, twice earning All-American accolades as a collegiate wrestler. After earning a degree from Oklahoma State in human service with an emphasis in juvenile counseling in 1988, he immediately rejoined the wrestling staff as a graduate assistant.
Lanham left the college ranks three years later to work as a high school teacher and coach until 2003, including a seven-year stint at Midwest City High School. In his free time, he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Oklahoma, earning a reputation as a tireless worker that helped lead to his return to full-time college coaching.
His energy quickly earned him success on the recruiting trail when he worked as an assistant at North Carolina, helping land a top-25 recruiting class in 2006, according to Intermatwrestling.com. Two years later, while serving under head coach Scott Hinkel at Purdue, he recruited the nation’s No. 12 class, including three top-100 recruits.
“When he was here, he could motivate all our guys,” Hinkel said. “He did it... by being in the room all the time and trying to outwork everybody. Obviously he was a lot older than those guys, but he could outwork them all.”
In his two years at Duke, he has played a part in coaching Diego Bencomo and Tanner Hough to NCAA championship appearances, though the team has finished at the bottom of the ACC standings both seasons.
Lanham has already begun planning for the 2012-2013 campaign, focusing first on creating a more balanced schedule. The Blue Devils waited until the spring before competing in their first dual match last year, and several opponents had already competed in a handful by the time they faced Duke.
He is also continuing to work on Duke’s recruiting efforts, an uphill battle given the University’s academic standards, even though the team has four recruits verbally committed for next season. “Most of the kids we’re looking for are the ones who say, ‘I want to be a national champion and an All-American, but I’m going to be a doctor as well,’” Lanham said. “They have their futures staked out. They know they’re not going to be an Olympian, and there’s no professional wrestling.”
Lanham will get the opportunity to hire a second assistant coach for the staff, a decision made about six months ago. For now, though, Lanham is simply glad the interview process is over and he can get back to what he wants to do—coach.
“It’s a load off,” he said. “Any time you interview and you’re the interim [head coach], it’s a tough process, but I’m thankful it’s over.”
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