David Taylor’s retirement after that shocking loss to Aaron Brooks at the Olympics had everyone talking, but what he did next was even more jaw-dropping. After failing to make the U.S. Olympic team, the gold medalist turned heads by landing a high-profile coaching gig at Oklahoma State. And get this—despite having little coaching experience, Taylor became the highest-paid wrestling coach in the country at just 34. Naturally, that raised a lot of eyebrows and sparked plenty of doubts among wrestling fans. So when the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational rolled around, everyone was waiting to see: would Taylor’s team prove the skeptics wrong, or would they fall flat?

By the end of the year, David Taylor had silenced the skeptics. His first major test as Oklahoma State’s new head coach came at the CKLV Invitational, and he crushed it. The Cowboys finished with nine wrestlers in the top four. Oklahoma State didn’t just show up, they dominated, claiming two individual titles—Wyatt Hendrickson in the heavyweight class and Dean Hamiti at 174 pounds. The Cowboys scored 192 team points, just shy of the 198.25-point record set in 1983, and racked up 25 bonus point victories throughout the two-day tournament. But it wasn’t easy for OSU!

They didn’t just win, they obliterated the competition. OSU outscored second-place Nebraska by a huge 77 points and walked away with 50 total victories—31 of those against ranked opponents, and 18 against Big 12 rivals. The most jaw-dropping stat? All 10 of Oklahoma State’s wrestlers placed, and no one finished lower than fifth. It was a total team effort, and David Taylor’s Cowboys proved they were ready to make a real impact on the national stage.

A newcomer from the Air Force, Wyatt Hendrickson was perfect 5-0 in the event to clinch the heavyweight gold. He earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award after securing three wins over ranked opponents, including a quick 2:35 pin in the finals over No. 6 Isaac Trumble. Hendrickson dominance was tremendously manifest none of his fights even reached the end of the round.

While that was unfolding, Dean Hamiti extended his season record to 9-0 with three wins on the night. His 4-3 win over No. 8 Lorenzo Norman in the 174-pound final was a nail-biter, it was really hard but Hamiti held on with a key riding time point in the final seconds. And Taylor expressed his opinion on it on X.

After the match, when asked about Norman’s challenges, Taylor explained, “Look, it’s good, you know, he’s good. I remember wrestling Blair. He came out ready to wrestle, and then he came out to wrestle DJ. I think that’s good. You know, that’s when you get from those early season matches. You’re just kind of beating guys, and then you get a match like that in a real fight. You kind of see it. Matt wrestling is something we’ve been talking about a lot—no easy escapes—and he did that, and it was a big difference. Those are the kind of matches where you have to find ways to win.”

With the Cowboys heading for a clash against Oklahoma this Friday in Norman, Taylor’s team is on the right track and climbing up from the start but it was the high spirit of David that shaped him into a star.

David Taylor’s last shot at redemption

David Taylor wasn’t willing to quit wrestling after he failed to win a spot at the US Olympic Trials back in April. Thus, he returned for one more record in the World Championships event. It was not a walk in the park for him — he was eliminated in the first round by Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia who was to win gold in the tournament.

But Taylor did not allow that to get in his way. He came from behind and won the bronze at 92kg placing him at the World Championships with five medals. This wasn’t just about the win, but about proving himself after that trial setback, which came as the final loss of a long season, and as a final victory, retiring on his own accord.

Once Taylor secured the bronze, he figured that this was as far as he was going to get. He had been in charge of Oklahoma State wrestling long enough and with the college season it was time for him to go. But before that, his last flash of triumph lies in when he outpointed two-time World champion Kamran Ghasempour of Iran in which he had to come back from a 2-0 down.

It was a sweetened way to bow out of an amazing career marked by NCAA championships, Olympic gold, and World titles. Now, Taylor is solely concentrated on coaching after giving wrestling a competitive memory that might not be pursued easily. Can the Olympic champion continue this fabled run with OSU? Tell us in the comment section below!