Iowa Wrestling legend Jimmy Zalesky has been named as an assistant wrestling coach at Cal Poly Humboldt. A D-II college in Arcata, California, Cal Poly Humboldt competes in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAA).
Jimmy will be joining his brother Lennie who was named head coach at Cal Poly Humboldt in March.
Jimmy coached at the University of Jamestown (ND) from 2021-24 and Oregon State from 2006-2020. Jimmy won three NCAA titles (1998,1999 and 2000) as head coach at the University of Iowa from 1997-2006.
Jimmy is one of the most successful wrestlers in Iowa Wrestling history. Zalesky was a four-time All American and three-time NCAA national champion at 158 lbs. (1982-84) and was a member of five NCAA national championship teams as a Hawk.
Amateure Wrestlig News named Jimmy as the Wrestler of the Decade for the 1980’s and he is a member of the National Wrestling Hall Of Fame.
Zalesky is originally from Shueyville, Iowa and won a state title in 1978 and 1979 at Prairie High School.
From Humboldtathletics.com:
“I look forward to coaching with my brother Lennie at Cal Poly Humboldt,” said Jim Zalesky. “Together, it should be a lot of fun resurrecting the wrestling program, working with the California coaches and meeting the former wrestlers. There is a tremendously rich wrestling culture in California which makes this endeavor very interesting and exciting.”
“I of course am really looking forward to coaching with my brother Jim,” stated head coach Lennie Zalesky. “Not only does he have an incredible amount of experience and success as a wrestling coach, but we came from the same system both in high school and in college, and our coaching styles and techniques are incredibly compatible. I honestly can’t think of someone I would rather coach with in all respects other than Jim.”
Best of luck to both Lennie and Jimmy Zalesky at Cal Poly Humboldt.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
