Carl Adams Position: Head Coach Experience: 31st Season

Adams Radio Interviews:
BU All-Access Radio Show Interview - November 3, 2011
BU All-Access Radio Show Interview - November 6, 2008
BU All-Access Radio Show Interview - January 16, 2008

Record - 279-188-7

Conference Record - 116-58-3

NCAA Qualifiers 59 for a total of 94 appearances

All-Americans - 4 (Tod Giles, 1984; Chris Studer, 1993; Earl Walker, 1994; Grant Johnson, 1997)

Conference Championships - 10 (1982, 83, 84, 85, 86, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94)

Coach of the Year Awards - 4 (1982, 85, 94, 96)

Now in his 31st season as head coach of the Boston University wrestling program, Carl Adams and the Terriers are in the midst of an upswing on the national level and are excited for what the 2010-11 season may bring..

Adams has guided BU to 10 conference championships and has sent 59 Terrier wrestlers to the NCAA tournament a total of 94 times, as BU has had at least one NCAA qualifier in 29 of Adams' 30 seasons on Commonwealth Avenue. Four of those wrestlers earned All-America status: Tod Giles (1983-84), Chris Studer (1992-93), Earl Walker (1993-94), and Grant Johnson (1996-97). Overall, BU has had 70 wrestlers reach the NCAAs a total of 123 times during the program's 42-year history.

In 2005, Adams was inducted into both the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the Iowa State University Hall of Fame.

In April 2002, Adams was inducted into the Massachusetts Wrestling Hall of Fame, a presentation which recognized his contributions to New England wrestling over the past two decades. Additionally, he was inducted as a charter member of the Midlands Championship Hall of Fame in 1992.

Including two seasons as the head coach at the University of Rhode Island prior to coming to Commonwealth Avenue, Adams has coached his teams to 12 New England titles, 10 of which coming at BU.

A 1972 graduate of Iowa State University, Adams earned a bachelor's degree in teaching and a master's degree in education. A three-time All-American, he completed his collegiate wrestling career with a 94-8 record and two NCAA titles at 158 pounds (1971 and 1972). He served as the Cyclones' captain during his junior and senior seasons, earning team MVP honors as a senior. His induction into the Midlands Hall of Fame was due in large part to his three Midlands titles (1971, `72, `74) and his 17-0 overall tournament record.

Adams continued his wrestling career after graduation, capturing the National AAU Freestyle Championships in 1973 and 1975. He followed with a silver medal at the Pan American Games and a fifth-place showing in the World Championships. A shoulder separation thwarted his bid to wrestle in the 1976 Olympics, but it didn't prevent National Mat News from honoring him as the Top Middleweight of the Decade.

Adams began his coaching career at his alma mater, where he served as an assistant for six years. During that span, Iowa State won two NCAA team championships and finished as runner-up three times. In 1979, Adams took over the head coaching spot at the University of Rhode Island. He brought immediate success to the Rams, winning two consecutive New England Championships in his first two seasons. For his accomplishments, he was named Rookie Coach of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News in 1980 and New England Coach of the Year in 1981. Ironically, 1981 also marked the year URI eliminated wrestling from varsity status.

Soon after, then-BU Director of Athletics John Simpson brought Adams and with him several top recruits to Commonwealth Avenue, establishing the foundation for a powerhouse. In his first season with the Terriers, Adams led the team to a 9-4 dual-meet record and a New England title, while sending six wrestlers to the 1982 NCAA Tournament.

Since arriving at BU, Adams has played an integral role in the renaissance of Terrier athletics through dedication, hard work and persistent recruiting. His efforts have earned him Conference Coach of the Year honors four times, most recently for the 1995-96 season. Perhaps the greatest testament to Adams' unparalleled success is the 112-51-2 conference record that his teams have amassed during his tenure. Under his direction, the Terriers won their first 29 New England Conference matches. In fact, his teams at BU and Rhode Island, at one point, had gone eight years without losing a conference dual meet.

Adams' contribution to wrestling goes far beyond the success of the Terrier program, however. In 1987, he completed a two-year stint as coach of a team of NCAA Division I winners on a summer tour of Europe, an honor given by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Adams also directs the World Class Wrestling Institute, which offers week-long seminars hosted by some of the top names in the sport. In the summer of 2003, former Iowa State wrestling standout Cael Sanderson, who went 159-0 as a four-time NCAA National Champion, was a guest instructor. The camp's success can be measured by the thousands of youngsters who have attended since its inception.

Adams' Championship Technique Videos series is another successful endeavor, as are the three books he has written: Controlling the Center of Gravity; Takedowns, Counters, and Freestyle Wrestling; and The World Class Wrestling Manual. He is also the inventor of Adam, a wrestling takedown machine used by thousands of high schools and colleges.

A member of the NWCA Executive Committee for the past eight years, Adams has also served as a member of the NCAA Rules Committee each of the last five seasons.