David Taylor reacts as Lee Roper joins Cowboy RTC as executive director and senior coach

Wrestler turned coach David Taylor shared his thoughts as Lee Roper joined the Cowboy RTC as executive director and senior coach. Roper had been coaching young wrestlers till 2015, when he first took charge as the wrestling coach at the University of Northern Iowa.

Taylor congratulated Roper for his appointment at the Oklahoma State University through an Instagram story. The former Olympic champion shared a post regarding the revelation and wrote,

"Excited to work alongside @roper165"

Screengrab of David Taylor's Instagram story on Lee Roper's appointment [Image Source : David Taylor's Instagram]

Under Taylor's tutelage, the Oklahoma State Cowboys did the unthinkable. With a grand total of 102.5 points at the NCAA Championships, the Cowboys achieved the third position overall, their best performance since 2021. Additionally, the Cowboys also won the Big 12 Championships under the coaching of Taylor, who joined the team as the head coach in mid 2024.

After failing to make it to the Paris Olympics, David Taylor had announced his retirement from competitive wrestling. However, he came out of retirement to participate at the World Wrestling Championships, where he won a bronze medal before switching from a player to coach at the Oklahoma State Cowboys team.

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David Taylor reacts after Oklahoma State Cowboys win the Big 12 Championships

David Taylor at the NCAA Championships 2025 [Image Source: Getty]

Before the NCAA Championships, David Taylor had led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to the Big 12 Championships title. In an interview with Tulsa World, the wrestler turned coach opened up about what it meant to him.

"It's the sports such a combination you know you have an individual you have a team um and it all makes up, you know what their product is you know they took team effort. We talk about every Point mattering, we talk about the bonus points that we can support the team, and sure we made every single point today you know. So, um, there a lot of good experiences that we can take from this national tournament," Taylor said.

Taylor also congratulated Wyatt Hendrickson for the upset victory against Gable Steveson at the NCAA Championships. In his words,

"That was crazy. I just think this is a sport where you know everyone's got a chance, you just got to believe and you know Wyatt believed and honestly not one time this year did we talk about a wrestling game, from the moment he got there you know was just, let's become a better wrestler."

David Taylor is now aiming for next year's NCAA Championships, where he hopes that the Cowboys do better than the current season.