Three honored in NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Charlotte, NC – The NJCAA has announced three honorees to be inducted into the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. A pair of coaches and a student-athlete have been enshrined in the honorable 2022 class. Read below for more on Art Castillo, Aaron Cooper, and Rod Chamberlin.
Art Castillo | Coach | Western Wyoming
Art Castillo is a Green River, Wyoming native entering his 13th year as the Head Coach for Western Wyoming Community College and his 16th year in coaching overall. Castillo also serves as the Student Athlete Academic Coordinator in the athletic department. Castillo has coached five NJCAA National Champions, 50 All-Americans, including six two-time All-Americans, and the 2018 NJCAA Outstanding Wrestler award recipient, Ken Astle.
In his time as a coach, Castillo has been instrumental in leading the Mustangs to three Academic National Championships (2005-06, 2009-10, and 2019-20). Castillo has been voted the NJCAA Region 9 Coach of the Year four times and in 2018, led the Mustangs to their first ever District Championship which they repeated in 2019, 2020, and in 2021. In 2020, Castillo produced seven NJCAA All-Americans including one national champion. In 2020, Wrestling USA Magazine voted the Mustang recruiting class as the eighth best Non–Division one class in the nation. In 2021, Castillo led the Mustangs to an NJCAA record of 10 All-Americans and a runner-up finish at the national championship, being voted the NJCAA/NWCA National Coach of the Year. Coach is a Bronze Level certified USA Wrestling coach and is the director of the Mustang Wrestling Club. He has also served as an MMA wrestling coach in the UFC and Bellator promotions as well as several smaller organizations.
Castillo created the Mustang Wrestling Club and coached Brandon Rupp who went on to win the 2010 US Open in Greco for the Senior Division at Heavy Weight after his time with the program.
He also coached Kyle Evans to a 4th place finish at the US Open in the Senior Division at 63k. Castillo served as a wrestling coach/cornerman at UFC 196 and 2X in Bellator as well as other smaller organizations and attends numerous camps throughout the Rocky Mountain Region as a clinician.
Aaron Cooper | Coach | Mercyhurst - North East (PA)
Aaron Cooper started his coaching career as an assistant at Buckeye High School in Ohio. From 2001-03 the school had two state champions, seven state placers, and three top-10 team finishes. In 2003, Coach Cooper began his service in the NJCAA as an assistant coach under the direction of Adam Whitlatch at Southwestern Oregon. During time there, (2003-06), SWOCC had eight All-Americans including a National Champion. In 2006, Coach Cooper became the head coach at Mercyhurst University - North East, a former NJCAA member college, and remained Coach until its closing in 2020.
As coach, Cooper produced 107 NJCAA National Qualifiers, 12 NJCAA All-Americans, and 86 NJCAA Coaches Association Academic All-Americans. For his efforts, Cooper was a three-time NJCAA Region 3 Coach of the Year. Coach served many roles within the NJCAA Coaches Association during his coaching career. He served as the Vice President (2012-21), Chairman of the Man of the Year Committee (2016-21), Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee (2017-21), member of the Leadership Council Group (2019-21), and was President of the NJCAA Region 3 Coaches Association (2015-20). Cooper is a member of the Lorain County Officials Association Hall of Fame (2017), and is in the NJCAA Region III Wrestling Hall of Fame (2021).
Cooper volunteered countless hours to grow and maintain wrestling for the Saints' program and helped better the sport outside of college athletics as well, including helping run the Ragin Raisins Youth Wrestling Club (PA). Currently, Coach Cooper resides in San Diego California, with his wife and two daughters, where he is teaching and volunteer coaching at a local high school program.
Rod Chamberlin | Student-Athlete | Joliet (IL)
Kenneth Rod Chamberlin started wrestling in New Lenox, Illinois where he was a state qualifier for Lincoln-Way High School. In 1978, Chamberlin began his college career at Joliet Junior College (IL) under Hall of Fame Coach Henry Pillard. While at Joliet Junior College, Chamberlin finished third at the NJCAA Wrestling National Championship as a freshman and the following year, he finished second with an overall record of 46-6. During both years with the Wolves' program, Chamberlin was on the NJCAA All-Academic Team.
Following two successful years at Joliet, Chamberlin accepted a wrestling scholarship to continue his academic and athletic career at Indiana University. Before starting with the Hoosiers, Chamberlin became a two-time Gold Medalist in the Jr. Pan AMs held in Monterey, Mexico. He went on to win the 1979 AAU National Jr World's Tournament, defeating American legend Bruce Baumgartner and took fourth at the Junior World Championships in Mongolia. At Indiana, he possessed a 64-21-1 record. Chamberlin placed third at the Midlands Tournament, third at the Big Ten, was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week and was an NCAA National Qualifier in 1981. Currently, Chamberlin is eight all-time in pins at Indiana with thirty-four, including nineteen in one season, which is ranked second all time. Chamberlin graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in public affairs.
At the completion of his wrestling career, Chamberlin briefly coached at Indiana (1981-82) and after that, went on to teach middle school history for twenty-five years. In that time, he received a Teacher of the Year award and was recognized as Who's Who in Teaching. Chamberlin coached football and wrestling, and became a swim official for ten years. He currently resides in Land O' Lakes, Florida with his wife Glenna and their two children, Margie and T.J.
