University of Oklahoma Athletics

Lou Rosselli was named the head wrestling coach at the University of Oklahoma on August 30, 2016, after spending 10 years on the Ohio State coaching staff. He now enters his seventh year at the helm of the seven-time national champion Oklahoma wrestling program in 2022-23 with a 47-41 dual record.

In Rosselli’s first year at the helm the program’s development was evident as the squad produced a 10-3 mark after the holiday break to finish the season with an 11-6 overall record, including wins over three ranked teams. In addition, the Sooners finished in second place at the 2017 Big 12 Championship, and eight wrestlers qualified for the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Rosselli made a mark in the recruiting circuit as he picked up seven top-100 recruits to begin the 2017-18 season. 

The Sooners posted an 8-11 mark in Rosselli’s second season and sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, held in Cleveland, Ohio. Rosselli continued his trend of high-caliber recruiting, adding four more top-100 recruits to the roster ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Rosselli’s third year saw the Sooners go 10-6 overall and 5-3 in conference matches. Redshirt freshman Dom Demas became OU’s 274th all-time All-American wrestler and picked up the Big 12 title at 141 pounds. Demas and four other Sooners qualified for the NCAA Championships.

In his fourth year at the helm, the Sooners qualified six for the NCAA Championships, led by top-10 national seeds and NWCA All-Americans Dom Demas and Anthony Mantanona. Oklahoma continued its high level of recruiting, securing a top-20 class nationally.

Rosselli's fifth year saw the Sooners win their first Big 12 Championship since 2002 and he secured his highest-ranked recruiting class since 2016 by signing two No. 1 recruits in Tate Picklo and Alejandro Herrera-Rondon. Rosselli guided Dom Demas to his second Big 12 Championship and Jake Woodley to the podium at NCAAs, becoming OU's 276th All-American. The Sooners were ranked inside the top-20 nationally throughout the entire season and tallied the best finish at the national championship of the Rosselli era. 

In his sixth season with the Sooners he pushed nine to qualify for the NCAA Championships, the most the program has sent since 2012. The team finished in second at the Big 12 tournament and had all 10 of its wrestlers secure a place on the podium. Rosselli put redshirt freshman Willie McDougald into the lineup midway through the season and coached him to a Big 12 final. 

During his time in Norman, Rosselli’s squads have produced 40 Big 12 All-Academic honorees, 40 NCAA qualifications and 10 conference finalists.

Prior to his arrival at OU, Rosselli was promoted from Buckeyes assistant coach to associate head coach following the 2008-09 season after helping lead OSU to NCAA runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2009. He also played an integral role in helping deliver the program’s first national championship in 2015.

A native of Middleport, N.Y., Rosselli was named the 2009 National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2014 USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year. He mentored four-time NCAA Champion Logan Stieber and two-time champ J Jaggers.

Additionally, the three-time Terry McCann National Freestyle Coach of the Year (2007, 2013 and 2016) has had a large presence with USA Wrestling and has served as a volunteer coach for the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team at both the 2016 Rio Games, where the U.S. earned two medals (one gold), and the 2012 London Games, where the U.S. won three medals (two gold). As a three-time U.S. Freestyle World Team Coach, Rosselli led his squads to third-place finishes at the 2006 and 2011 FILA Wrestling World Championships, and to a fourth-place showing in 2007.  

Rosselli, the 14th head wrestling coach in OU history, was named to the 2015 USA Wrestling coaching staff for the 2015 World Championships, and his 2009 team earned gold at the Pan American Championships. In 2010, he coached the U.S. World University Games Team, and he served as assistant coach when the U.S. placed third at the 2005 World University Games in Izmir, Turkey.

Rosselli was a wrestler on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team (114.5 pounds), and earned gold at the 1997 World Cup and silver at the 1998 Pan American Championships. He was also a University National Freestyle champ in 1994 before capturing U.S. National Freestyle titles in 1995, 1996 and 1999.

A two-time All-American, Rosselli wrestled collegiately at Edinboro from 1989 to 1993. He was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Eastern Wrestling League Championships Outstanding Wrestler in his senior season and was a three-time PSAC champion at 118 pounds. In his rookie season, Rosselli was named the EWL Freshman of the Year and became the first freshman from Edinboro to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Rosselli earned the Young Alumni Award from the Edinboro University Alumni Association and has been named to the Edinboro, Eastern Wrestling League and Greater Buffalo Sports halls of fame.

Prior to his stint with the Buckeyes, Rosselli served as a volunteer assistant coach at Edinboro for three years before being promoted to assistant coach for eight seasons. Rosselli earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Edinboro in 1993.

Rosselli and his wife Amy are parents to Jordan, who wrestles at OU, as well as Ty and Jaxson.