Scott Miller Retires at Pacific
From Pacific University Sports Information
FOREST GROVE – After six years leading the Pacific men’s and women’s wrestling programs, Head Coach Scott Miller has announced that he is retiring from coaching.
Miller said that he plans to leave the mat after 17 years as a head coach at the Division I and Division III levels to enter private business in Spokane, Wash. Miller and his wife, Patti, are both natives of the Inland Empire region.
Miller said that the rigors of coaching two programs at one time has limited the time that he would like to spend with his family, which was a contributing factor to his decision. “I’m worn out,” Miller said. “We have two programs and they have taken all of my time. It’s really two years jammed into one.
“I still like coaching,” Miller added. “I could very easily coach again next year, but I think if I leave now it gives a new coach some good people to work with.”
Pacific Director of Athletics Ken Schumann praised Miller for his work with both the men’s and women’s programs over the last six years. “Scott has been a great member of our team for the past six years and, in addition to being a valued colleague, has done a tremendous job with our student-athletes in our wrestling programs.”
Pacific was Miller’s first Division III coaching position after 12 years coaching Division I programs. In six seasons, Miller coached the Boxers’ men to a 33-37 record, capped by a 9-9 mark in 2004-05 and a 5-5 record this year. Miller mentored a number of wrestlers with 100 or more wins in their career, including Mick Davis, Garret Miyake and Kevin Spangler. This season, Miller coached 184-pounder Nick Locke to a 31-15 record.
On the women’s side, Miller continued the process of growing the Pacific program into a larger and more formidable program. Miller led Pacific to a national tournament runner-up finish in 2004-05 and has coached 34 All-Americans.
This year, Miller made a bold move in becoming one of the first collegiate women’s wrestling programs to join the National Collegiate Wrestling Association’s (NCWA) women’s division. The Boxers made a splash in the NCWA’s first national tournament, finishing in second place while changing from freestyle to collegiate style wrestling.
Miller said he is satisfied with where he is leaving the Pacific programs. “I would have liked to have won the women’s nationals, but we gave it a good run, and I liked how our men seemed to have turned it around this year,” Miller said. “I think the pieces are there and, with a little development, we will be on top. I think good things are happening here and I think it just needs someone with a little more energy.”
Prior to arriving at Pacific, Miller spent three years as head coach at Syracuse University, where he mentored the Orange in the final years of the school’s varsity program. He also spent eight seasons as head coach at Campbell University in North Carolina and one year as the interim head coach at his alma mater, Eastern Washington.
Miller said he will continue to be involved in wrestling. He plans to work with NCWA in an advisory role, helping to start more women’s programs in the northwest.
A search committee has been formed to find a new head coach for the Pacific men’s and women’s wrestling programs. Interested individuals should forward their resume to Ken Schumann, Director of Athletics, Pacific University, UC Box A-154, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, OR 97116.