photo by: Photo courtesy the University at Buffalo

Lawrence High School graduate Alan Clothier coached at the University at Buffalo from 2022-24.

Alan Clothier grew up playing sports in Lawrence, and he learned a lot from the coaches he had. It was part of what made him want to give back and be a mentor.

So, while he was finishing up his playing career with the Northern Colorado wrestling team, Clothier became a volunteer assistant coach with the Greeley Central High School wrestling team. That kickstarted his coaching career, which now has landed him a spot on wrestling staff at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“I knew I could have an impact,” Clothier said. “(Wrestling) was a blessing, because I got a lot of my education paid for. I got taken care of through the sport of wrestling. So I always wanted to get back to the sport that gave me an opportunity to get my degree.”

Clothier wrestled under his new Army boss, Troy Nickerson, at Northern Colorado, where Clothier competed in the 184-pound weight class. When it came time to graduate, Nickerson used his connections to help get Clothier his first collegiate job at the University at Buffalo.

“I got picked up by Buffalo under John Stutzman, and he kind of took me under his wing for two years and showed me the ropes,” Clothier said. “That was my way in.”

Clothier started as a volunteer assistant coach before becoming an upperweight assistant coach in his second season at Buffalo. He followed that up with a stint as an assistant coach at Davidson College in North Carolina before reuniting with Nickerson at West Point.

Those stops gave Clothier a chance to see different coaching perspectives. Stutzman was more of an old-school coach who brought an aggressive, “beat guys up with their hands” style of coaching. At Davidson, under Nate Carr Jr., Clothier worked for a more positive, technique-driven coach.

“Learning that just only helped me grow as a coach and kind of figure out what kind of coach I want to be,” Clothier said. “Now I’m here under Nickerson, so I know how he works, but I’m still continuing to learn.”

At Army, Clothier brings the influences of those coaches and all the different styles of wrestling he’s seen with him. Clothier hopes Army can be a place where he settles in for a bit as he strives to one day take on a head coaching role.

Clothier has been at West Point for three weeks now, getting used to his new team. Being at the school is a vastly different experience for Clothier, with his wrestlers all being Army cadets. The discipline they bring on a day-to-day basis stands out. Clothier is big on discipline, and being able to work with wrestlers who bring that in spades was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“I’m big on accountability,” Clothier said. “(Nickerson) called me up, and he’s like, ‘This would be the perfect job for you.’ We get to work with cadets who are trained, and accountability is huge here. Everybody is held to a certain standard, and that’s the type of athlete I want to work with.”

Building relationships with the wrestlers is what makes Clothier’s job a dream. Being able to create a relationship with his team and develop them on the mat brings the gratification that made him love it. With the level of discipline ingrained at Army, Clothier is excited for the potential impact he can make on the team.

As a former 184-pound weight class wrestler, Clothier will continue to work with the big guys on the team. For the past few years, Army hadn’t had a coach that specifically focused on the upper weight classes. A more focused coaching approach on those weight classes will help Clothier and the coaching staff build strong connections and attract high school recruits.

“My job is to fix little things,” Clothier said. “Just tightening up the technique they’re going to do that got them there. I’d never want to be a coach that changes the way they wrestle. It’s just fixing little details that can help them to get better, and once they start cleaning up those areas, I think they’re just going to continue to grow and continue to get better.”

Clothier’s wrestling career as a player and coach has taken him all around the country, but the Chesty Lion makes sure to give back to the community that raised him when he can. When Clothier isn’t coaching his team, he tries to visit Lawrence and his former coach, Pat Naughton, to set up a clinic or camp to help the local kids.

“There’s so many great things about Lawrence,” Clothier said. “The community, how close they are, how everybody takes care of each other. I still have tons of friends there that I hang out with all the time, my family’s still there. Lawrence is still very close and dear to my heart.”

photo by: Photo courtesy the University at Buffalo

Lawrence alumnus Alan Clothier coaching at the University at Buffalo between 2022-24.