La Crosse, Wis. - UW-La Crosse Intercollegiate Athletics is giving fans an opportunity to get to know its staff during the 2020-21 season.  We thank members of the Eagles' staff for participating.  Today's staff member is UWL Head Assistant Wrestling Coach Ross Needham. 

Needham is in his 11th season as an assistant wrestling coach at UWL in 2020-21, including his ninth as the head assistant coach.  He also serves as an instructor in the exercise sport science department. Needham was named the 2014-15 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year after helping lead UWL to a third-place finish in the regional championship.  The Eagles advanced five wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Championships with two earning regional titles.  UWL has finished in the top-eight four years at the national championships in Needham's tenure, placing third in 2010-11 and fourth in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The Eagles were sixth in 2015-16, seventh in 2017-18 and eighth in 2014-15.  A total of 34 wrestlers have earned NCAA III All-America honors in the last 10 seasons.

The Eagles have won five (2011, 2017-20) Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships in the last 10 years. UWL has won 34 individual league titles in Needham's time as an assistant coach. UWL earned the WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year Award from 2018-20.

Needham came to UWL after serving as the head wrestling coach at Holmen (Wis.) High School from 2007-10.  The Vikings went 30-11 in duals under Needham and advanced to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) State Tournament in 2010.  Holmen had eight state qualifiers during Needham's tenure. 

A 2007 graduate of UWL with a bachelor's degree in elementary and middle level education and minor in mathematics, Needham earned two NCAA III All-America wrestling honors for the Eagles.  He placed third in 2006 and fourth in 2007 at 157-pounds.  Needham was also a national qualifier in 2005.  He won three 157-pound titles at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships (2005, 2006, 2007) and finished his career with a record of 109-41.  Needham is tied for 12th in school history in victories. Named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-America Team four times (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), Needham was a state champion at Marshfield (Wis.) High School.

Ross Needham

Your hometown?  Chili, Wisconsin.  

Most influential person in your career?  My father.  He was my wrestling coach from the age of 4-18.  His love for the sport of wrestling and ability to demonstrate his values of hard work and competing in everything you do has continued to help me to this day.   

What you like about your job?  I have the ability to instill the ideas of positivity and greatness in the hearts and minds of our wrestlers every day at a place like UWL.  By building strong relationships and setting a high standard, I am able to help our student-athletes reach their highest potential.  

The thing you most like about the Coulee Region?  Our area has it all!  Whether you want to hunt, fish, shop, go out-to-eat, hike, bike, get on the river etc.  You can do it here in La Crosse.

Favorite memory of working in athletics?  Being in the corner for my first NCAA Champ, Adam Sheley.  So much work happened in dark for him to stand in the spotlight!

Favorite food?  Pizza.

App?  Pinterest.

Book?  Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

Movie?  Forrest Gump.

Emoji?  

Vacation spot?  Any place I can be with those that I love.

Song or band?  Any Garth Brooks song!