Jeffersonville High’s Winning Formula: Football and Wrestling Drive Athletic Success At Jeffersonville High School, a unique formula for success has been built over the years, combining the grit of wrestling with the power of football. Led by Head Wrestling Coach Danny Struck, who brings over 20 years of football coaching experience, and new Head Football Coach Washington—a former wrestler himself—the Red Devils’ athletic program has produced both high school victories and college and professional-level athletes across generations. The formula is simple yet powerful: when Jeffersonville’s football roster includes 15 or more wrestlers, the team consistently averages six wins per season. In 2014, with 23 wrestlers on the roster, they reached an impressive eight-win season. This year, under Coach Washington’s leadership, the football team has had a major turnaround with six wins. Currently, over 17 wrestlers are playing football, with hopes to add more to the team—a sign of Jeffersonville’s commitment to cultivating discipline, toughness, and success in multiple sports. This crossover success doesn’t stop at high school. Many Jeffersonville alumni have gone on to thrive in college. Dawson “Slider” Slaughter, a wide receiver for Franklin College and recent Player of the Week, was Academic All-State in high school, a three-time sectional wrestling champion, and part of both sectional championship teams in football and wrestling. Colin Corbin, a 6-foot, 285-pound lineman at Campbellsville University, was a sectional and regional wrestling champion, Academic All-State, and a semi-state qualifier. Cade Williams, now at Ohio Wesleyan University, was a three-sport star in football, wrestling, and track and earned All-State academic honors—all achievements that represent Jeffersonville’s commitment to multi-sport success. Jeffersonville’s legacy of standout dual-sport athletes stretches back decades. Trea Burgess, an All-Conference wrestler, went on to become an All-State running back at Indiana University, helping the Hoosiers win a bowl game. Tyler Fridley excelled at Jeffersonville, setting school records as a quarterback, before playing and coaching at Olivet Nazarene University. Isaac Hall, now a Jeffersonville Police Officer, was an Academic All-State wrestler and sectional champ who played quarterback at the University of Indianapolis, a top-ranked Division II program. Other notable alumni include Jayden Dedman, now in the U.S. Army, who wrestled at Jeffersonville and played football at Eastern Kentucky University; Ethan Rogers, All-Conference in both sports and a sectional and regional wrestling champion, who went on to play both football and wrestle at Kentucky Wesleyan University; “Bam Bam” Newbolt, a sectional wrestling champ now serving as a firefighter; and Louisville Police Officer Justin Cunningham, a sectional wrestling champ who went on to play both football and wrestle for Mount St. Joseph’s College. Jeffersonville’s football-wrestling success story is further underscored by a remarkable statistic: since 2007, 43 Jeffersonville wrestlers who played football have won individual sectional wrestling titles, with 13 of those wrestlers earning All-State honors. In addition, more than 20 Jeffersonville wrestlers who played high school football have gone on to wrestle at the college level. The connection between wrestling and football success is well-documented across the college and professional ranks, with many college and NFL coaches actively seeking athletes with wrestling backgrounds. Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, a three-time Ohio state wrestling champion, has said, “It’s really the guy that dedicates the most and works the hardest who’s going to be the best in the long run.” Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, who wrestled as a youth, noted, “Once we have a chance to get our hands on wrestlers, they move up on our list real quick because I know the discipline and toughness it takes.” Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, himself a college wrestling champion, said that when recruiting, “If I hear a guy was a wrestler, I know he has a tough mental approach and knows how to take care of himself.” In the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers have actively sought out wrestlers, drafting state champions like Zach Frazier, Peyton Wilson, and Logan Lee in 2024. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin values the conditioning wrestlers bring to football, especially for linemen. Carl Dunbar, the Steelers’ defensive line coach, also said that wrestlers have balance and body control, which are essential on the offensive and defensive lines. Some of the NFL’s greatest players, including Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions, have credited wrestling for their success. Notable players with wrestling backgrounds include Tiki Barber, Stephen Neal, Carlton Haselrig, Tedy Bruschi, Ricky Williams, Larry Csonka, Ronnie Lott, Chuck Noll, Creed Humphrey (the NFL’s highest-paid lineman), Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, Tristan Wirfs, Arthur Jones, Roddy White, Rock Ya-Sin, Adam Vinatieri (the NFL’s all-time points leader), and Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, said, “The principles that you learn in wrestling…carry over. The low man always wins.” He attributes his hip mobility to wrestling, saying, “Wrestling is still one of the reasons why I swivel my hips—it’s been everything for me.” Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott has taken the wrestling-to-football transition a step further, recently offering a tryout to Olympic wrestling champion Gable Steveson, who had never played football yet earned significant playing time in preseason games. McDermott’s confidence in Steveson speaks to the value of wrestling fundamentals in developing football talent. This trend is reflected in the draft process as well, where more than 90% of the NFL draft’s first-round picks were two-sport high school athletes, with 50% competing in three sports. Some NFL teams have even recruited top wrestlers who had never played football. Stephen Neal, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, was a world champion wrestler before being recruited by the NFL. Both Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle, wrestling and MMA stars, also received NFL offers. In Jeffersonville, this commitment to multi-sport training is driven by a philosophy that being the best takes more than just lifting in the off-season. To excel in football, athletes must go beyond average training—practicing hundreds of tackles in the wrestling room and developing a resilience that only wrestling can instill. Coach Struck’s and Coach Washington’s dedication to fostering well-rounded athletes has been crucial to building a culture of excellence, discipline, and grit that resonates across the entire program.