CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Dakota Geer didn’t want to be a dairy farmer.
(Photos courtesy of Oklahoma State University.)
Growing up near Franklin, Geer balanced his love of wrestling with working on the family farm.
It was backbreaking work that sewed the seeds of his ethic and certainly toughened him up for the rigors of life on the mat, but it was something he was sure he didn’t want to do for a living.
“I knew I never wanted to live on a dairy farm again,” Geer said. “That’s one thing I knew wasn’t going to happen. It’s a lot of hard work. It propelled me into having a successful career, but I feel like I’ve done my time.”
Geer had little free time as a kid and as a teen. When he wasn’t traveling the region to compete in wrestling tournaments and attending practices, he was rising with the sun with his dad to work the farm.
It’s not that he hated the work. He just didn’t want to do that for the rest of his life.
He wanted to wrestle and when his days grappling were over, he wanted to coach the sport.
“I knew wrestling was my ticket,” Geer said.
It’s been punched.
After a stellar career at Franklin High School, then in college, first at Edinboro University and then at Oklahoma State University, Geer has landed a job as a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Clarion University.
It’s the first step in what Geer hopes will be a long coaching career.
“Obviously, I wouldn’t want to get tossed into a head coaching position right now, just because I don’t have experience,” Geer said. “But definitely down the line, once I get that experience under my belt, and if that opportunity arose, I would definitely be excited.”
Geer brings a lot of knowledge and success to the wrestling room at Clarion.
Geer posted a 145-13 career record at Franklin. He won a PIAA championship his junior season and finished runner-up at the state tournament two other times.
He moved on to Edinboro University, earning Eastern Wrestling League Rookie of the Year honors, and won the league title at 184 pounds.
He left Edinboro for Oklahoma State and excelled there, too.
As a senior, he went 21-5 and placed fifth at the NCAA Championships, beating two top-10-ranked opponents along the way.
This year as a super senior, he was 17-8 and qualified for the NCAA tournament again, but did not place.
Between Edinboro and Oklahoma State, Geer was 123-38 with 31 major decisions, 25 technical falls, and 11 pins. He notched his 100th collegiate win against Edinboro.
Geer said the transition between Edinboro and Oklahoma State was a smooth one.
“Obviously when all our coaches at Edinboro left, we were all kind of upset,” Geer said. “Once I got down (to Oklahoma State) and got comfortable, it was good. It was a close-knit team and a gritty, tough practice room.
“When all your teammates are going through the same thing, and guys are tired and beat up, that builds a brotherhood,” Geer added. “Those guys are your brothers the rest of your life. It’s like that in the whole wrestling community.”
Geer will join a staff at Clarion that has a distinct local flavor.
Head coach Keith Ferraro is a Brookville native. So is assistant coach Brock Zacherl, who wrestled for Ferraro at Clarion University.
It’s unusual to have so many local coaches on a staff at the Division I level.
“Northwestern Pennsylvania is sort of a smaller area, but has some great wrestlers come out of it,” Geer said. “I think having those roots in the area will definitely help with recruiting and getting good guys in here.”
