Todd Steidley, a national champion while competing for Central Oklahoma, has returned the Bronchos to their glory days as head coach.
A member of the UCO Athletic Hall of Fame, Steidley has guided Central to two NCAA Division II national titles and one runner-up finish. He has amassed a glittering 114-13 dual record in nine seasons -- including a school-record 29-match winning streak -- while capturing six MIAA championships and five NCAA Division II Super Regional IV titles.
Todd has been named Super Region IV Coach of the Year and MIAA Coach of the Year four times each and was selected as NWCA Division II Coach of the Year in 2023-24.
Steidley has coached 39 All-Americans at UCO, including a school-record nine in 2023. He's mentored nine individual national champions, including seven in the past four seasons.
Todd had an immediate impact in his first year, leading UCO to a perfect 18 dual season, tying the school record for wins in a season.
The Bronchos claimed the MIAA dual title and finished second in the league tournament while also winning the Jet Invitational. Steidley's team also finished fourth in the West Regional and qualified five individuals for the NCAA Division II national tournament, coming in 18th with two All-Americans.
Todd guided Central to a 13-5 dual mark in 2017-18, including a sixth-place finish in the Division II National Duals. The Bronchos were seventh in the West Regional and came in ninth in the national tournament behind national champion Eli Hale and All-American Caleb Cotter.
In 2018-19, Central went 12-4 in duals and finished the year 16th at the NCAA National Championships. Steidley once again coached a pair of All-Americans in Heath Gray and Greg Wilson.
Central won its second MIAA title under Steidley in 2019-20, finishing the year 12-2 in duals. The Bronchos took second at regionals and had six individuals qualify for nationals. Gray, Ty Lucas and Dalton Abney were named All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association after the Division II Championships were canceled by the pandemic.
In 2020-21, Central didn't start its wrestling season until the second semester and only competed in five duals as team's navigated the pandemic. Steidley still led the Bronchos to a 5-0 dual record and the Super Region IV Tournament title in Hamilton Field House in qualifying seven individuals for nationals.
Gray captured an individual title and UCO had four other All-Americans (Abney, Lucas, Paxton Rosen and Tanner Cole) in a sixth-place team finish.
Steidley guided Central to a banner campaign in 2021-22. The Bronchos recorded another perfect dual season at 13-0 while winning the prestigious Midwest Classic title, the NWCA Division II National Duals crown (the first since 2003), a second straight MIAA title and a second consecutive Super Regional IV championship.
UCO went on to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II Championships for its highest finish since winning the title in 2007. The Bronchos finished with six All-Americans -- the most since 2013 -- and crowned two champions in Gray and Abney.
Steidley led UCO back to the mountain top in 2022-23 to cap another outstanding all-around season. The Bronchos finished 13-1 in duals, losing only in the NWCA Division II National Duals finals, while setting a tournament scoring record in capturing the rugged Midwest Classic for a second straight year.
Central also claimed the MIAA and Super Regional IV titles for the third consecutive time and qualified its entire 10-man squad for the national tournament. A school-record nine of those earned All-America honors, with Abney and Shawn Streck claiming individual titles.
And then the Bronchos did it again in 2023-24. A perfect 15-0 dual campaign was highlighted by a 37-3 rout of Augustana in the NWCA Division II National Duals and Steidley earned his 100th career win with a 20-13 road triumph over rival Nebraska-Kearney that clinched a fourth consecutive MIAA crown.
UCO continued its winning ways in the postseason, holding off McKendree to take the Super Regional IV title for the fourth year in a row while qualifying eight for the national tournament. The Bronchos ended the season by capturing the national championship for the second straight year -- and a Division II-record ninth time -- behind seven All-Americans, led by champions Streck and Gabe Johnson.
Steidley guided Central to another outstanding season in 2024-25. The Bronchos finished 13-1 in duals, including two wins over eventual national champion Nebraska-Kearney, and claimed their fifth consecutive MIAA title. UCO went on to win the Regional IV crown for a fifth straight time and finished a close fifth in the national tournament behind three All-Americans, highlighted by Johnson winning a second title in a row.
A prep standout at Tulsa Union High School, Todd was a Division I qualifier at Utah State before spending his last two seasons at UCO. He went 64-11-2 with the Bronchos from 1986-88, winning the 142-pound national title as a junior and finishing runner-up as a senior.
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Steidley spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at UCO, helping the Bronchos capture the NAIA team title in 1989 before finishing second in the school’s first year in NCAA Division II in 1990.
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He served as assistant coach at Clemson in 1990-91 before going to Enid High School as head coach for one year. Steidley moved on to Bristow High School, where he guided the Pirates to three Class 3A state championships during a six-year career.
Todd went next to Ponca City High School and coached the Wildcats to four consecutive Class 6A titles during a tenure that went from 1998-06. Steidley, who finished with a phenomenal 211-18 career dual record, served as principal at Claremore High School from 2006 until coming to UCO.
Steidley was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in July of 2017 in recognition of his outstanding high school career and entered the UCO Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020.
Todd and his wife, Kelli, have two children – Erin Delk and Garrett – and one grandson (Loudin).
