David Schutter

David Schutter was one of the longest serving coaches at Truman State University, coaching from 1990 to 2018.

He coached national champion Merrick Meyer in 2004 and nine of the Bulldogs 12 All-Americans, including six two-time recipients and 40 individuals to the national meet.

In addition, the Bulldogs have been strong academically having placed among the top 10 on the National Wrestling Coaches Association list of academic teams for NCAA Division II. His squad has won the team Academic National Championships four straight years from 2007-2010 and six times overall. They were the first Division II school to win four straight and is one better than Colorado Mines with the six academic team titles. The Bulldogs were second in the academic rankings following the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

In 21 of his 29 years coaching at Truman, Schutter had at least one representative at the NCAA National Meet. Meyer won the Bulldogs first national title since 1968 when he captured the 141-pound bracket in 2004. Meyer finished his career as the all-time wins leader with 130 and was a two-time All-American.

The largest Truman contingent sent to nationals under Schutter was in 2005 when Dan Keller, Meyer, Dustin Teeman and Gordan Harrison represented the Bulldogs.

He was awarded in 2008 the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence award presented by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Schutter led the Bulldogs to fifth-place finishes at the Midwest regional championships four times, some of the best regional finishes in school history. Schutter was the Mid-South Wrestling Association coach of the year for the 1996-97 season, and was named the Midwest regional coach of the year in 1992-93.

He compiled 132 dual wins in 29 seasons at Truman, the most by any Bulldog coach, and guided the ‘Dogs to their only undefeated season at 11-0-1 in 1992-93.

Schutter coached seven regional champions and two NCAA post-graduate scholarship recipients. In 2006, two-time all-American Gregg Nurrenbern was selected to the ESPN the Magazine's Academic All-America team.

He began his collegiate wrestling career at Indiana University under Olympic champion Doug Blubaugh, compiling a record of 17-9 at 118 pounds. Schutter transferred to Indiana State the following year and moved up to 126 pounds for the next three years. He won six tournament titles and was the runner-up once. Schutter finished third in the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional. He received a political science degree from Indiana State in 1986.

From 1987-90, he served in the U.S. Army, spending most of his military career as a member of the All-Army wrestling team. Schutter competed in the Inter-Service Championships, U.S. Nationals and the Olympic Trials, and won numerous open tournaments while stationed in Wruzberg, Germany. He also won the U.S. Army European Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championship at 136.5. He had a cumulative record of 277-33-5 and was a finalist for the 1988 Olympic Trials.

In 1990, while training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Schutter suffered a career-ending neck injury at the height of a promising Greco-Roman wrestling career. Schutter then coached the Wruzberg team that won the VII Corps freestyle and Greco-Roman championships in Europe.

Schutter believed in a theory of constantly striving to improve and in coaching a scholar-athlete, an athlete whose most important goal is to graduate with honors. Schutter coached several student-athletes that have gone on to earn PhDs, MDs, law degrees and become officers in the United States military. His coaching style made men into leaders of men.

All Coaching Dual Records:

Season
2011
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
7
Wins
4
Losses
3
Ties
0
Win PCT.
57.14
Season
2010
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
14
Wins
2
Losses
12
Ties
0
Win PCT.
14.29
Season
2009
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
11
Wins
1
Losses
10
Ties
0
Win PCT.
9.09
Season
2008
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
12
Wins
4
Losses
8
Ties
0
Win PCT.
33.33
Season
2007
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
15
Wins
5
Losses
10
Ties
0
Win PCT.
33.33
Season
2006
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
15
Wins
10
Losses
4
Ties
1
Win PCT.
66.67
Season
2005
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
11
Wins
5
Losses
6
Ties
0
Win PCT.
45.45
Season
2004
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
17
Wins
4
Losses
13
Ties
0
Win PCT.
23.53
Season
2003
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
13
Wins
2
Losses
11
Ties
0
Win PCT.
15.38
Season
2002
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
11
Wins
3
Losses
8
Ties
0
Win PCT.
27.27
Season
2001
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
13
Wins
2
Losses
11
Ties
0
Win PCT.
15.38
Season
2000
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
14
Wins
3
Losses
10
Ties
1
Win PCT.
21.43
Season
1999
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
10
Wins
3
Losses
7
Ties
0
Win PCT.
30
Season
1998
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
18
Wins
9
Losses
9
Ties
0
Win PCT.
50
Season
1997
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
8
Wins
3
Losses
5
Ties
0
Win PCT.
37.5
Season
1996
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
13
Wins
5
Losses
8
Ties
0
Win PCT.
38.46
Season
1995
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
12
Wins
1
Losses
11
Ties
0
Win PCT.
8.33
Season
1994
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
7
Wins
2
Losses
5
Ties
0
Win PCT.
28.57
Season
1993
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
12
Wins
11
Losses
0
Ties
1
Win PCT.
91.67
Season
1992
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
18
Wins
5
Losses
13
Ties
0
Win PCT.
27.78
Season
1991
School
Truman State
Division
Division II
Duals
17
Wins
6
Losses
11
Ties
0
Win PCT.
35.29
Season
Career
Duals
268
Wins
90
Losses
175
Ties
3
Win PCT.
33.58

Our Mission: Preserve wrestling history, recognize extraordinary achievement and inspire greatness

Our Vision: Be the definitive steward and champion of wrestling history and achievement

Our Values: Integrity, Excellence, Collaboration and Service