Otero Hires Brandon Coates as Head Wrestling Coach

The Otero Athletics Department is pleased to announce that Brandon Coates has been selected as Otero College’s new Head Wrestling Coach and will begin his duties on July 25.

Coates comes to Otero after coaching wrestling at La Junta High School for the past 16 years, the last nine of those years as head coach. He is an Otero College alum where he earned his associate of arts degree. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Sociology from Adams State University.

A La Junta local, Coates, also taught technology at the high school and was a former IT Technician. He has experience managing an operating budget and is familiar with the rules and regulations of governing bodies within the wrestling world. He also focused on educational progress of his student-athletes to ensure they were on track academically.

Chris Carrillo, Athletic Director, said, “We are very fortunate that Brandon Coates will be joining our coaching staff this year. Coach Coates has a strong background in the sport of wrestling and has tremendous leadership skills. What makes him such a great fit for Otero College is that his coaching philosophy aligns directly with our mission here at Otero. Coates plans to recruit quality student athletes into the program that are self-motivated to find success not only on the mat but in the classroom as well. He leads by example and understands that wrestling is a tool that is used to place our student athletes in the best possible position to find success. Coach Coates is addiment that those students who are fortunate to compete for him, must be committed to their academics. He has set the bar high for the program, both in classroom and on the mat, which I am confident that our student athletes will rise to. He brings a tremendous amount of dedication and passion to the wrestling room that is going to definitely have a positive impact on the overall culture to the program. One of the things that really jumped out at me when speaking with Coach Coates, was his passion for the sport of wrestling and how much he was looking forward to the opportunity to lead our wrestling program and more importantly the opportunity to have a positive impact on the young men in the program. The future is definitely bright for Otero Wrestling!”