St. Joseph, MO – In an announcement made this Friday by Principal Dr. Terri Godfrey and Athletic Director David Lau, the Central Indians have hired Craig Trussell to be their next head wrestling coach. Trussell replaces Brett Swope who lead the Indians wrestling program the past 17 seasons.
Craig is currently a Special Education teacher at Central High School and coaches wrestling, baseball, and softball. He started his public school teaching career in 2018 with the St. Joseph School District at Truman Middle School after 20 years working for the State of Missouri in a variety of educational roles. He has spent the last 3 years as the Head Wrestling Coach at Truman and Assistant Wrestling Coach at Central. In addition to wrestling, he was the Head 8th Grade Volleyball Coach at Truman as well as an Assistant Baseball Coach at Central and an Assistant Softball Coach at Central.
“We look forward to having Coach Trussell lead our wrestling program at Central.” said Dr. Terri Godfrey. “We like his passion for teaching and coaching.”
Athletic Director Dave Lau commented “We are excited for the future of our wrestling program. Craig is committed to the long-term development of the program, is well qualified and is a familiar face for our high school and middle school athletes.”
Craig is married to his wife of 22 years, Michelle. They have two children, Dalton and Megan. Dalton will be a senior at Northwest Missouri State University and Megan will be a junior at Central High School. They are a true sports family and all have contributed to Craig’s coaching career.
“I look forward to being the next Head Wrestling Coach at Central High School“ said Trussell. “It has been a long road to achieve this goal, but I am grateful for the opportunity and to all those who helped me get to this point in my career. With all the COVID-19 craziness of this last year, I am looking forward to getting back to work with our student athletes and their families.”
Craig Trussell was approved by the Board of Education at the April 27, 2019 meeting.
--- Central Press Release ---