Coaching Staff

Jason Miller

Head Coach
(419) 448-2377
jmiller7@heidelberg.edu

Entering his seventh season at the helm of the Heidelberg College wrestling team is Jason Miller. Miller is the reigning Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Student Princes to its third-straight OAC Tournament Title in 2008. Heidelberg posted a 6-0 mark in OAC dual matches to win its second OAC Regular Season title in three years and produced five OAC Champions and two runner-ups to capture the tournament title.

Heidelberg has finished in the top-three in the league standings in each of his six years. Overall, Miller owns a career record of 63-34 and a 23-8 mark in the OAC. Miller has produced 15 OAC champions and 14 OAC runner-ups. In 2007, Miller had his third All-American in Joe Pflug, who placed third at 149 pounds and was the Berg’s first national champion ever while at 157 pounds in 2006. Last season, Ryan Fogliano placed seventh at 197 and Ryan Bowers placed sixth at heavyweight to add two more All-Americans to the list. Not to be outdone, Miller has coached 11 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-Americans, two of which were named in 2008. Also, in 2004, 2006, and 2008 Heidelberg ranked in the top-20 as a team on the NWCA Academic list.

In his first season, Miller led the Student Princes to an 11-7 dual meet record and a third place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference, which improved on Heidelberg’s fifth place finish the season prior to Miller’s arrival.

A native to Tiffin and graduate of Hopewell-Loudon High School, Miller was a three-time national qualifier and a two-time All-American at 158 pounds for Heidelberg. He took home a sixth place in 1996 and then finished seventh in 1997. He won the Ohio Athletic Conference 158-pound class at the 1997 championships and is a three-time All-OAC performer. He was team captain during the 1997 season and was a 1996 NWCA Academic All-American.

Miller finished his four-year career with a record of 136-38 for a 78.1 winning percentage. His 136 victories are tops on the college's all-time win list and his 41-2 record in 1997 sits atop the single season win list followed by his 36 wins as a junior. Miller tallied 32 wins as a sophomore is tied for seventh. He also holds the Heidelberg record for most career takedowns with 493 and single season takedowns with 141.

Miller also serves as the head volleyball coach for Heidelberg. Since taking over the helm of the volleyball program in 2000, Miller has guided the Berg to a winning season every year and has made seven-straight appearances in the OAC Tournament (2002-07). The team posted a record of 27-11 in 2007. The 27 wins by the Berg tied the mark for the most in the history of the program and was a single-season high for Miller. Also in 2007, the team earned a bid to the NCAA Championships and Miller received his first-ever OAC Coach of the Year award for volleyball.

Prior to returning to Heidelberg Miller spent three seasons as the assistant wrestling coach at Ohio Northern University.

Miller earned his bachelor's degree from Heidelberg College in 1998 and his master's degree from the University of Findlay in 2001. Miller, his wife Jennifer and daughters Hannah, Olivia, and Emily reside in Sycamore, Ohio.

Joe Hada

Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2377
jhada2@heidelberg.edu

Joe Hada is in his sixth year as an assistant coach at Heidelberg and has 33 years of coaching experience.
 
Hada is a retired teacher and head wrestling coach at Mentor High School. His career record was 217-61 for over a .780 winning percentage. His teams captured seven Lake Erie League titles, three sectional/district titles and placed as high as fifth in the state. Hada had 17 state qualifiers, seven placers and one Ohio State Champion. In his 19 years as head coach, he totaled 10 coach-of-the-year awards including the Ohio High School Division I Coach of the Year.
 
Over his coaching career, Hada has served as the President of the Greater Cleveland Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association and the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association He was also the Regional Representative for the National High School Wrestling Coaches Association.  
 
Hada has been inducted into the Mentor High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Harvey High Sports Hall of Fame. He also received the Mentor High Football Field Stadium Dedication Award.
 
Hada was a four-year letterman, team captain and national qualifier at Heidelberg. He and his wife Mary reside in Painesville, Ohio. They have three children, all of which attended Heidelberg, Betsy ’01, Joe ’04 and Julie ’07.
 

Brandon Brissette

Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2377
bbrisset@heidelberg.edu

Brandon Brissette begins his fourth season on the Heidelberg wrestling staff and his first as a full-time assistant. A 2005 graduate of Wartburg College, Brissette was a part of two NCAA Division III national championship teams (2003 and 2004), as well as two runner-up teams (2002 and 2005). The Knights also captured a pair of national dual championships in 2003 and 2004.
 
Brissette also brings Division I experience after spending his first collegiate season at the University of Michigan. Also achieving success in the classroom, Brissette earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III All-Academic honors from 2003-2005. In addition, Brissette spent three years on Wartburg's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
From the coaching end, during the 2000-01 season, Brissette was a varsity and junior varsity volunteer coach at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.
 
Brissette earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Wartburg and a master's degree in education at Heidelberg.
 

 

Jake Percival

Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2377
jperciva@heidelberg.edu

 
Jake Percival is starting his second season on the Heidelberg wrestling staff. Percival is a 2005 graduate of Ohio University where he compiled a 142-10 career record, which included four-consecutive appearances at the NCAA Division I Championships and four-straight Mid-American Conference Championships. His 142 career victories established a new school record, while becoming the first four-time All-American in MAC history and just the third wrestler in conference history to win four individual titles. Percival concluded his collegiate career with three MAC Wrestler of the Year honors, and also received Ohio University’s Athlete of the Year award in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
 
Percival is a native of Elyria, Ohio and attended Marion L. Steele High School where he made four consecutive appearances at the state wrestling championships.
 
Prior to joining the staff at Heidelberg, Percival was an assistant coach at Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, Percival focused on all aspects of coaching, including serving as the assistant recruiting coordinator.
 
Percival received a bachelor's degree in sport industry, with a double-minor in business and interpersonal communication from OU and is currently working towards a master's degree in education at Heidelberg.

Tony Patrizi

Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2377
 
 
Beginning his first season on the side of the mat for the Berg is Tony Patrizi. Patrizi graduated from Heidelberg in 2004 and was a two-time national qualifier and three-time Academic All-American for Heidelberg. Patrizi compiled a career record of 83-42, currently sits at 18th on the single season win list for his 28-12 performance during the 2003-04 season and is 14th on the career win list.
 
Prior to returning to the Berg, Patrizi coached at Mohawk High School for four years where he had the privilege of coaching seven state placers and 14 state qualifiers.
 
He is currently teaching kindergarten for Mohawk Schools and lives in Sycamore with his wife Erin and son Owen (8 months). Patrizi received his bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Heidelberg in 2004 and is currently working towards his master’s degree in education at the Berg.