2009-10 Coaching Staff

Jason Miller

Head Coach / Associate Director of Athletics
(419) 448-2377
jmiller7@heidelberg.edu

Embarking on his eighth season at the helm of the Heidelberg University wrestling team is Jason Miller. Miller is no stranger to success, as he has guided the Berg to the Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season Title three of the last four years and the OAC Tournament Championship the last four-consecutive seasons. Along the way he has picked up four-straight OAC Coach of the Year honors, along with a consistent spot in the national rankings, both on the mat and in the classroom.
 
In 2009, success was once again demanded and expected from all associated with the wrestling program. Miller and company did not disappoint, as the Berg posted a 10-3 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in the OAC en route to the title. The OAC Tournament trophy remained in Tiffin courtesy of a ’Berg wrestler battling for a top-four finish in all 10 weight classes. Overall five brought home championships and represented the OAC at nationals, along with a sixth that served as an OAC at large representative.
 
Heidelberg has finished in the top-three in the league standings in each of his seven years. Overall, Miller owns a career record of 73-37 and a 29-8 mark in the OAC. Miller has produced 20 OAC champions and 16 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. In 2008, 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 14 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-Americans, three of which were named in 2009. Also, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009 Heidelberg ranked in the top-20 as a team on the NWCA Academic list. Leading the way was a ranking of fourth a season ago.
 
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 and is currently in his 10th season. 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 eight-straight appearances in the OAC Tournament (2002-08). The team posted a record of 27-11 in 2007 to set a new mark for wins, only to better it in 2008 with a 31-8. The team has earned back-to-back bids to the NCAA Championships (2007 and 2008) and Miller received his first-ever OAC Coach of the Year award for volleyball in 2007.
 
Aside from his coaching duties, Miller serves as Heidelberg’s associate director of athletics. Miller works with director of athletics Matt Palm in directing the day-to-day operations of the athletic department; with an emphasis on facility scheduling, budget management and the annual hall of fame inductions. He also helps to continually develop the successful ’Berg Pride program.

 
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, Emily and Gracie reside in Sycamore, Ohio.
 
 

Joe Hada

Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2377
jhada2@heidelberg.edu
 
Returning for his seventh season with the Heidelberg coaching staff is veteran coach Joe Hada. Hada has over 34 years of coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels. He assists with all aspects of the Berg wrestling program, while overseeing the annual Bergmania Youth Wrestling Tournament hosted by Heidelberg.
 
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. Betsy is in her second season serving as the head softball coach at Heidelberg.
 

Nathan Shearer

Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2378
nshearer@heidelberg.edu
 
Nathan Shearer is starting his first season on the Heidelberg wrestling staff. Shearer plans to bring his experience in college wrestling that he obtained as a coach and a wrestler with Ohio Northern University.
 
Before coming to the Berg, Shearer was an assistant coach for Ohio Northern University’s wrestling program from 2005-2009. During his time at ONU, he created “Nathan Shearer’s ONU Summer Wrestling Camp.”
 
Shearer is a graduate of ONU where he was a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship team in 2002 and also made an appearance at the NCAA Championships. Currently ranked 11th all-time on the wins list at ONU, Shearer accumulated a record of 89-44 and was in the 25-win club twice in a season (2003, 2005).
 
Showing dedication and passion for wrestling, Shearer was a recipient for the ONU Pride-Work-Win Award and also for the “Eat Smart, Play Hard” United States Anti-Doping Agency campaign.
 
Shearer earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies and a master’s degree in education at ONU. 
 

Ryan Riggs

 
Ryan Riggs begins his first season on the Heidelberg wrestling staff as a graduate assistant. A 2009 graduate of Cleveland State University, Riggs was ranked fifth in the Eastern Wrestling Conference light weight division and also named team captain.
 
As a coach, Riggs has valuable experience that he hopes to bring over to the Student Princes. Since August 2008, he was the assistant varsity wrestling coach at Massillon Perry High School in Massillon, Ohio where the team was Division I Ohio State Wrestling runner-ups. During the same season, he coached seven state players and an Ohio State Champion.
 
Riggs is a native of Navarre, Ohio and attended Massillon Perry High School where he was a three-time state qualifier, runner-up at the Beast of the East National Tournament, and also represented Ohio at the USA National Duel Meet Tournament in Oklahoma.
 
Riggs obtained a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts: Drawing and Painting from CSU. He is currently pursuing his master’s in education at Heidelberg.