Strength Coach Darryl Pope

Darryl Darryl Pope is more than just a coach in the Cal State Bakersfield wrestling program, he’s an institution. The man Stephen Neal credits so much of his success, Pope has seemingly done it all at CSUB. From the mid-1980s when he was a three-time NCAA Division I All-American to now, when he juggles his junior high assistant principal position with wrestling practice, Pope continues to show dedication to the CSUB program when many would have left it behind.

Pope’s name is scattered throughout the CSUB record books after an impressive two-season career that featured a 44-1 senior-season record and a second-place finish at the NCAA Division I Championships. He is also tied for eighth at CSUB for single-season wins (44), tied for 10th in single-season pins (17), and fifth for single-season winning percentage (.987). He is also seventh on the all-time CSUB list for career winning percentage (86-7-1, .920).

Pope was Neal’s daily workout partner and helped elevate Neal’s wrestling ability to an amazing level. When Neal traveled to Turkey for the 1999 World Championships, Pope was chosen as Neal’s workout partner. After CSUB’s incredible third-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 1996, Pope was recognized as the NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year.

Pope is married to his wife of 15 years, Stacie. The couple have two children, Kyle (11) and Hannah (8).