COACH ERNIE JONES
Ernie Jones began his coaching career with the Blue-T Club in Tulsa in 1967. From 1967-1971 the Blue-T wrestling team went 55-1 in duals, winning five straight city championships. Blue-T wrestler Rodney Kilgore went on to become a 3x HS State Champion and a 2X NCAA Champion at the University of Oklahoma. Coach Jones then became the Head Wrestling Coach at Tulsa Booker T. Washington from (1973-1980). During his tenure at Washington he took a raw program and won 4 consecutive State Championships from 1976-1979 and finished State Runner-up in 1980. Booker T. Washington produced 19 Individual State Champions during this time including 3x State Champion Rodney Hooks and 4x Undefeated State Champion and future Olympic Champion Kenny Monday.
After leaving Washington, Coach Jones became the Head Coach at Tulsa Webster (1981-1994). Webster finished in the top two 10 times, winning back-to-back State Tournament and Dual Championships in 1993 and 94. During Coach Jones’ tenure at Webster, he produced 19 Individual State Champions including 3X State Champion Shawn Harrison. Coach Jones, after a short retirement from coaching returned to resurrect the wrestling program at Cascia Hall, where he is currently the Head Coach. Since the arrival of Coach Jones at Cascia Hall they have finished in the top 5 ten times, twice as Tournament State Runner-ups and 3x as Dual State Runner-ups. Cascia Hall has also won the Academic State Championship twice.
During this time, Cascia Hall has had 23 Individual State
Champions including one 4x State Champion and two 3x State Champions. Tanner Garrett, a former Cascia Hall wrestler, wrestled at the Naval Academy and won 114 NCAA Div. 1 college matches. Tanner ranks 6th on the all-time wins list in the Naval Academies 107 year history.
Coach Jones has been inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association, National Wrestling, and Booker T. Washington Hall of Fames. Coach Jones has coached 6 former wrestlers to earn NCAA Division 1 All-American honors 13 times Including NCAA Champions Rodney Kilgore and Kenny Monday. Kenny Monday was a 3x Olympian winning Olympic Gold in 1988 and the Silver medal in 1992.