McCade Ford enters his 12th season as an assistant coach. He spearheads the recruiting efforts and primarily works with Wyoming’s light and middleweights. In Ford’s time as a coach, Wyoming has produced two NCAA finalists, 10 All-Americans, 54 NCAA qualifiers and six conference champions.
The 2024-25 season saw Wyoming finish 22nd at the NCAA Championships following a 12-6 dual season. Joey Novak (197) captured an All-American honor with a fifth-place finish. Four other Pokes punched a ticket to NCAAs, as well.
The 2023-24 season saw Ford help Jore Volk (125) capture a Big 12 title along with All-American status at the NCAA Championships. Gabe Willochell (149) and Novak (197) also made it to NCAAs, both logging a pair of wins once there.
The 2022-23 season saw Volk place fifth at the Big 12 Tournament and qualify for his first NCAAs. Jacob Wright (157) capped his career with a third-place finish at the conference tourney and another Championships appearance. Cole Moody (165) also punched a ticket to NCAAs.
The 2021-22 season saw an All-American in Stephen Buchanan (197) who finished third at the NCAA Championships. That was the tip of the spear where a total of seven Pokes made it to NCAAs, as Wyoming logged a 23rd-place finish.
The 2020-21 season saw the Cowboys finish fourth at the Big 12 Tournament with a record number of four Pokes competing in the title bout. Ford was also instrumental in Buchanan’s run to becoming the 36th All-American in program history.
The 2019-20 season saw Brian Andrews (HWT) win a Big 12 title. Wyoming sent five to an NCAA Championships that was cancelled due to COVID.
The 2018-19 season saw the Cowboys boast a 16-4 dual record and a 7-2 mark against Big 12 opponents. The Pokes’ 16 dual wins were the most during head coach Mark Branch’s time and marked the highest dual win total by a Wyoming team since 1967. Ford helped oversee seven Cowboys qualifying for the NCAA Championships, which also tied the most in the Branch era.
The 2017-18 season saw Wyoming go 13-3 in duals and 7-2 against the Big 12. The Pokes’ 13 dual wins go down as the fourth-most in a season in program history. At the Big 12 Tournament, seniors Archie Colgan and Bryce Meredith earned the program’s first two Big 12 individual titles, on the way to a fifth-place team finish. At the 2018 NCAA Championships, Meredith was able to claim national runner-up at 141 pounds for the second time in his career while redshirt freshman Montorie Bridges earned All-America honors for the first time in his career. As a team, Wyoming tallied its best finish under Branch, as the Cowboys took 17th.
The 2016-17 season saw Wyoming finish fifth at the Big 12 Tournament after going 7-8 in duals and 4-4 in conference action. Five Pokes advanced to the NCAA Championships. Meredith became Wyoming’s second finalist at Big 12s, while Drew Templeman, Branson Ashworth, Cole Mendenhall and Archie Colgan joined Meredith at NCAAs. The Pokes brought home their 19th top-25 finish, tying for 21st at the Championships. Led by Meredith, the junior earned his second consecutive All-American award, finishing fourth at 141 pounds. His fourth-place finish was the 16th top-four finish for a Cowboy wrestler at NCAAs. The Cowboys placed seven team members on the 2017 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling team.
The 2015-16 season saw the Pokes go 6-6 in duals in their first season as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Three made it to the NCAA Championships. Tanner Harms earned his second trip to NCAAs, while Bryce Meredith and Drew Templeman made their first trips. Meredith fell in the 141-pound final’s match but became the first Cowboy to wrestle in the title bout since Reese Andy in 1996.
The 2014-15 season saw Wyoming possess an 11-4 dual record and that encompassed a seven-dual win streak. Six Cowboys advanced to the NCAA Championships in what was the Pokes final year in the Western Wrestling Conference.
Ford is a former Wyoming wrestler. He helped the Pokes win the Western Wrestling Conference team title with his 141-pound crown as a senior. He was a very accomplished wrestler in junior college, as well, becoming a two-time NJCAA All-American at Northwest College.
Ford is a 2013 graduate of Wyoming, attaining a bachelor’s degree in sociology. In 2019, Ford received his master’s degree from Wyoming in educational administration.