Legacy—A term that is becoming closely associated with West Delaware wrestling. 

With a combined 40 years of coaching experience, Jeff and Jake Voss have created a program to be proud of.

The two have poured time and energy into their wrestlers extending far beyond the wrestling mat. 

Jeff was an assistant coach at West Delaware for four years before spending a year as the head coach at Monticello. 

“When I had the chance to come back and be the head coach, it felt like it was going to be a long-term gig,” Jeff said. “Maybe I didn’t know it would be as long as it was, but I thought it would probably be my last stop.”

Jake didn’t realize how impactful his dad was to wrestling in the state of Iowa until he was in college.

“I was just around him every day, so it didn’t really hit me until college,” Jake said. “I had a pretty narrow perspective.”

After Jake wrestled for Coe College and became an All-American, he went on to coach at Benton Community for three years. 

“Being at Benton Community, I learned how lucky we are to be at West Delaware,” Jake said. “The community support and tradition behind West Delaware wrestling, the coaches and people who have moved back to the community after being part of the program, and everything else that ties into the wrestling program are oftentimes taken for granted.”

Although many people would expect a substantial amount of pressure to come with following a Hall of Fame coach, Jake only sees the advantages. 

“I know a lot of people just because they know my dad, so it’s been a good way to connect with people,” Jake said. “Having him in my corner is always great for coming up with new ideas. He’s always helpful and a good point of reference for me.”

According to Jake, helping other coaches isn’t anything new for Jeff. 

“He’s been like that toward me ever since I started coaching,” Jake said. “I think that’s just what he likes to do–help other coaches.”

Jeff wasn’t in the wrestling room for the first half of this season because he was busy coaching the middle school wrestling team, but he still helped whenever Jake asked.

“We bounce things off each other quite a bit,” Jeff said. “When I came here, I had a lot of good people around me to bounce ideas off of, and I think Jake’s got that situation for himself right now, so if I’m one of those little pieces that he can bounce information off on certain things, I’ll gladly do that and see where he takes it.”

Jeff retired from teaching and coaching in the spring of 2024, but he’s been staying close to the program. He’s happy to help Jake but wants Jake to be able to make the program his own. 

“I missed the relationship with the wrestlers and the people involved in the wrestling program, but I knew I had to get away to allow the transition to take place,” said Jeff. “I knew the program was in great hands with the coaching staff that was there, and that made it a little easier to transition out.”

Even the current wrestlers can see the similarities between the two head coaches and how Jake’s upbringing affects his coaching style. Senior and four-year varsity wrestler Jax Miller appreciates the minor differences.

“You can tell Jeff is Jake’s dad, that’s for sure,” Miller said. “Jake is younger and takes a more modern approach. Different music in the wrestling room is a big part of the culture to Jake—it affects the vibe in the room.”

One of the biggest changes from the coaching switch has been the creed—words the wrestlers repeated at every practice to highlight the culture’s values. Jake took Jeff’s creed idea and put his own twist on it.

“We created a new creed because I wanted it to be something the kids took ownership of,” Jake said. “The old creed was given to our program, and the kids were told to say it. We started completely from scratch and created our own creed. Now, every time we say it, they’re saying their own words, things they came up with as a team, and I think that’s important for committing to it.”

While acknowledging the influences Jake may have had, Jeff feels it is important for Jake to develop his own coaching style. 

“I remember telling him he’s got to coach his own way because the way I coached him probably isn’t the way I coach now since I’ve evolved too,” Jeff said. 

According to Miller, Jake turns the wrestling room into a place of work and fun. 

“I think when people think of wrestling, they think of this sport as super hard all the time, but it doesn’t have to be,” Miller said. “Wrestling is a hard sport, but you can keep it light. You have to find the fun in it. We play dodgeball a lot and jam out in the hallways when we run on Wednesday mornings.”

West Delaware wrestling has truly become a family affair for the Vosses. From Jeff and Janette Voss to their youngest son Jared, who is currently ranked 12th in the NWCA national coaches rankings for Coe College, the Voss family members continue to be involved well past their high school days.

“The involvement from my family was probably key to my longevity as a head wrestling coach,” Jeff said. “My wife has been my greatest supporter for the last thirty years, and when our kids came along, they got involved as administrative assistants and managers,” said Jeff. “Now, with my daughter Jennie and her husband Matt (Seabold) here, they’re both involved, and having Jake back, it’s pretty cool to see the West Delaware wrestling family is still a big part of our family.”

Involvement has been instrumental for the Voss family, but Jake and Jeff have created somewhat of a second family in this program. The work they put in goes beyond the wrestling room. They want their wrestlers to excel in wrestling and life.

“Their passion and love for wrestling and making people better is a very special thing,” Miller said. “They preach similar ideas to make us good wrestlers and better people. Anyone who participates in wrestling here is going to have a growth and positive mindset going into hard situations in the future. Those hard things are easier after going through this program. 

“You learn so much and approach things as a team because everything is for the team. It can be hard to think that way because it’s an individual sport, but I think you could see that at our last dual of the regular season— it was all for the team.”