Nov. 17, 2009
By Trey Miller, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
The faces and the places have changed for the Sanderson brothers. To pack up and move from Ames, Iowa, to State College, Pa. wasn't easy. The area is different, but one thing remains constant for the brothers and that is the same thing that brought them here - wrestling.
"We wrestled daily growing up," Cody Sanderson, the oldest of the three, said. "We were in the wrestling room, in the backyard or in the living room when our mom wasn't around."
Cael, a four-time collegiate national champion with a perfect 159-0 mark, took the head coaching job at Penn State after spending three years as the head coach of his alma mater, Iowa State. His older brother, Cody, a former Big 12 champion as a Cyclone, was Cael's assistant at Iowa State during his three-year stint. Both coached their younger brother, Cyler, who was a reigning All-American.
When the 30-year-old Cael Sanderson took over Penn State's wrestling program in April, there were no doubts for the older brother Cody and the younger Cyler that they would follow. After some discussion with family and each other, it was the obvious choice. The brothers had spent the previous three years of their wrestling careers together, and that was something they didn't want to change.
"Getting to work with family, it's pretty awesome," Cael said. "We have the same goals and the same mission."
The transition for the Heber City, Utah natives and their families was tough. As Cael pointed out, "any time you a transition, it's going to be a challenge." Having family around for support helped to ease the move. Each one of them left behind friends and wrestlers in Iowa that they had become very close with. State College has it's similarities in its small town feel along with the friendly community.
"I really like the city and the people here have all been real welcoming," Cyler said. "Everybody has made it pretty easy."
The area is a prime spot for the brothers. Each of them enjoys spending time outdoors. The mountainous landscape is something that reminds them of Heber City. But, as Cyler put it, the mountains are smaller in Pennsylvania. Though their spare time is limited with the start of wrestling season, the area is something the brothers expect to take advantage of.
"I like the outdoors," Cael said. "I haven't been out fishing other than for like 15 minutes one time. I like having the opportunity and to know I could if I wanted to."
When they get time out of the wrestling room, the brothers are as close as any other family. Outside of their own wrestling staff and teammates, they don't have a large group of friends yet. Usually, the gatherings consist of getting the families together and letting their kids run around. Video games are something the three partake in regularly. "Call of Duty," a game of warfare, is most often the game of choice.
Growing up, it was wrestling every day for the brothers. Cody was older but was small for his size. Cael was the opposite, as he was always large. This put them at about the same weight for most of their youth, making plenty of opportunities for grappling to go on between the two.
Cyler, with the age gap, didn't spend as much time wrestling with his brothers growing up. He would always tag along and spend countless hours attending Cody and Cael's matches, learning as much as he could along the way.
Their father, Steve, was someone that each of the brothers credit for much of their wrestling development. The Sanderson brothers wrestled for their father in high school. They grew up in his wrestling room watching him coach. He had so much influence that Cody attributes some of his and Cael's coaching philosophies to their father.
"My dad and all my brothers have been my idols and my heroes since I was a little kid," Cyler said. "I want to be like them more than I want to be like anyone else."
For the laid back and easy going group of brothers, the transition to State College is going to take some getting used to. One thing that won't, though, is the wrestling tradition that comes along with the area and Penn State.
"We want to win a national championship and that's why we're here," Cael said.