Fresno City College wrestling coach, Paul Keysaw, is in the midst of another title hunt.  In his tenure at FCC, Keysaw has led the Rams to two state championships.
‘It’s all about the coaching,” Keysaw said jokingly.  In actuality, he admits that the winning streak is due to having great players.  The wrestling Rams have four returning state champions and six returning finalists this season, said Keysaw.  The team also has nine sophomores and one freshman, which means there is potential for growth.  
Keysaw says “winning is a byproduct of our preparation” and that being prepared is everything for this team.  He said it is very important for the players to be in great physical condition, so he puts them through a series of both physical and mental conditioning each practice.    
Each practice they do approximately 40 minutes of warm-up consisting of running, push-ups, motion drills and running up and down the stadium stairs.  This warm up is something “most normal people” could not do, Keysaw said.  
Mental conditioning, he said, comes through physical conditioning. He wants to get his plyers fatigued through physical activity, then pushes them to think under pressure.  
“This is what typically happens at a match,” said Keysaw. “You have to crack a few times before you learn not to crack.”  It is all a learning process, which is why Coach Keysaw and his assistant coaches are there – to help the players prepare.  
Before Coach Keysaw was head coach of wrestling at FCC, he was head coach at Moorpark College.  He stayed with Moorpark for 10 years and was awarded several coaching awards as well as three state championships with his team.
As a wrestling competitor, Keysaw was a Pennsylvania State High School Champion in 1986 and runner-up in 1985. He was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American, placing 8th in 1990 and winning a national title in 1991 at 190 pounds.  
He received his BA in Liberal Studies from CSU Bakersfield in 1991 and his MA in Curriculum/Instruction from CSU Bakersfield in 1995.  
Keysaw began wrestling at the ripe age of eight.  His elementary school had announced they were looking for wrestlers; he went home that evening and asked his parents if he could sign up.  “That was the end of that.  I’ve been wrestling ever since,” said Keysaw.    
He continued with it because he “was good at it.” He has been surrounded by wonderful people in the sport.  “They have inspired me to do better,” Keysaw said.  Wrestling has shaped not only his career, but his character, family, life and kids.  “I graduated from college. I credit that to my wrestling,” said Keysaw, even though he admits he was never the college type of guy.  
Keysaw said he doesn’t know if he could do anything other than coaching.  “I fell into coaching 20 years ago, and here I am,” he said. He enjoys being with his “kids”, trying to make a difference in their lives and to be part of their dreams.  “I had my own dreams [as a wrestler], that’s why I enjoy theirs,” said Keysaw.  
Coach Keysaw says his loyalty to his players is his greatest strength as well as weakness.
He will fight for his players and protect them as long as they are doing the right thing.  Being on the team means living by Keysaw’s rules: go to class, be a good person, no lying or stealing, show up to practice, and work hard.  “If my kids do that for me,” Keysaw said, “then I will go up to bat for them.”