IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands announced administrative changes to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club on Friday.
Randy Novak, HWC President since 2017, has resigned his position after four-plus years of unprecedented contributions to HWC competitors and membership.
Chad Beatty, a 2010 UI graduate and member of three NCAA Championship teams, has been named Executive Director of the HWC. Beatty will assume the responsibilities formerly held by the president. His appointment is effective May 1, pending board approval.
TOM BRANDS ON RANDY NOVAK
“You cannot overstate the value and energy Randy Novak brought to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. He has raised awareness, increased attendance and engagements at our events, and raised the HWC profile around the globe. He pioneered the Inner Circle, a grassroots fundraising campaign, that gets stronger every year.
“When Novak became president he jumped in with both feet and both hands. His sleeves were already rolled up. He committed and he committed the right way. He committed the Hawkeye way. There is so much work that goes into doing this right, and there is so much work to build something like this. The HWC is better than it was before he came and it is still getting better today. That is a credit to him. There will never be a volunteer like Randy Novak. His energy cannot be replaced. I cannot thank him enough.”
TERRY BRANDS ON RANDY NOVAK
“Randy Novak really slammed this club into another gear. He followed a great line of presidents and pushed our mission to higher places. He made the HWC better and, as a result, positively impacted the entire operation of Iowa wrestling. We will miss his leadership as president and the energy he pumped into this entire program.”’
ABOUT CHAD BEATTY
Beatty has been involved with the sport of wrestling at all levels. His coaching career started immediately following his time as a Hawkeye under the tutelage of two Hall of Fame Coaches, Mark Reiland at Iowa City West High and Mike Duroe at Cornell College.
After four years coaching in Iowa, Beatty and his wife, Michelle, relocated to the Pacific Northwest, where Beatty was head coach at Forest Grove High School and served on the Oregon Wrestling Associations (OWA) Women’s Council, leading Team Oregon to the Cadet and Junior Nationals on multiple occasions.
Following his time in Oregon, Chad spent a year working for Washington State Wrestling Association (WSWA) as the Director of Wrestling Operations and as head coach at Highline Community College. Beatty worked closely with the WSWA’s Executive Director and was responsible for a variety of projects which impacted the organization’s daily operations, administrative functions and communications activities.
BEATTY ON THE HWC
“I’ve been a part of many great programs throughout my life, but none as storied as the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. I feel incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the Executive Director. Our Inner Circle and fans have a lot to be excited about as we reload for the next quad, not only as a team, but as an organization. I can’t wait to get to work.
“I’d like to thank my wife, our families, my mentors and my close friends for always supporting me along this long and winding road. I’d also like to thank Tom Brands, Terry Brands and Randy Novak and the Board of Directors for being trailblazers and advocates for current and future wrestlers.”
TOM BRANDS ON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHAD BEATTY
“Beatty is a Hawkeye and he knows how important it is to win World and Olympic and national championships. He has an appreciation for the work it takes to raise money and we share very similar expectations on keeping a real good thing going. He is experienced. He’s been away from the program. He has been on the outside looking in and has the experience of being on a board of directors position in a wrestling environment. He knows the importance of fundraising, seeing our club from afar.
“Beatty has a big role. The executive director position is new to the HWC. When Randy and I started talking about his replacement we both agreed that it would not be and could not be a volunteer. There is not another person that could do what Randy Novak did as a volunteer. We needed to go the route of an executive director and we found the right guy.”
