Jeff Buxton was hired as the John Huemer Assistant Coach of Wrestling in September 2024. He joins the Columbia staff with over 32 years of coaching experience, including 12 years of working with senior-level athletes at regional training centers across the United States and competitions all over the World. While developing and training RTC athletes he assisted college wrestlers make world teams in their respective age categories and was also a key part in helping the college programs in preparation for their championship tournaments.
“Jeff Buxton is one of the most respected people in all of wrestling because of unmatched dedication to his athletes and his ability to adapt and remain on the cutting edge of training methods and techniques," Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Donny Pritzlaff said. "Sebastian and I are excited to build on our strong relationship with Jeff and look forward to exposing our student-athletes to his brilliant wrestling and coaching mind. Coach Buxton will be an integral part of developing our Columbia Wrestling students into champions on the mat and in life."
Since 2022, Buxton served as the head coach of the Scarlet Knight Regional Regional Training Center at Rutgers University. In his role there, he worked closely with recently hired Columbia wrestling coach Sebastian Rivera as Rivera went on to be a World Silver Medalist in 2023 and an Olympic Bronze Medalist in 2024.
Prior to Rutgers, Buxton worked as the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club from 2012-2022. He trained senior level athletes for US National Championships, Pan American Championships, Senior World Championships and Ranking Series World events. In 2017, Buxton served as an assistant coach for the USA Senior World Team in Kazakhstan.
Buxton started his coaching career in 1980 as the head coach at Chariho Regional High School in Hopkington, Rhode Island. He then became the head coach at Blair Academy in 1982. During an impressive 30-year tenure at Blair, Buxton led the team to 30 consecutive National Prep Championships. Blair secured the No. 1 ranking in the country 10 times with Buxton at the helm. A member of the Rhode Island Wrestling Hall of Fame, Buxton produced numerous national prep champions and dozens of national freestyle champions at Blair. Alumni coached by Buxton went on to win 12 individual NCAA titles and 41 were crowned NCAA Division I All-Americans.
Buxton is a 1980 graduate of the University of Rhode Island. He is a member of the New Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame and a three-time National High School Coach of the Year. Jeff also is the recipient of USA Wrestling’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
