Dan Callahan enters his fifth season as the Thunder wrestling coach. Prior to coming to Trine, he had coached at the high school level for 23 years.
Callahan is a graduate of Rochester High School, Rochester, Ind. and Alma College, Alma, Mich. He was a head wrestling coach at the high school level for 19 years with a career record 267-107-8. He was a head football coach for eight seasons with a record of 35 - 41.
Coach Callahan resides in Fremont with his wife Cindy, a second grade teacher, and their two children, Meganand Kyle.
Assistant Coach Mike Ester
Mike Ester begins his fourth season as the assistant wrestling coach at Trine University. Ester graduated from Snider High School where he was a two-time state finalist, was a third place medalist, and was a member of the team that won the first state title in school history. Ester wrestled at Manchester College where he was a four-year letter winner, team captain, three-time conference champion, and had three top ten NCAA finishes.
From 1997-2006, Ester coached at Fort Wayne Snider High School. He led the school to eight conference championships, eight sectional championships, and a 2003 team state finalist finish. Coach Ester has had 140 career team dual meet victories, 16 state place winners, and two IHSAA state champions. He was a five-time Indiana/Illinois Senior All-Star Coach and a four- time NHSWCA Senior National Coach.
Ester received his degree in secondary physical education and health from Manchester and his Master of Education from Olivet Nazarene University. He is currently teaching adapted physical education in the Fort Wayne Community Schools. Coach Ester and his wife Tami have two children Brittani, and Brady.
John Sheets
Assistant Coach
John Sheets begins his second season as an assistant wrestling coach at Trine University. Sheets graduated from Bellmont High School in Decatur, Ind., where he holds the school record for victories and falls. While at Bellmont, Sheets was a team captain, four-time place winner including state champion as a freshman, and also won the Mental Attitude Award his senior year. Sheets wrestled collegiately at Manchester College, where he earned All American Honors as a sophomore, placing fourth, and was also team captain.
Sheets graduated from Manchester College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in May 2008.
Nathan DeVaux Assistant Coach
Nathan DeVaux joins the Thunder after a successful career at Snider High School in Fort Wayne and North Central College in Chicago. At Snider DeVaux was a team captain and a four-year letter winner. He was a National High School Coaches Association All-American in 2003. As a collegian, he appeared in three national championships and was part of two conference championship teams. Individually he won three letters and was an academic all-conference selection twice.
DeVaux graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. He is pursuing a master of business administration degree.
