Jimmy Rollins is in his sixth season as the Lindenwood wrestling head coach in 2021-22, and he is in his 11th season overall at the school.
In 2020-21, Rollins led the Lions to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships. The Lions carried five wrestlers to the championship tournament in St. Louis, Mo., as all five earned All-American status. Abner Romero claimed the individual title at 174 pounds, after capping off a perfect season at 12-0. Lindenwood took second place in a controversial scoring method at the Super Regional, as four earned individual championships. The Lions took home its first-ever GLVC Championship title with a 32-8 win over No. 10 UIndy. Lindenwood was a perfect 5-0 in conference competition, and registered a perfect 5-0 record at home. Rollins was named GLVC Coach of the Year for the school's second season in the conference. Lindenwood claimed 10 spots on the All-GLVC postseason awards, as four were unanimous first-team All-GLVC selections.
Lindenwood celebrated its senior class with a pair of wins in early February, as the Lions took down Kentucky Wesleyan and Central Missouri by a combined score of 108-3. The Lions traveled to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 13 Iowa State, and put up a good fight. Lindenwood won three matches in its only blemish on the schedule. The biggest dual of the regular season came on the first date of competition for the Lions, as Lindenwood took down No. 5 McKendree by a slim 19-18 margin.
Along with the five All-Americans, Lindenwood garnered 14 NWCA Scholar All-Americans. The Lions placed four wrestlers on the first-team All-GLVC squad, while three landed on the second-team, and three more on the third-team. Tim Bogar was the only Lindenwood wrestler to earn the GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award. The GLVC recognized two Lindenwood wrestlers as Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholars.
In 2019-20, Rollins led the Lions to a 9-4 overall record, and a 5-1 mark in conference play to take second place in the GLVC. Lindenwood finished third in the NCAA Regional, and entered the 2020 NCAA National Championships ranked seventh in the country.
The Lions tallied three first-place finishes at the Maryville Open, while 10 others earned a place of sixth or better. Tanner Hitchcock earned two pins and a 4-2 sudden victory over Marcus Povlik of McKendree to take the 133-pound title. Gavin Londoff claimed the lone championship for the Lions at the Missouri Valley Open. In the nine dual victories, the Lions outscored their opponents by an average of 34.7 to 6.9.
With seven national qualifiers, the Lions were prepared for a championship run. The 2020 NCAA National Championships was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the season. Lindenwood closed out the season ranked No. 7 in the country, after spending 17 weeks ranked inside the top-10. The Lions placed seven wrestlers on the NWCA Division II Scholar All-American team, including national qualifiers Hitchcock and Smith.
The Lions claimed five NWCA All-Americans (Tanner Hichcock, Carlos Jacquez, Courvoisier Morrow, Abner Romero, and Colby Smith). Hithcock and Smith were named first-team All-GLVC, as Smith posted a perfect 13-0 record in his matches. Lindenwood compiled a total of eight all-conference selections.
In the fall of 2019, Rollins was inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame. During his time at West Deptford in New Jersey, Rollins was a two-time place winner. After high school, Rollins moved on to wrestle at Gloucester County College and Dana College. Rollins won the National Championship twice, and was named All-American four different times.
"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized with this esteemed class of inductees," said Rollins. "New Jersey is home for me and where my passion for the sport of wrestling truly started. I am humbled and honored to be inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame."
Rollins led the Lions to a historical season in 2018-19, as Lindenwood placed seventh at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. The Lions took second as hosts of the NCAA Regional two week prior, and sent seven wrestlers to the national tournament. Carlos Jacquez went a perfect 30-0 in 2018-19, en route to a national title at 125 pounds.
Danny Swan and Gavin Londoff each earned All-American honors, as Lindenwood recorded three top-six finishers in their respective weight classes. Londoff upset the No. 2 wrestler in his 149-pound weight class to claim third place. Swan secured his All-American status after claiming two victories on day one on the championship tournament.
At the Lindenwood Open, six wrestlers placed sixth or better in their respective weight classes. Nate Trepanier took home the only championship for the Lions, going 6-0 on the day. The Lions had their best finish at the Midwest Classic in December, placing third out of 39 teams. Jacquez won the 125-pound weight class, as he was one of five wrestlers to place at the tournament, the most in program history.
Lindenwood registered seven dual victories over ranked opponents, including a one-point victory over then-No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown in early January. The Lions nearly picked up two more top-25 wins, as one point separated the Lions from then-No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney on January 19. Lindenwood again nearly upset the fourth-ranked opponent at the time in McKendree, resulting in a two-point loss on January 29. Six Lions eclipsed the 20-win mark in 2018-19, while eight different Lions had 29 dual points or more during the year.
In his second season at the realm, the Lions went 6-6 in duals including a 2-3 mark in conference matches. In post-season play, Lindenwood took fourth at the MIAA Tournament and fifth at the NCAA Division II Super Regional. Rollins helped advance three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including Carlos Jacquez who would later be named All-American.
The Lions excelled in the classroom as well by having seven wrestlers earn all-academic recognition by the NWCA. Lindenwood had a cumulative GPA of 3.15, while Hunter Haralson was the first Lion in program history to earn all-academic recognition for all four years. Rollins also had 15 wrestlers earn MIAA Academic Honor Roll, while Austin Stofer earned the Academic Award for Excellence as well as being named Scholar Athlete.
In his first season as head coach, Lindenwood finished third in the MIAA regular season and tournament championship event. Five Lions placed at the conference event, including MIAA championships for Hunter Haralson and David Hamil. Kyle Jolas finished second at the NCAA Super Regionals, and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Rollins helped the Lions have a big improvement in the classroom. Seventeen wrestlers were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, and Tim Bogar received the MIAA Academic Excellence Award.
From 2011-16, Rollins was the top assistant for the nationally-ranked Lindenwood wrestling program. He was integral in recruiting four classes that were ranked nationally in the top-15. Rollins also played a big role in the team’s transition from NAIA to the NCAA Division II level as the team quickly realized great success on a national stage.
In his last three years as an assistant, Lindenwood qualified 15 wrestlers for the NCAA National Championships, and nine won All-American honors. In 2015-16, Terrell Wilbourn captured the program’s first NCAA Individual National Championship. The team finished in the top-20 in the nation the first three years it was eligible for the NCAA national event, including a seventh-place finish in 2013-14.
Rollins was part of the coaching staff in 2014-15, when Lindenwood won its first MIAA Championships. The Lions were also conference tournament runner-up twice while Rollins was an assistant coach, and finished third or better in the regular season three times.
Rollins has also helped the team have success in the classroom. In 2015-16, Lindenwood ranked fourth in NCAA Division II in the D2WCA All-Academic wrestling team rankings.
Prior to coming to Lindenwood, Rollins was an assistant coach at Midland University, Iowa Lakes Community College, and Dana College. Over his 10 years of coaching, he has worked with 52 All-Americans, 17 national finalist, four national champions, and two Junior Greco Roman All-Americans.
Prior to coaching, Rollins was a wrestler at Gloucester County College and Dana. He was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion. He was a member of two team national championships during his playing career, capturing one at Gloucester in 2002 and one at Dana in 2006.
Rollins graduated from Dana College in 2008 with a bachelor’s of arts in physical education, and earned his masters of education from Lindenwood University in 2013.
Rollins and his wife, Dena, have two daughters, Scarlett and Finley.
