Our Coaches
James Downing
James Downing is entering his 7th year as the head coach for the Rebels. Downing received the 2022 NCWA Coach of the Year award. The Rebels have also won five West Coast Conference Champions under Downings guidance.
At the National level, the Rebels have had 9 All-Americans since Downing took over. Two of those being earned at last year's Championship in Shreveport, LA.
Prior to coaching at UNLV, Downing was heavily involved at the state and national level in Nevada wrestling. He served as the president for AAU Nevada and then eventually the president for USA Wrestling Nevada. He was instrumental in building up the level in the state in freestyle and Greco-Roman. With his leadership Nevada, became a competitive state at the Fargo Championships.
For years, Downings youth programs dominated the state and was the feeder program for the top Nevada high school teams. The number of state placers and champions that came through his program numbers in the 100's.
Downing is originally from Colorado where he was a multiple state placer and later attended Western State College in Gunnison, CO where he honed his skill as a wrestler and eventual coach.
Kevin Pine
Kevin Pine begins his 2nd season as the women's coach at UNLV. In last year's inaugural season, they won the West Coast Conference Championship and placed 5th at the NCWA Nationals in Shreveport, LA. The Rebel squad came home with 6 All-Americans with three of those with National titles.
Prior to coming to UNLV, Pine coached the Grays Harbor College women's team in Aberdeen, WA. During his 5 years with GHC, the team earned 40 NCWA All-American honors, eight USA Wrestling medals at the prestigious World Team Trials, five top three NCWA national team finishes, a Collegiate Cup title in 2023 and the NCWA women’s national championship in 2024.
Pine was named the Northwest Conference’s Women’s Coach of the Year three times and once for the men’s team when he stepped is interim coach for one season. He was also named the NCWA National Women’s Coach of the Year after guiding the program to their national title.
Other coaching credentials include being the Head Coach at Central Washington University where they had 20 All American wrestlers and 40 National qualifiers from 1995-2001 in the NAIA and NCAA II. He also coached at Elma HS and Shelton HS where they had a number of state placers and finalists.
Prior to coaching at GHC, Pine helped establish a girls wrestling presence in Nevada. He was the Girls Head National Team Coach for four years as well as being on the Boys National Coaching staff as head and assistant coach. Although not recognized by the NIAA at that time, the state hosted a Nevada All Girls State Championship or a USA Wrestling State Championship during those years. He also volunteered as a youth coach and an assistant coach at Palo Verde HS, Las Vegas, NV.
Pine was a 3x Washington State placer and 1986 State Champion. He was a 4x Canadian National placer as well as Canadian Greco-Roman National Champion while attending Simon Fraser University in BC, Canada. He finished his collegiate career at Central Washington University where he earned All American honors at the NAIA National Championships. Pine is still active in the sport and has won numerous Masters National Championships in Freestyle and Greco-Roman. He is a 14x World Medalist overall with four gold's, the latest at the 2025 World Championships in Tatabanya, Hungary.