John Jacobs

Bio

Since joining Indian Hill in 2019, John Jacobs has played an instrumental role in building and strengthening the Braves wrestling program from the youth level through high school. Now serving as the Head Coach of the Indian Hill High School Girls Wrestling Team, Coach Jacobs brings more than two decades of coaching experience and a passion for developing student-athletes both on and off the mat.

Building Champions Through Strong Foundations

Coach Jacobs believes that great wrestlers—and great people—are built on strong fundamentals. Throughout his coaching career, he has focused on teaching the basics, creating confident athletes, and helping young people discover what they are capable of accomplishing through hard work and perseverance.

His impact has been significant. Wrestlers he has coached at the youth and middle school levels have gone on to achieve remarkable success, including:

• Two Ohio Division I State Champions

• One Ohio Division I State Runner-Up

• More than 30 Ohio Division I State Placers

• More than 40 Ohio Division I State Qualifiers

• One Ohio Division II State Qualifier

• Multiple state placers in programs outside of Ohio

• Numerous wrestlers who continued their careers at the collegiate level

While proud of these accomplishments, Coach Jacobs measures success less by medals and more by the character and confidence his athletes develop along the way.

Coaching Journey

Coach Jacobs' coaching career spans more than 20 years and includes experience at every level of the sport.

• Fairfield Youth Wrestling (2002–2008)

• Fairfield Middle School Wrestling (2009–2015)

• Loveland High School Wrestling (2017–2019)

• Indian Hill Middle School Wrestling (2019–2023), Head Coach

• Indian Hill Youth Wrestling (2024–Present), Assistant Coach & Program Administrator

• Indian Hill High School Wrestling (2024–2025), Assistant Coach

• Indian Hill High School Girls Wrestling (2025–Present), Head Coach

Athletic Background

A graduate of Fairfield High School, Coach Jacobs competed in both wrestling and cross country before attending Xavier University, where he earned both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management Information Systems and an MBA.

Although he did not compete collegiately, he remained connected to the sport by beginning his coaching career while still in college—a decision that would ultimately become his life's passion.

Why He Coaches

"I started coaching because I missed wrestling and wanted to stay involved in the sport. What I quickly discovered was how incredibly rewarding it is to watch someone who has never wrestled before grow into a confident athlete. Seeing them develop not only as wrestlers but as students and young adults is what keeps me coaching."

Coaching Philosophy

Coach Jacobs believes education-based athletics provide lessons that extend far beyond competition.

"Athletics make school better. They teach teamwork, dedication, accountability, resilience, and a sense of belonging—things that are difficult to learn in a classroom alone. Even though wrestling is an individual sport, success depends on your teammates helping you improve every day."

The foundation of Indian Hill Wrestling is built upon three core pillars:

Pride – Take pride in yourself, your work, your teammates, your school, and your community.

Dedication – Success requires commitment. There are no shortcuts to meaningful achievement.

Family – Wrestling creates lifelong relationships. Every athlete who walks into the wrestling room becomes part of the Indian Hill Wrestling family.

Coach Jacobs hopes every athlete leaves the program knowing one thing:

"No matter how much time has passed, if you wrestled for me, you're family. The wrestling room will always be a place you can come home to."

Building the Future of Girls Wrestling

As the founding coach of Indian Hill's girls wrestling program, Coach Jacobs is excited to help establish traditions that will shape the future of the sport.

Girls wrestling continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports in Ohio, and Coach Jacobs sees an incredible opportunity to build something special.

Rather than simply creating another team, he is building a culture.

"The girls have ownership in this program. Since we're creating something new, they have a voice in how we grow, what traditions we establish, and what kind of program we want Indian Hill Girls Wrestling to become."

Defining Success

For Coach Jacobs, success isn't measured only by wins and championships.

"Success is learning the skills, habits, and values that allow someone to live a happy, meaningful, and successful life."

Why Indian Hill?

Coach Jacobs believes Indian Hill is unlike any school community he has experienced.

"The relationships here are incredible. Students, teachers, administrators, and families genuinely care about one another. During our very first girls wrestling season, our athletic director attended multiple away wrestling meets—the first athletic director I'd ever seen do that in over twenty years of coaching. Even our superintendent went out of her way to welcome me and express how excited she was about girls wrestling. Those moments may seem small, but they make a tremendous impact. That's why I love coaching here, and ultimately why my family chose to make Indian Hill our home."

Beyond Wrestling

When he isn't coaching, Coach Jacobs enjoys spending time with his family, driving his classic Austin Healey sports car, and gathering with friends for board games.

Quick Hits

• Hometown: Fairfield, Ohio

• Favorite Professional Team: Cincinnati Bengals

• Favorite Athlete Growing Up: Ken Griffey Jr.

• Favorite Book: The Hobbit

• Favorite Movie: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

• Favorite Pregame Meal: Skyline Chili (Three Cheese Coneys)

• Favorite Vacation Destination: The mountains out West

• Favorite Quote: "Fortune Favors the Bold."

Rapid Fire

• Morning or Night? Morning

• Beach or Mountains? Mountains

• Dogs or Cats? Dogs

• Coffee or Tea? Neither

• Sweet or Salty? Salty

• Nike or Adidas? Asics

• Summer or Winter? Winter

• Disney or Universal? Universal

• Golf or Pickleball? Neither... yet!

• Championship or Coach an All-American? Coach an All-American