Ed Etzel

Ed Etzel graduated from Tennessee Technological Institute in 1974 and then earned a masters’ degree in physical education from West Virginia University in 1979. From 1974-76 he was a US Army officer with the US Army Marksmanship Unit, stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. He later coached rifle shooting at U West Virginia from 1976-89. Etzel was a gold medalist at the 1978 World Championships and the 1979 Pan American Games, and won 11 national titles. After winning his gold medal in small-bore rifle at the 1984 Olympics, Etzel did graduate work in psychology at Duke University and then earned an Ed.D. in psychology at West Virginia in 1989. He has worked as a psychological counselor, especially coaching athletes to better the mental aspects of their games. He also serves as a professor of psychology at West Virginia in the Department of Sport Studies. Etzel is a member of the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame. He is a Fellow with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and received the American Psychological Association’s Division 47 Distinguished Contribution to Education in sport and exercise psychology award in 2009.