Historical Bracket Breakdown: 275 lbs at the 1997 NCAA Championships

In June, we started a new feature investigating some of the toughest NCAA brackets of all time. In our first two editions of this feature, we looked at the 133 lb weight class from 2019 and the 157 lb weight class from 2009. Now, we’re going back into the 1990’s to look at an excellent 275 lb weight class from 1997. The 1997 275 lb class featured a pair of returning national champions amongst the seven returning All-Americans. The trio atop this weight class would go on to dominate the Senior level for the next decade, each winning a world medal. In addition, a couple of members of this weight class would go on to make names for themselves in the NFL and the WWE. So, get ready to relive one of the better heavyweight brackets of all-time. The Champion: Kerry McCoy (Penn State) The 1997 NCAA tournament saw Kerry McCoy win his second national championship and earn All-American honors for the third time. At the tournament, in Cedar Falls, McCoy posted wins over the eventual fourth, fifth, and seventh-place finishers, along with runner-up Stephen Neal. His victories over Shelton Benjamin and Jason Gleasman both came via major decisions. After the 1997 tournament, McCoy was awarded the Hodge Trophy. He finished his senior campaign a perfect 41-0 with 11 falls. It marked the second time in McCoy’s career that he put together an unbeaten season. Between his sophomore and junior season, McCoy had amassed an 88-match winning streak. A 2003 World silver medalist, McCoy twice made the US Olympic Team, beating Neal in the 2000 Trials and Tolly Thompson in the 2004 Trials. The Runner-Up: Stephen Neal (CSU Bakersfield) Two years after McCoy’s Hodge Trophy, Stephen Neal captured one of his own after winning his second consecutive national championship in 1999. At the ‘97 tournament, Neal dominated on his way to the semifinals, with a major decision, a tech, and a fall. The fall came in the quarterfinals and at the expense of returning All-American Nick Nutter. He would edge Tolly Thompson, 5-4, for his first NCAA final. The previous year, Thompson defeated Neal in the NCAA third-place bout, 4-1. Right after his collegiate career concluded, Neal famously defeated McCoy to make the 1999 World Team and went on to capture gold at both the Pan-American Games and the World Championships in Ankara, Turkey. After failing to make the Olympic Team in 2000, Neal turned his attention to the NFL and wound up starting 81 games and winning three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots during a career that lasted until 2010. 3rd Place: Tolly Thompson (Nebraska) The 1995 NCAA champion Tolly Thompson finished his career as a three-time All-American after taking third as a junior and senior. Thomas made the 1997 semifinals after posting falls in his first three bouts. The first of which came over future-All-American Mat Orndorff, while the last one was against returning NCAA fifth-place finisher Airron Richardson. The two had clashed in the 1996 consolations and Thompson prevailed via a 5-3 margin. After falling by a point to Neal in the 1997 semifinals, Thompson finished his collegiate career with wins over Justin Harty and Bryan Stout to secure third place. Harty was the wrestler who upset a top-seeded Thompson in the 1996 NCAA semifinals. Thompson spent much of the next decade near the top of the domestic freestyle ladder. He finally made his first World Team in 2005 and immediately responded with a bronze medal. Thompson also made the 2006 team, but did not garner any hardware. 4th Place: Bryan Stout (Clarion) The old weight classes at this time went from 190 lbs to 275 lbs, which was a significant jump. Bryan Stout made the move up to 275 lbs in 1997 after earning All-American honors three times at 190. 1996 saw him earn the #2 seed at nationals; however, he ended up placing seventh. At the 1997 tournament, Stout grinded out a pair of five and six-point wins before downing the returning runner-up, Justin Harty. That led to a bout with McCoy in the semifinals, which he lost, 4-2. He’d finish his collegiate career majoring Shelton Benjamin, before falling to Thompson in the third-place bout. To this day, Stout is the only four-time All-American in Clarion’s storied wrestling history. He has three sons that have wrestled Division I, Kellan (Penn State/Pittsburgh), Luke (Princeton), and Mac (Pittsburgh). Luke and Mac are both still active and are both slated to be starters at 197 lbs this season. 5th Place: Shelton Benjamin (Minnesota) One of the many great heavyweights to step through the doors at Minnesota, Shelton Benjamin earned All-American honors twice for the Gophers. After placing fifth in 1997, Benjamin finished up by taking second at the Big Ten tournament in 1998 and third at nationals that same year. Benjamin had a rough draw in 1997 with Trent Hynek in the opening round. Hynek would go on to make the national finals in 1998. After Hynek, Benjamin fell via major decision to McCoy. In order to claim a spot on the podium, Benjamin had to win three consolation bouts, the final of which came in the bloodround against Richardson, a returning AA. The two would meet in the Big Ten finals a year later and Richardson was victorious. He’d finish up his 1997 run with wins over Bill Closson and returning national runner-up, Justin Harty. Instead of making a run at the 2000 Olympics, Benjamin turned his focus toward professional wrestling. It proved to be a wise decision as Benjamin has spent most of the last two-plus decades in that world. Almost half of that time has been spent in the WWE. 6th Place: Justin Harty (North Carolina) A bit of a surprise national finalist (#5 seed) in 1996, Justin Harty wasn’t able to replicate his magic from the previous season, but still made the podium for the fourth time. After a quarterfinal loss to Bryan Stout, Harty bounced back with a bloodround win over Wes Hand to ensure he was a four-time All-American. Beating an Iowa guy was no small feat in the 1997 tournament as the Hawkeyes rolled to 170 team points with five champions and eighth All-Americans. Harty’s Round of 12 win over Hand made him only the second four-time All-American in UNC history (Rob Koll was the first). It wouldn’t be until this past season when another Tar Heel joined the club in Austin O’Connor. 7th Place: Jason Gleasman (Syracuse) The dubious distinction of being the most recent All-American for Syracuse belongs to Jason Gleasman who got on the podium in 1997 and 1998 for the Orange. Three years later, the school would cut wrestling. At the 1997 tournament, Gleasman started with back-to-back wins over opponents from Iowa and Oklahoma State, a feat that was extremely rare in those days. That set the stage for a quarterfinal loss to McCoy. To lock up All-American status for the first time, Gleasman pinned Fresno State’s Darin Priesendorf in the bloodround. Wrestling for seventh place, Gleasman downed EIWA rival Bill Closson, an opponent he pinned at Eastern’s. 8th Place: Bill Closson (Lehigh) The final member of this group of All-Americans was Lehigh’s Bill Closson. Just to crack the top eight, Closson scored wins over a returning All-American (Nick Nutter) and two eventual AA’s Leslie Apedoe and Mat Orndorff. This was the first of two trips to the podium for Closson, who was fourth in 1998. Interestingly enough, Closson got a bit of revenge on two opponents from the 97 tournament in 98. He defeated Gleasman and Shelton Benjamin at nationals his senior year. The Bloodround: #10 Nick Nutter (Ohio State), #6 Airron Richardson (Michigan), #11 Darin Priesendorf (Fresno State), Wes Hand (Iowa) The 1997 bloodround losers consisted of a pair of returning All-Americans from 1996 (Richardson - 5th and Nutter - 7th). Also is Wes Hand, who was eighth in 1998 and a national finalist (opposite Brock Lesnar) in 2000. The semifinal losers (Thompson/Stout) dropped down and assumed the third and fourth place slots, while the bloodround winners were fifth-eighth. Other Notables: Trent Hynek (Iowa State), Leslie Apedoe (VMI), Mat Orndorff (Oregon State) NCAA Finals: Kerry McCoy (Penn State) over Stephen Neal (CSU Bakersfield) 3-2 Third Place: Tolly Thompson (Nebraska) over Bryan Stout (Clarion) 6-4 Fifth Place: Shelton Benjamin (Minnesota) over Justin Harty (North Carolina) 8-4 Seventh Place: Jason Gleasman (Syracuse) over Bill Closson (Lehigh) 5-3 NCAA Semifinals Kerry McCoy (Penn State) over Bryan Stout (Clarion) 4-2 Stephen Neal (CSU Bakersfield) over Tolly Thompson (Nebraska) 5-4 NCAA Quarterfinals Kerry McCoy (Penn State) over Jason Gleasman (Syracuse) 9-1 Bryan Stout (Clarion) over Justin Harty (North Carolina) 5-1 Stephen Neal (CSU Bakersfield) over Nick Nutter (Ohio State) Fall 4:05 Tolly Thompson (Nebraska) over Airron Richardson (Michigan) Fall 4:45 NCAA Bloodround Bill Closson (Lehigh) over Nick Nutter (Ohio State) 4-3 Shelton Benjamin (Minnesota) over Airron Richardson (Michigan) 5-2 Jason Gleasman (Syracuse) over Darin Priesendorf (Fresno State) Fall 5:21 Justin Harty (North Carolina) over Wes Hand (Iowa) 4-1 Top 12 Seeds 1. McCoy 2. Neal 3. Thompson 4. Stout 5. Harty 6. Richardson 7. Seth Brady (Illinois) 8. Gleasman 9. Bob Puzio (American) 10. Nutter 11. Priesendorf 12. Closson Conference Champions ACC: Harty Big 8: Thompson Big Ten: McCoy CAA: Puzio East Regional: Kenneth Hunter (Coppin State) ECWA: Dion Reed (Boston) EIWA: Gleasman EWL: Stout MAC: Jim Guttridge (Ohio) Pac-10: Neal SoCon: Leslie Apedoe (VMI) WAC: Priesendorf Fun Facts - This bracket contained a pair of wrestlers that entered the tournament with NCAA titles already (McCoy - 1994, Thompson - 1995). - Just a year later, Kerry McCoy would make the Senior World Team at 130 kg. In 1999, Stephen Neal took the spot and went on to win a World Championship. McCoy reclaimed the spot at the 2000 Olympic Trials, making the first of two Olympic teams. With Tolly Thompson, you have three wrestlers who’d go on to claim world medals from this weight class. - That big three all claimed at least one NCAA title during their careers. Five total; Thompson (1/95), McCoy (2/94/97), Neal (2/98/99). - This bracket contained six wrestlers that made an NCAA final at one point or another during their collegiate careers. The big three; plus, Justin Harty (1996), Trent Hynek (1998), and Wes Hand (2000). - Six of these wrestlers already had NCAA All-American honors under their belt prior to the tournament, McCoy, Neal, Thompson, Harty, Richardson, and Nutter. - Of all the great wrestlers from this bracket, only Neal, Harty, and Stout were four-time All-Americans. - The trio of McCoy, Neal, and Thompson are the only three wrestlers in this bracket to earn #1 seeds at the NCAA Tournament. The three combined to have the top seed every year from 1994-2000. - 14 wrestlers from this bracket earned All-American honors at least once during their collegiate careers. The eight AA’s from 1997; plus, Nutter, Richardson, Hand, Leslie Apedoe, and Mat Orndorff. - Those 14 AA’s combined to get on the podium 33 times. Comparisons Here is where we compare the 1997 275 lb weight class to the two brackets we’ve previously covered 2009 (157 lbs) and 2019 (133 lbs). Returning NCAA Champions: 1997 (2), 2009 (2), 2019 (0) Total NCAA Champions: 1997 (3), 2009 (4), 2019 (2) Total NCAA Titles Won: 1997 (5), 2009 (5), 2019 (4) Total NCAA Finalists: 1997 (6), 2009 (6), 2019 (5) Total NCAA All-Americans: 1997 (14), 2009 (14), 2019 (14) Total Times Those Wrestlers AA’ed: 1997 (33), 2009 (31), 2019 (31) Number of Wrestlers Seeded #1 at NCAA’s: 1997 (3), 2009 (5), 2019 (4) Number of World Medalists: 1997 (3), 2009 (1), 2019 (2) Number of Hodge Trophy Winners: 1997 (2), 2009 (1), 2019 (0) Conclusion: We gave a slight edge to the 2009 157 lb weight class during our last edition. In many ways, this bracket is very similar. The sheer star power from the top three from 1997 gives it the edge. This bracket produced a pair of Hodge Trophy winners, along with a trio of world medalists, which is extremely rare. The top three from the 1997 heavyweight class were so good that they had a pair of four-time All-Americans that were unable to crack the top three (Stout/Harty).

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Historical Bracket Breakdown: 275 lbs at the 1997 NCAA Championships

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