"Richland College is resurrecting its wrestling program this fall! In the 1970's and 1980's, Richland dominated Texas Collegiate Wrestling," the school's press release said.
"All the other Texas schools had dropped their program. We were forced to go to Kansas every weekend and it just got to be too much so we dropped the program," Neal told a Dallas-area TV station. "Now there were tons of kids, particularly DISD (Dallas Independent School District) kids, with no place to go. They either didn't have the money, they didn't have their grades. It was almost a no-brainer, this is an opportunity for these kids to get back into school and continue a sport that they love so much."
"We're one of only three two-year schools in the Southwest region with a wrestling program," Neal said in an interview for the Richland College student newsletter. "A lot of kids in this area can't afford to go to a four-year school and don't have the grades to go to a university, so we're an option for them that they didn't have before."
Neal pointed out that 21 schools in the Dallas Independent School District have wrestling programs; most of them have girls' teams, too. More than 11,000 boys and 4,000 girls wrestle in Texas high schools.
"In the past, I had to recruit kids from El Paso, Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge," he added. "Restarting the program here was a no-brainer. These kids had no place to go, so we cranked up the program again."
The Thunderducks wrestling program will compete in the NCWA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association), and will be eligible to qualify for regional and national tournaments.
Founded in 1972, Richland College is a two-year community college that is part of the Dallas County Community College District. It has an enrollment of approximately 20,000 students. According to the school's website, "Richland College has focused on teaching, learning and community building. In recognition of these efforts, the White House and the Dept. of Commerce named Richland a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the only community college to have received this award."
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