The Best Wrestler Who Never Was

[MedicineMan]

In 1966, a high school sophomore named Siddidi Finch, an adopted Iranian-born foster child from Oak Park, Illinois, whose parents died in a plane crash near Nepal, entered the Tbilisi tournament in Georgia and won... defeating 5-time world champ Ali Aliyev.  He was denied the championship' however, when it was discovered he did not meet the minimum age requirement of 18 years.

He never wrestled in high school folk style matches and only pursued freestyle. The majority of his training during his teen years occurred in Japan, where he was coached by the father of Yojiro Uetake Obata, and accompanied the elder Uetake on many trips to Tibet to learn yogic mastery of mind-body under the great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa.  The elder Uetake when asked about the wrestling skills of the teenage Finch, stated:  "Siddidi has taught my son, Yojiro, many skills."
 

He did however, after graduating high school, walk on at Portland State university, where he twice defeated Rick Sanders in wrestle offs, but was denied a starting spot in the line up because of "academic performance"... The truth is, Finch rarely attended classes, other than to take exams, and in fact his GPA was a 4.0, but the University staff frowned on his absenses from the classroom.
 
After the debacle at Portland State, Finch decided not to pursue a wrestling career, instead choosing to play the French horn or golf or something.  What if.... Imagine how great he would have been.

Below is the only known photo of Finch, sparring with Yojo, taken by his father.

 

[jackwebster]

Every year.

[PortaJohn]

4 minutes ago, MedicineMan said:

Finch decided not to pursue a wrestling career, instead choosing to play the French horn or golf or something.

You're facts are a little off.  He joined the CIA and was instrumental in Tony Mendez's rescue of six US diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis.  The movie Argo is based on those events

[Threadkilla]

Music was his clarion call.

[Offthemat]

9 minutes ago, Threadkilla said:

Music was his clarion call.

Playing the clarionette, no doubt. 

[moodybooty]

46 minutes ago, Threadkilla said:

Music was his clarion call.

He ended up just getting a finance degree at Clarion, actually. He got the Master’s in Music at Slippery Rock.

[Idaho]

1 hour ago, jackwebster said:

Every year.

Yep... every year....

[ionel]

8 minutes ago, moodybooty said:

He ended up just getting a finance degree at Clarion, actually. He got the Master’s in Music at Slippery Rock.

don't forget the Culinary PhD from California State Bakersfield.

[Idaho]

8 minutes ago, ionel said:

don't forget the Culinary PhD from California State Bakersfield.

Who, by the way, still has a wrestling program. 

[Major Kong]

No, he was George Santo's Life Coach for many years, before disappearing on a solo kayaking journey through headhunter country at the headwaters of the Amazon.

[D3 for LU]

Hooooooooo boy! 

D3

[Matthew Burns]

Mark Schultz caddies for him whenever he golfs.

[D3 for LU]

Okaaaay...

D3

[ionel]

Chuck Norris washes & waxes his car every Tuesday. 

[scourge165]

This might actually get me if you changed the name a bit. "Siddi Finch?" 

 

[MPhillips]

Wasn't meant to, "get" anyone. 

More of a stroll through the back pages of our pasts.

[BuckyBadger]

On a serious note wasn’t there a wrestler from Oklahoma in the 80s who was as big a recruit as they come, maybe even a junior world champ, and nothing came of his career after high school? 

[BuckyBadger]

Took me a little while to remember, but it was Tony Cook.

[MadMardigain]

If only Cornell would have offers him an At school scholarship.  Oh, what could have been.  

[billyhoyle]

Heard he is a pretty good pitcher too. 

[AgaveMaria]

You guys miss him. He retired and became a manager at a farm in Italy.

This documentary about the Ranch will show you what he manages.

 

[Bardamu911]

the Iranian Sidd Finch