Bobby Douglas: the head coach who led Arizona St. to win it all in 1988

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

I wish we could have kept Bobby Douglas in the coaching ranks for longer after he handed the head coaching baton at Iowa State to his protégé Cael.   Previously Arizona State's rise to the 1988 NCAA D1 championship (which he led) was historic.   It's the ONLY time any college wrestling team west of the Rockies has won it all at the NCAA D1 level.   

https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/1/9/-asuwrestling-to-honor-hall-of-fame-coach-bobby-douglas-at-sun-devil-duals.aspx



    Cal. State Bakersfield admittedly did well at the (I guess D2) level out there, decades ago.   However, Coach Douglas showed it could be done at the D1 level in that underserved region, too.   Coach Davis went on to recruit Cael Sanderson from the West (Utah) and help produce that history-maker at Iowa State.   

    Perhaps Coach Douglas had another run left in him upon handing the Cyclone head coaching baton to Cael.   I'd like to think he'd have focused on frontier-opening endeavors, post-Iowa State, but I don't know what those might have been.  Any thoughts?   Restoring Cal. State Bakersfield to greatness would have been hard to do without Sunkist-level funds.   Rescuing Cal. State Fullerton's program from discontinuation just under two decades ago would have been, too.   As for UC: Davis:  I don't know either.   Maybe he could have gotten the U. of Arizona's program in Tucson reinstated?   

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

 

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

 I have read that Coach Douglas traces his roots to what is now South Sudan, which has an impressive wrestling tradition.   Here's a very brief (1 minute long) video of how South Sudan strives for  peace among otherwise warring tribes by hosting wrestling competitions between them.  Such showdowns are well attended.