The 1994 Intermat Forum Hodge Trophy Goes To...

[Wrestleknownothing]

Using the 10 champions as our finalists, who would you vote for to win the Hodge had there been a Hodge in 1994?

In our Hodge electioneering is not just allowed, it is encouraged.

Use the comments to state your case for your favorite in a naked attempt to sway the vote.

[Wrestleknownothing]

I will kick it off. It has to be Pat Smith, right? First ever 4-timer. And he wins a bracket that is pretty loaded. To the point Flo writes an article about it almost 30 years later.

https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/10985424-the-158-pound-bracket-at-the-1994-ncaa-championships-defies-logic

[Gene Mills Fan]

Can you include  record, majors, tf, pins? 

maybe just top 3 each year if its too much time

Edited April 3 by Gene Mills Fan

[MPhillips]

It has to be Smith...

 

[Wrestleknownothing]

1 minute ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

Can you include  record, majors, tf, pins? 

Thought about it, but it would have been a lot of work to find. Maybe on other years. Or.....what have you got on your plate today? Interested in some extra credit points?

[okokzach]

What were the criteria in the first year of the Hodge (95?)

[MPhillips]

2 minutes ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

Can you include  record, majors, tf, pins? 

maybe just top 3 each year if its too much time

Smith won 5-3 in Final over Bormet.

https://www.wrestlingstats.com/ncaa/pdf/brackets/NCAA 1994.pdf

[Wrestleknownothing]

3 minutes ago, okokzach said:

What were the criteria in the first year of the Hodge (95?)

They did not list explicit criteria that first year, but they did emphasize pinfalls:

"It’s a tough call because both Gutches and Jaworsky are worthy winners of the Hodge Trophy. In the final analysis, the determining factors were twofold: Hodge was one of the greatest pinners of all time and the W.I.N. staff wanted pinning to play a large role in the selection process.

Jaworsky scored 24 pins this season. From what we could tell, that was the highest number of pins this season and perhaps the highest number of pins for any Division I collegian in several seasons."

But for some reason they misspelled pinfalls.

[Wrestleknownothing]

The first mention of criteria doesn't come until 2002. Then it was:

"A number of criteria are used to select the Hodge Trophy winner as college wrestling’s most outstanding wrestler: dominance on the mat, number of pins, record, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship, citizenship and heart."

again with the misspelling.

[Gene Mills Fan]

undefeated wrestlers:

 

Henson  37-0  0 pins

Fried  31-0  0 pins

McIlravy 27-0  1 pin

Smith   30-0 13 pins

McCoy 47-0 11 pins

 

 

[jross]

McCoy had the wins (47) with limited falls (11) (undefeated) | other seasons indicate lower number of pins/majors

Sharratt had two losses.

Morrison had three losses.

Branch had nine losses.

Smith had 13 falls in 30 matches and won a tough bracket. (undefeated)

McIIravy had 1 fall in 27 matches. (undefeated)

Fried had ? falls in 31 matches. (undefeated) | can't find pins but none in NCAA tourney and not on OSU top pins list

Jaworsky had 4 losses.

Hirsch had 3 losses.

Henson had 5 falls in 37 matches.   (undefeated)

 

-----------

Have to go with Smith for wins, pins, and winning the bracket that defies logic.

https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/10985424-the-158-pound-bracket-at-the-1994-ncaa-championships-defies-logic

[VakAttack]

12 minutes ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

undefeated wrestlers:

 

Henson  37-0  0 pins

Fried  31-0  0 pins

McIlravy 27-0  1 pin

Smith   30-0 13 pins

McCoy 47-0 11 pins

 

 

If this is correct, than I think it's a pretty clear win for Smith.

[Jim L]

11 minutes ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

undefeated wrestlers:

 

Henson  37-0  0 pins

Fried  31-0  0 pins

McIlravy 27-0  1 pin

Smith   30-0 13 pins

McCoy 47-0 11 pins

 

 

Wow, one pin between Henson, Fired and Mac, so much for wrestling back in the day being more exciting because everyone was always going for the pin! 

[Gene Mills Fan]

1 minute ago, Jim L said:

Wow, one pin between Henson, Fired and Mac, so much for wrestling back in the day being more exciting because everyone was always going for the pin! 

I just looked at one source. the link provided had their records if you searched for 1994 champions. J Ross has more pins associated with people

[jross]

Yea the Wrestling Hall of Fame NCAA records had falls stats but the value 0 by a NCAA champion indicates they don't have the information.  Henson had 5 pins... per Clemson.  Example: https://www.scmat.com/Clemson Wrestling 1994-1995 program.pdf

[scourge165]

4 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

I will kick it off. It has to be Pat Smith, right? First ever 4-timer. And he wins a bracket that is pretty loaded. To the point Flo writes an article about it almost 30 years later.

https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/10985424-the-158-pound-bracket-at-the-1994-ncaa-championships-defies-logic

Nope. This part is not compelling;

Quote

 

NCAA champions in the bracket

— Barry Weldon (Iowa State) was a freshman who went 0-2 at the tournament but eventually won a title at 177 pounds in 1997.

— Pat Smith (Oklahoma State) was a senior who won his fourth NCAA championship in 1994 and became the first four-time NCAA Division I champion in history.

— Joe Williams (Iowa) was a true freshman who placed seventh and went on to win NCAA titles in 1996, 1997, and 1998. 

— Markus Mollica (Arizona State) was the returning NCAA champion but placed fifth in the 1994 tournament. He went on to win an NCAA title in 1995 followed by a fourth-place finish in 1996. 

 

I remember making this argument about the 184 pound weight this year. McEnelly(3,?,?,?), Keck(3,3,2,1,2), Starocci(5X). 

Iowa didn't Wrestle Ferrari because they knew it wouldn't be competitive, Sinclair took a RS, Welsh also took one(though apparently not for the same reason)...but I think when we look back, Starocci will have a similarly competitive bracket. 

 

HWT likely won't(unless Kueter wrestles the next 3 years then...it could) have the number of champs, but...Gable, an Olympian, Kerk a NC/Runner Up and Wyatt?

We all know the articles written in the future, ESPECIALLY if this...motivates Stevenson to really push it and try and go for Gold in '28, they'll be about that upset. Still probably the most improbable thing I've seen live. 

[11986]

Fried once pinned Tom Brands in like 20 seconds. I'm guessing he pinned somebody in '94....

wrestlingstats used to have detailed info on wrestlers from Oklahoma State (amongst a few other schools). Unfortunately, it looks like that info is no longer accessible. 

Without the full detailed stats for all, I'm going Smith, Fried, Henson in that order. Mac and McCoy suffer from being sophomores at the time. 

[Wrestleknownothing]

16 minutes ago, scourge165 said:

Nope. This part is not compelling;

I remember making this argument about the 184 pound weight this year. McEnelly(3,?,?,?), Keck(3,3,2,1,2), Starocci(5X). 

Iowa didn't Wrestle Ferrari because they knew it wouldn't be competitive, Sinclair took a RS, Welsh also took one(though apparently not for the same reason)...but I think when we look back, Starocci will have a similarly competitive bracket. 

 

HWT likely won't(unless Kueter wrestles the next 3 years then...it could) have the number of champs, but...Gable, an Olympian, Kerk a NC/Runner Up and Wyatt?

We all know the articles written in the future, ESPECIALLY if this...motivates Stevenson to really push it and try and go for Gold in '28, they'll be about that upset. Still probably the most improbable thing I've seen live. 

Not sure why you are using this as a referendum to discuss 2025. There is no shortage of threads where you can do that.

Edited April 3 by Wrestleknownothing

[Cornell Kevin]

When I was in HS, I got to go to the NCAAs At Carver. The year was 1995, it was my sophomore year. Anyway, I look back and what an experience! I got to see:

- the first 4 Hodge Trophy winners in one tournament. Was this the only time ever that an NCAAs would have 4 Hodge winners (to be) in it? No idea, but to have the first 4 was special. 

Jaworsky that same year (1st one they did 1995)

Les Gutches would win the 2nd ever Hodge in 1996.  He was at these 1995 NCAAs and quite dominant winning his first NCAA title. He was the Hodge runner up to Jaworsky in 1995

Kerry McCoy would win the 3rd ever Hodge in 1997.. He was at these NCAAs entering as the returning NCAA champ but would get upset in the semis and take 3rd..  He would then red shirt and comms back to win his second title and a Hodge as a senior. 

MarK Ironside would win the 4th ever Hodge in 1998. He was at these NCAAs as a freshman and would finish 6th at these NCAAs I was at and go on to finish 3-1-1 the next 3 years.  

Other things I got to see which I will

always remember at these NCAAs 

 

• 2x NCAA champion at the time, Lincoln McIlravy getting upset in the final, at Carver mind you, to Steve Marianetti (Illinois) 13-10 snapping his 57 match win streak and ultimately preventing him from becoming a 4xer as he would red shirt the following year and then win his 3rd title a year later.   Lincoln had beaten Marianetti both times he faced him previous to this (1993 NCAA semis and two weeks prior to this loss at the 1995 Big ten finals 6-4).  This was shocking at the time. Marianetti took him down 5x in that final.  

 

• Kerry McCoy having his 88 match win streak snapped in the semifinals with a 4-3 loss to Northern Iowa’s Justin Greenlee.  Shocking!  McCoy came back to take 3rd. McCoy was the MOW of big tens two weeks prior, he was the defending NCAA champ having gone 48-0 the year prior, and was on an 88 match win streak. Had he been able to win that match, he would have likely ended his career with a 132 match win streak as that semi loss was his only loss from his soph to senior year (131-1). He actually wrestled 190 as a freshman and only went 19-17.  

• Just seeing Dan Gable coach (he only would go on to coach two more seasons):  This and seeing him at Carver, it was incredible. The newspapers were filled with wrestling and talking front page all over.

 

• A guy from my high school, Dan Payne, wrestled heavy weight for Clarion and we got to see him get on the podium which was special. she entered college as a 177 pounder and ballooned up to a 285.  
 

• Got to go down into the wrestling room and in there practicing were Tom and Terry with each other along with Bruce Baumgartner and many others .

Ventured a little off topic here but just wanted to share my experience.

 

[D3 for LU]

1994 at Dean Smith Center-UNC @ Chapel Hill... My Wife and I were there. Nice campus and spring had sprung in full force (the main street was surrounded w/ flowering apple... beautiful!)

Saw Pat Smith get his 4th NCAA championship... he got my vote.

D3

Edited April 19 by D3 for LU

[fishbane]

On 4/3/2025 at 10:45 AM, jross said:

Smith had 13 falls in 30 matches and won a tough bracket. (undefeated)

Fried had ? falls in 31 matches. (undefeated) | can't find pins but none in NCAA tourney and not on OSU top pins list

I found that Smith only had 3 falls in 30 matches in 1994.  He had 13 his junior year, 1992.  I couldn't find the number of falls Fried had in 1994, but he had a bonus rate of 83.9% bonus rate in 1994 which means bonus points in 26 of 31 matches.  Smith's bonus rate was lower, 80%.

I found a full breakout of their career records. Fried had more falls and a higher career fall percentage.  Assuming a constant rate of falls over all seasons Fried would have 6 his senior season, though I haven't found any example of a match he won by fall that year.

Fried 128-6, 26 Falls, 1 FFT, 18TF, 53MD., Win %95.52, Bonus %73.1

Smith 122-4-2, 21 Falls, 2 FFTs, 27TF, 35MD, Win %95.31, Bonus %66.4

 

[D3 for LU]

Falls, bonus points, etcetera... imho, I think we can call a pass to that for the first 4X NCAA champion in Div 1 wrestling.

One off and that'll be that.

Don't you think?

D3

[fishbane]

1 minute ago, D3 for LU said:

Falls, bonus points, etcetera... imho, I think we can call a pass to that for the first 4X NCAA champion in Div 1 wrestling.

One off and that'll be that.

Don't you think?

D3

That's how I'd vote, but I voted for Starocci this year.

[D3 for LU]

Good for you!

D3

[Idaho]

1 hour ago, fishbane said:

I found that Smith only had 3 falls in 30 matches in 1994.  He had 13 his junior year, 1992.  I couldn't find the number of falls Fried had in 1994, but he had a bonus rate of 83.9% bonus rate in 1994 which means bonus points in 26 of 31 matches.  Smith's bonus rate was lower, 80%.

I found a full breakout of their career records. Fried had more falls and a higher career fall percentage.  Assuming a constant rate of falls over all seasons Fried would have 6 his senior season, though I haven't found any example of a match he won by fall that year.

Fried 128-6, 26 Falls, 1 FFT, 18TF, 53MD., Win %95.52, Bonus %73.1

Smith 122-4-2, 21 Falls, 2 FFTs, 27TF, 35MD, Win %95.31, Bonus %66.4

 

In 1994 Fried had 16 falls/tech falls combined and 10 majors (with the numbers of above). it does not split them up to see how many falls he actually had. Most likely more than "0". He also majored every guy he faced (5) in the NCAA tournament. 

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20091003014217/http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-wrestl/archive/individual-records.html

Edited April 19 by Idaho