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Feels like Steve Neal should be the poster boy for this. Placed 4th as a senior in HS in 1994 (only time he placed), goes to CSU Bakersfield where he proceeds to go 4,2,1,1 at NCAAs (last 2 seasons undefeated), wins US Open, Pan Ams, and a World Championship in 1999, and second at 2000 Olympic Trials. Switches to football and becomes a 3x Super Bowl Champ with the Patriots. Who woulda thunk it? Nothing short of spectacular! ...There's also Anthony Cassar...

Yea he took 3rd his senior yr losing in the semis to the legendary Paul Finn who is the only guy in NJ history to go undefeated with all pins for an entire season .. that weight class was pretty wild , Baumgartner beat future pro wrestler bam bam Bigelow in that tournament , also jim Jeffcoat who played 15 years for the Dallas cowboys and won 2 superbowls lost on the otherside to Finn

I just stumbled across the old Jaggers finals match against Ryan Williams from the 2009 finals. Williams best finish was 7th in PIAAs during high school. Unlike our esteemed friend WKN, I pose a trivia question without having any answers.. But it raised the question.. who are some of the most successful D1 wrestlers you recall with a lack of high school success? Requirement for your answers is zero high school state championships. Don't you dare say Anthony Cassar on this thread.

I remember this topic from a year ago. Guys from PA with no PIAA titles. Some with Prep Titles. Credit goes to @lu_alum

Early 80s Californian's: 1980 Cal State Bakersfield's (D2) D1 National Champs 118 Joe Gonzales and 126 John Azevedo 1982 University of Oklahoma's National Champs 167 Dave Schultz and 177 Mark Schultz of note, all 4 were Olympians, JA on the 80 boycott team and the other 3 1984 (Soviet boycott) both Schultz were the 2 seeds and defeated the 1 seeds in the finals, with Mark Schultz beating 1984 Olympic teammate and fellow Gold Medal winner Ed Banach

Chris Ayers - AA for Lehigh with 120 wins in college. Non-placer at PA State(s).

This is a better way to do it. You get more engagement, more debate. I am just not creative enough to come up with good questions like this.

Ben Askren is already a legend as far as I am concerned. Among the people who I feel literally changed the sport of wrestling like Wade Schalles and Dan Gable, I put Ben Askren right up there with them. I am glad he is still here with us.

CA Diamond in the rough: CA State Placer (6/7th? and 5th), NCAA Champion and current CBU head coach Derek Moore

Williams and McIlravy.

Ben Peterson 2X NCAA Champ, 3X AA, Oly Champ, Oly Silver, World Bronze

Brock Lesnar

Bruce Baumgartner

Vince Robinson. Zero HS championships, though everyone in IL knows he had the talent level to be a multi-time state champ. So it's not like he had dramatic improvement at NC St., just bad luck in HS.

Shows up and finds the doors locked at Lied Rec and Hilton Coliseum. Flags down a Paper Router coming by on his bike and snags a newspaper. Front Page Title, "Larry Owings Named New Athletic Director for the Iowa State Cyclones." Dan grips the paper tightly and snarks, "Newman".

The two Lieberman bros from Lehigh during the 1970’s Dad and I watched on tv in Long Island is most memorable as a kid.

While other forums are foolishly charging a fee to participate, this one provides fascinating history like this for free.

Dave Shultz Mark Shultz 167 177

Gilman Clark McDonough Ramos

Heard Ben Hammered had little success.

Picklo was so naive about wrestling that his teammates made fun of his complete lack of awareness. “You have the French national champion Andre ‘For-fee-ay’ in the first round,” they would tell him. Picklo didn’t know that FORFEIT was not an actual person. “Where is UNAT located?” Picklo asked one of his teammates. “I’ve never heard of that college before.” “That’s the University of Northern Atlanta Tech,” his teammate replied. Picklo eventaully figured out that UNAT stood for unattached. Well, Dave Dean’s formula eventually worked. Picklo, as we know, became a two-time All-American and a Big Ten champion. His points at the 1996 NCAA tournament were part of a seventh place finish for the Spartans.

Being true to my CA roots, while not technically qualified, it seems disingenuous (almost criminal) to not include Mark Schultz in this tread. He's the ultimate Diamond in the Rough- hear me out . . . Mark Schultz won a CA state championship his senior year (1978) wrestling for Palo Alto High, which technically disqualifies him from this thread. He won in R16 7-6, Quarters 4-4 OT, 5-2 in semis and 7-4 in finals, hardly dominate, but also upsetting 3 undefeated wrestlers along the way. What makes his senior run improbable (and more so his later accomplishments), is that prior to winning that state title, he is the only wrestler in CA history to never win a single tournament before his run up to a state title (just crazy). Mark's official CA high school record is 34-8, including 4-6 as a junior. Not highly recruited, he attended UCLA and went 18-8 as a freshman...transfers Oklahoma in 1979 and redshirts- fails to place in every tournament that year (flashback to high school). We all know what happens after that...In 1980, unranked, beats #1 Mike DeAnna, gets ranked #2 and goes on to win 3 NCAA D1 Championships, including denying Ed Banach (another all-time great) a chance to become the first 4x D1 champ. Continues on to be a 2x World Champ, Olympic Champ, and a legend in our sport.

Tervel Dlagnev wasn't a D1 AA but he was a D2 multiple champ who beat D1 Champ Dustin Fox at the midlands. I think he was a 1X 5th in Texas at 215. That might not have made him a state qualifier in a lot of states, and he ends up an NCAA champ level guy with a ton of World Teams. I'm not sure anyone who reached those heights was lower in HS.

Joe Kemmerer beat him pretty easily. I don't think Williams was beating Joe K that season.

He might end up staying in Iran. But the decision isn’t entirely his - his father, who’s a former wrestling champion himself, also plays a big role. And there’s always a chance people around them could sway his dad with nationalistic pressure. They’re really in a tough spot. The regime’s supporters - who usually act like Iran’s history started with Islam - suddenly turn into proud defenders of thousands of years of ancient civilization whenever a top athlete considers leaving. They flood them with patriotic comments, callouts about "betraying the motherland," and throw around the word "traitor" to guilt them into staying. Then once they’ve messed up the person’s future, they vanish like they were never part of it.

This one is a little outside the box but I think Travis Lee fits the bill. Prior to his run at Junior Nationals his Sr year he was overlooked by all the top coaches except Koll. The wrestler from Hawaii wasn't getting much love in HS. He is also the spark that propelled the Cornell program. I'd put him at the top of the list for this category.

Drew Foster?

Did a little fun bingo card for the last stretch to Fargo on 94 for most teams coming through Minnesota from the east.

Such a non-sequitor. I have never claimed support for any of them. You keep forgetting I am a Republican who is unhappy with Trump, and with the Republican Party for bowing to him, not a Democrat.

I'm not being cynical, I am being 100% serious when I ask: what kind of message is being sent to kids who are the future of our sport, and every olympic sport hanging on fear dear life at this point, that there are no consequences for pissing hot and being suspended for two years?

I want to cook him a big dish of home-mades and meatballs and tell him to eat as much as he can and get some rest. Don't worry about us.

Yes, what this guy said is reprehensible (and the random pediatrician too while we’re at it). But no, I don’t particularly care what some random person that no one knows says, on either side of the aisle, unless it’s something that a lot of people are saying. And if a lot of people are saying it that usually includes people that we actually know who they are. Yes, people broadcasting ideas on social media can influence others. That usually requires people to actually be following them though. This guy has 477 followers. Laura Loomer has 1.7 million. To equate the two like @mspart does below is silly. Also most probably should know Loomer, she was previously an advisor to Trump and had accompanied him on various trips, and if I was a betting man, had an affair with him even though she looks gross. I think he ultimately dumped her in both capacities though after realizing how crazy she was.

Masoumi should look out for himself. This system's backwards way of selecting wrestlers has chased many great competitors out of the sport. No one is going to remember his loyalty when he's 36 and retired with no world level medals. It's the Zare's who will get cushy jobs and respect. Unless they are paying him a handsome amount that will leave him set for life, I'd take the 3 year hit. Wait it out and go win world and olympic medals. Even if you never beat Zare, don't waste away your entire career.

I know you would rather re-litigate the Biden years than talk about what Trump is actively failing to do right now. When you finish building that time machine let us all know.

Bored?

Nicole Kaup, English language and communication coach, is a native speaker of standard American English. She was born in Southern California & currently lives in Seattle, Washington. She is focused on reducing the accent. I would have guessed she was from the Midwest, like Kansas/Iowa/Nebraska... General American... Neutral...

He was there actively training when I was down there two weeks ago

Me nah know nuhting!

RRRRRRASTAFAR I !!!!

I'd say Jamaica mon!! mspart

He has less than 500 followers. You guys are a joke. Where were you when a Laura Loomer, someone who has personally met with Trump, implied she wanted to kill every Latino in Ameriica. You didn't seem all that concerned then.

Arkansas elite.

It's not the Queen's English.

Are we supposed to care about a candidate for city council? Do you know how many lunatics run for city council?

Are we supposed to know who that is?

trump is completing them. good job, snow plow the word i think you are looking for is complimenting

Worth mentioning that Vincent Robinson wasn't on many people's radars at this time last year and won a title. I expect Cody Merrill to win a title at some point. I think Beric Jordan is an AA threat next year. Other guys I like are Charlie Millard and Pierson Manville.

One of the Tate brothers offering to cover the lung transplant.