InterMat Staff

World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) will provide same-day delayed coverage of the 2007 FILA World Wrestling Championship from Baku, Azerbaijan, on September 17 - 22. Fans can log on to www.wcsn.com to watch top athletes from over 70 countries compete in wrestling's most important competition as well as the first Olympic qualifying event of the year. Viewers tuning in will also hear special commentary provided by 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist, Jamill Kelly. In addition to a strong female competition, male athletes from around the world will go head-to-head in the Freestyle and Greco Roman categories. For U.S fans, the U.S championship team includes No. 1 ranked twenty-year-old Henry Cejudo, gold medalist at the recent Pan American Games in Brazil and the youngest U.S. World Team member in freestyle since 1979. Rounding out the team is Mike Zadick, 2006 World silver medalist, Daniel Cormier, 2007 Pan American bronze medalist, and Joe William, two-time World bronze medalist. What: Same-day delay and on-demand coverage of 2007 World Wrestling Championships Online: www.wcsn.com/wrestling When: September 17 - 22, 2007 Schedule*: Monday, September 17, 2007 - Men Greco- Roman 55-60-66kg, Bronze & Gold Finals - 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - Men Greco-Roman 74-84-96kg, Bronze & Gold Finals - 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - Men Greco- Roman 120kg, men's Freestyle 55 & 60kg, Bronze & Gold Finals - 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday, September 20, 2007 - Men's Freestyle 66-74-84kg, Bronze & Gold Finals - 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET Friday, September 21, 2007 - Men's Freestyle 96 & 120kg, - Female Wrestling 48kg, Bronze & Gold Finals - 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, September 22, 2007 - Female Wrestling 51-55-59kg, Bronze & Gold Finals - 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday, September 23, 2007 - Female Wrestling 63-67-72kg, Bronze & Gold Finals - 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. ET *Schedule subject to change. Visit Online:www.wcsn.com/wrestling for the most up-to-date schedule. Wrestling enthusiasts can follow every minute of the action online with live and on-demand coverage, via a $4.95 monthly subscription, plus free access to results, video highlights, breaking news, behind-the-scenes features, and more. Visit www.wcsn.com for detailed schedules. About WCSN: World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the premier destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an immersive experience via exclusive live and on demand coverage of world class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in depth access to sports news and information year round. WCSN offers comprehensive coverage of over 60 sports disciplines, through exclusive long term programming agreements across a number of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies. Major championship events in sports ranging from Track & Field, Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling to Volleyball, Karate and Taekwondo are featured online at www.wcsn.com and on television via WCSN's 24/7 cable sports network. WCSN also markets Olympic sports in partnership with International Federations, National Governing Bodies, local organizations, clubs, sponsors, and through related websites and publications.

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- Nine opponents that finished in the Top 25 at last March's NCAA Division I Championship, seven home matches, three dual tournaments and two in-season tournaments highlight the 2007-08 Hofstra University Wrestling schedule announced Wednesday by Pride head coach Tom Shifflet. Hofstra will also host the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Wrestling Championships on March 7 and 8 at the David S. Mack Sports Complex. The Pride, who finished seventh at the 2007 NCAA Championships, will open the 2007-08 season at home at the Mack Sports Complex on Saturday, November 10 when the University of Missouri comes to Long Island for a 7 p.m. match. The Tigers finished third in last year's NCAA Championships. Other NCAA Top 25 finishers that the Pride will host include: number nine Edinboro and number 15 Central Michigan on January 6; number 16 Nebraska on February 17; number 22 Harvard on December 9; and number 25 Pennsylvania on January 27. Hofstra will also face several other top 25 programs on the road and in dual tournaments including: number five Oklahoma State at the Northeast Duals in Guilderland Center, NY on November 24; number 11 Penn State in State College, PA on November 17; and number 12 Cornell in Ithaca, NY. In addition to the Northeast Duals in the Albany, NY suburbs, the Pride will also face nationally-ranked competition at the NWCA-Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA on January 12 and 13. Participants in the National Duals include Central Michigan, Cornell, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, UT-Chattanooga, and West Virginia. Hofstra will also compete for individual and team titles at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, NC on December 29 and 30, and at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on November 30 and December 1.

The 2007 National Champion University of Minnesota wrestling team will visit Washington, D.C. on Friday, Sept. 21 to commemorate their third NCAA title in the past six years. Head coach J Robinson, University athletic director Joel Maturi, Minnesota's championship squad and several team staff and administration members will be making stops at the Capital, Pentagon and the White House, where they will meet President George W. Bush. Friday morning, the team will enjoy tours at both the Capitol and Pentagon buildings before their afternoon appointment at the White House with the President. In 2001, the then-national champion Gophers became the first collegiate wrestling team to ever visit the White House, spending 25 minutes with President Bush and receiving a personal tour of the Oval Office from our country's chief executive. During Coach Robinson's tenure at Minnesota, the Gophers wrestling team has become one of the most successful programs in collegiate athletic history. The Gophers have captured three national championships since 2001, boast 10 NCAA individual champions since 1998, 62 All-Americans in the last decade and six Big Ten titles in nine years. Minnesota stormed through the 2006-2007 season, going 20-1 in dual meets and gaining team titles at the National Duals and Big Ten Championships before taking home their third NCAA Championship on March 18. Five Gophers – Jayson Ness (125 lbs.), Dustin Schlatter (149), C.P. Schlatter (157), Roger Kish (184) and Cole Konrad (Hwt.) – finished in the top eight at nationals and earned All-American status. The Gophers' second Washington visit also marks the return of 2007 national heavyweight champion Konrad, the only Gopher All-American to graduate last spring. Konrad cemented his place alongside Golden Gopher legends Verne Gagne, Tim Hartung and Damion Hahn by winning his second straight national championship in 2007. Konrad finished his career with 76 wins in a row and a 154-13-0 career record, just five wins behind the all-time mark of 159 held by Ed Giese. He also had 50 pins, which rank second in school history. Cole Konrad also became Minnesota's fifth four-time All-American, joining Chad Kraft, Luke Becker, Jared Lawrence and Hahn. The 2007-08 Gopher wrestling season opens on Nov. 10 when Minnesota partakes in the 2007 Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State. The defending national champions return to Williams Arena for their home opener Dec. 2.

Every fall, as a new college wrestling season starts, individual wrestlers and their teams work towards one ultimate goal: to win the national championship at the NCAAs in March. 1947 Cornell College Wrestling TeamEven for the programs that are loaded with talent, the odds of claiming the national team title are very long. In the nearly 80 years of NCAA wrestling championships, the vast majority of team titles have been won by just five teams: Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Of course, there have been exceptions, including Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) in 1950 … Penn State in 1953 … Michigan State in 1967 … and Arizona State in 1988. Arguably the biggest "exception" involved the smallest school ever to win a team title at the NCAAs: Cornell College in 1947. That year, the school with just 650 students located in eastern Iowa snatched the team crown from the mat powerhouses of the post-World War II era, Oklahoma State and Iowa State Teachers … becoming the smallest school to ever win the team title, and the only private college to do so. (This was before today's three-division system.) What's more, Cornell became the first Iowa-based school to win the NCAA team title … earning that distinction ahead of the much larger state schools that are home to the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Panthers. How did Cornell do it? With two individual champions, and a total of six All-Americans (the top four placers in 1947) out of eight weight classes. But there's so much more to the story… We're not in New York Just to be clear from the start… the Cornell that won the NCAA wrestling team title sixty years ago is not Cornell University, the Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York. In fact, at its website, Cornell College lets it be known that it's actually older than the university of similar name in upstate New York, and claims to have more alums listed in Who's Who of America. While Cornell University's sports teams are known as the Big Red, back in the 1940s, Cornell College's teams were called the Purple. (They are now the Rams … but the school colors remain royal purple and white.) Cornell College was founded by the Methodists in 1853, and is located in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, a prosperous, picturesque town of about 4,000 residents situated about a half-hour north of Iowa City, and an equal distance east of Cedar Rapids. Walk around the rolling, leafy-green campus -- one of only two to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places –- and it's easy to imagine the place as it was sixty years ago, when the Purple ruled the college wrestling scene. Although Cornell's current total enrollment of approximately 1,200 students is about double what it was in 1947, many of the buildings on the Hilltop -- the main part of the campus -- are from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Meet Coach Paul Scott Paul Scott was a long-time fixture on the Cornell College campus, starting as a college student in the late 1920s. Born in 1905 in West Liberty, Iowa -- about 40 miles southeast of Mt. Vernon -- "Scotty" was a natural athlete, playing basketball and baseball in high school. Coming to Cornell to play those sports, the 5'4", 125-pound Scott's dreams of being a college cager and star of the diamond were derailed by some unusual circumstances. However, according to an unpublished interview with the late writer Robert Hilton, Scott said he "kind of lied" about his football experience when he registered at Cornell (he had been on the bench in high school, quitting in disgust when not put into a football game when his team was being trounced). Despite that lack of experience, Scott apparently impressed head coach Dick Barker, who made him quarterback by the end of his freshman season. Paul ScottThe football coach also saw potential for Paul Scott beyond the gridiron. Scott, quoted in a profile written by Robert Hilton for Jay Hammond's book The History of Collegiate Wrestling, says that coach Barker told the quarterback to "get my ass out for wrestling." (It so happens that Dick Barker was also the wrestling coach at Cornell.) Scott didn't disappoint his coach. He was a conference champ at 121 pounds, invited to try out for the 1928 Olympic team, and was captain of both the wrestling and football teams his senior year. After graduating from Cornell College in 1929, Paul Scott was unable to afford graduate school to pursue his dream of being a sociologist, so he went into teaching and coaching in high schools and small colleges in Iowa and Missouri. During his summers off, he earned a master's degree in physical education health at Columbia University. In the spring of 1941, Paul Scott was invited back to his college alma mater, inheriting the head wrestling coaching position from his college mentor, Dick Barker. In his first season as coach in 1942, Scott's Purple wrestlers compiled an 8-2 record in a schedule loaded with Big Ten opponents. In a war-shortened 1943 season, Cornell had a perfect 8-0 record, and placed second in the team standings at the national AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) meet. While the wrestling program was suspended during World War II, Scott worked in Cornell's admissions office, and as a referee in high school wrestling matches, where he got a firsthand look at potential Purple grapplers. The war and wrestling World War II had a profound affect on college wrestling. There were no NCAA championships from 1942 to 1945; most able-bodied, college-age men went off to serve in the military, so most collegiate wrestling programs were suspended. Although the war ended in the summer of 1945, it took a while for most programs to get back to pre-war strength as wrestlers slowly found their way back to campus. Most programs competed in fewer events in the 1945-46 season than they had before the war. In fact, according to The History of Collegiate Wrestling, the NCAA had not planned to have a college wrestling championship in 1946, but Oklahoma State offered to host the event… and, in fact, orchestrated a letter-writing campaign. The NCAA relented, and 1946 NCAAs took place at Gallagher Hall in Stillwater. Because of the last-minute scheduling of the championships, participation was pretty much limited to Midwestern schools. In fact, only fifty-four wrestlers from seventeen schools found their way to the 1946 NCAAs … the smallest turnout since the first NCAAs in 1928. (By comparison, the 1941 NCAAs at Lehigh welcomed 129 wrestlers from thirty-six schools. The 1942 NCAAs – which occurred after the US had entered the war -- saw 79 wrestlers from twenty-three schools compete.) In the years immediately after the war, college campuses experienced an influx of students, fueled by war veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill that paid college tuition for those who served in the military. By the 1946-47 season, college wrestling was as strong as ever, with these vets -- as well as kids straight out of high school – flocking to the sport in record numbers. Cornell College was no exception. According to wrestling historian Arno Niemand -- who's writing a book about the 1947 Cornell team -- "Coach Paul Scott had lost eight of his eleven starters to the war in 1943." After the war, Cornell's wrestling program was forced to start fresh. Three amigos "Two-thirds of the guys on that team had never seen a wrestling mat," Richard Small, one of the 1947 Cornell team members honored at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors Weekend in June 2007, told Roger Moore of the Stillwater NewsPress. "We had the nucleus of three guys who came from Waterloo West, but most of us were just hard-nosed country boys." (Small, originally from Olmsted Falls in Ohio, was one of those who had not wrestled in high school.) The three that Small is referring to -- Dick Hauser, Leo Thomsen, and Lowell Lange -- were all 1946 Iowa state champs who came out of Waterloo West, a high school with five straight team titles from 1941-1946, and an enduring tradition of turning out great grapplers over the years, including Dan Gable in the 1960s. Lowell Lange, Leo Thomsen, and Dick HauserThe Wahawk trio of Hauser, Thomsen and Lange probably could have wrestled at any college anywhere in the country. Many in the wrestling world would have bet on Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC) for three basic reasons: it was one of the top wrestling programs in the country, with all-time greats such as Bill Nelson, Gerry Leeman and Bill Koll in the starting lineup … it was coached by the highly respected Dave McCuskey … and, being in Cedar Falls, it was close to their hometown of Waterloo. Here's how Paul Scott described the wooing process to bring the talented threesome to Cornell College: "I refereed the state meet and knew how good they were," Scott told wrestling writer/historian Mike Chapman in a 1997 interview for a cover story in the Cornell Report alumni magazine to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Purple winning the NCAA team title. "I also knew they came from solid families and I tried to convince their parents that Cornell would be a good place for them. Dick Hauser's dad ran a restaurant in Waterloo, and I would stop there from time to time. Dick was the key, I felt, sort of the leader of the three. Dick's father had confidence in me." "One of the boys' fathers asked Dave (McCuskey) if these kids were able to beat a senior, would they make the team at ISTC. Dave apparently said no, not if the other boy was a senior. And that did it, I think," according to coach Scott. "I was out for track and didn't get down there (for a visit to Cornell)," recalls Lowell Lange, quoted in the 1997 alumni magazine article. "Dave McCuskey was really after me and I was planning on going there. But when Hauser and Thomsen said they were going to Cornell, I decided to go too. The three of us wanted to go somewhere together." A road trip with "Scotty" may have also clinched the deal. In 1946, Paul Scott invited the three Waterloo West wrestlers to go with him to the national AAU championships at the New York Athletic Club. (High school wrestlers were eligible to compete in the event.) Hauser and Lange won national titles… while Scott won over the Wahawk trio. "On the trip to New York City I got to know Scott," Lowell Lange told Robert Hilton in his unpublished profile of the Cornell coach. "He was a guy you couldn't help but like. He had an uncanny memory for names, and no one could tell a story better." A solid lineup at every weight The fab freshmen from Waterloo West wrestled as starters at the lighter end of the Cornell College lineup, with Dick Hauser at 121 pounds (who teammate Richard Small considered to be "the most dominant wrestler at that immediate time"), Leo Thomsen at 128, and Lowell Lange at 136. The Purple were blessed with a balance of mat talent in the middle and upper weights as well. Most of them were veterans of the military … and the wrestling mat. Among the starters who coach Scott had seen in AAU action before they went off to war: Rodger Snook, Fred Dexter, and Al Partin. Kent Lange -- Lowell's older brother -- had served in the Air Force in World War II. Nicknamed the Milkman, Rodger Snook, a native of Newton, New Jersey, and a three-time state champ, wrestled primarily in the 145-pound weight class for Cornell. Waterloo's Kent Lange wrestled at 155, while the 165-pound starting slot was usually held by "blond bomber" Fred Dexter of Davenport, Iowa. Stepping up to wrestle heavyweight was Al Partin of Maywood, Illinois, who, according to the The Cornellian student newspaper, was lighter in weight than most big men he battled. Dale ThomasRounding out the starting line-up (usually competing at 175 pounds) was Dale "Whitey" Thomas, a native of nearby Marion, Iowa, who brought a wealth of experience to the Cornell wrestling team when he came on board in the middle of the 1947 season. A 1943 AAU national champ who never wrestled in high school, Thomas served in the Navy, then coached at an Iowa high school for one year before pursuing his dream of playing football in the Big Ten. While at Purdue, he told coach Scott that he would rather be back at Cornell. R.K. Scott, son of coach Scott, said, "He convinced Tug Wilson, Big Ten commissioner, to let Thomas transfer to Cornell." According to Richard Small, Dale Thomas wrestled in the Purdue vs. Michigan dual, then joined the Cornell wrestlers as they headed east to battle Lehigh. To his fellow Purple wrestlers, "Whitey" was good as gold; he was elected team captain. Insights into Paul Scott as coach "Paul Scott was the first modern college wrestling coach," asserts Richard Small. "At the time, most coaches waited for wrestlers to come to them. (Scott) went out and actively looked for talent. For instance, he saw Snook in action at the AAUs. He also saw Al Partin working out with Henry Wittenberg in New York." "(Scott) had a team that was well experienced," Lowell Lange told Robert Hilton in 2003. "He wasn't a teacher of wrestling. His influence was in fortitude and conditioning. He was an incredible person who made you naturally feel wanted." In that Hilton profile, Dale Thomas is quoted as saying, "(Scott) had not kept up with all the latest moves in wrestling. But he loved the sport and he was a salesman. He put a spirit into you that you never wanted to stop. Every time you stepped out on to the mat, you knew he was right there with you." "He was like a second father to me." R.K. Scott, who was seven years old when his father coached the Cornell team to its national titles, said, "As the only child, I had more access to what was going on. I was able to travel with the team. I went to the gym to watch (the wrestlers) work out every day." Paul Scott's only son shared a story that provides a multi-faceted look into how the coach interacted with his wrestlers: "Dad would give each wrestler a rubdown before each match, and give specific instructions to each man. Then, once that was done, he'd raise hell to get them fired up." "In coaching, you learn a lot as you go along," Paul Scott told Robert Hilton. "It's an awful power you have over kids. You work on attitude, positive thinking, motivation. I never had a guy who didn't give me his best effort." Cornell's Cinderella season During the 1946-47 regular season, the Cornell wrestlers took on some of the top teams in the country at the time, including Iowa State (champs of the Big Six -- predecessor to the Big Twelve of today), Illinois (team champs of the Big Nine, now known as the Big Ten), Wisconsin, and Nebraska. R.K. Scott remembers accompanying his dad and the wrestling team to away meets. "Travel conditions were rugged. No fancy hotels for the team; dad knew every YMCA in the country. The guys never complained." Look through the Cornell College archives about the 1947 wrestling team, and there are many mentions of the old International Harvester truck/station wagon with serious engine problems … and no heater. According to R.K. Scott, that was just one of the vehicles that formed the caravan that took the Purple wrestlers to out-of-town events. "We would ride in our family's '43 Mercury four-door, and then there was the Salisbury's new Dodge wagon. There were two brothers on the team (John and James Salisbury) whose dad was the Dodge dealer in Waterloo, and let them use the wagon." "There would sometimes be fights along the way, arguing who got to ride in which car." This caravan took the Cornell matmen on a big road trip to the east in early February, where they topped Army 27-2… bested McBurney Athletic Club in New York City 24-7 … and got a 23-13 win over the Ithaca, New York Athletic Club. Arguably the biggest dual of the trip was taking on Lehigh in their home gym. According to Cornell wrestler Richard Small: "Two Cornell guys had ear problems, so Scott asked (Lehigh coach Billy) Sheridan if they could wear headgear. Sheridan said no. Scott then said, ‘We'll show those sons of bitches!'" (Back then, headgear was not mandatory, and, in fact, was a rather rare sight in college wrestling.) Show them they did. The Purple wrestlers were not cowed by Lehigh's reputation -- or their 3,000 fans. In fact, Cornell handed Sheridan his worst defeat in 36 years of coaching with a 36-0 shut-out, with pins scored by Hauser, Thomsen, Lowell Lange, Snook, Dexter and Partin. (Listening to an audio recording of the Lehigh radio broadcast of the dual captured by Gordon "Rick" Meredith, Cornell's student manager, it's incredible to hear the Lehigh crowd grow progressively quieter as their men fell one-by-one to the visitors from Mt. Vernon, Iowa.) In their wake, the Cornell team left some believers back east. Fred Nonnemacher, sports editor of the Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) Globe-Times said, "The best team in my 26 years of watching the man top teams of the east and west, and every NCAA meet but one during that time. One Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) team of the mid-thirties might compare but Cornell has more finesse than any I recall, and there is not a weak link in the entire outfit." West Point coach Lloyd Appleton -- a wrestling teammate of Scott's at Cornell College -- declared, "Probably the greatest team ever to hit the east." Fans and the media back in Mt. Vernon were also believers in the power of the Purple. The Cornellian provided extensive coverage of each dual meet (rivaling that of other winter sports), and of the wrestlers themselves. All that ink helped fuel fan interest, too. According to coach Paul Scott, "Students would start camping out in front of the gym at noon and build fires on the sidewalk to keep warm. The gym seated about 1,000 but it would be packed all the way to the very top. They hung from the rafters, literally." On the road or at home, the Cornell wrestlers must have been an impressive sight even before they stepped out onto the mat. They entered the gym in what The Cornellian described as "purple boxing robes." For their wrestling matches, they wore purple tights with a white stripe on the side of each leg, running from waist to foot, with white shorts that fit snugly over the tights. Normally, the Purple grapplers wrestled stripped to the waist, as wrestlers at many college programs in the Midwest did in the 1940s. (Shirtless wrestling was legal under NCAA rules up to the mid 1960s; today's singlets did not become common in college wrestling until the 1970s.) Tying up with the Tutors At the end of the 1946-47 dual-meet season, tiny Cornell College had racked up an incredible 12-0-1 record. The one blemish on an otherwise perfect season: a 12-12 dual with Iowa State Teachers College Panthers -- also known as the Tutors -- in late January at the Men's Gym at Cedar Falls. "It was as fine a dual meet as you'd ever want to see," coach Scott told Mike Chapman for the 1997 Cornell Report. "Two great teams giving it all they had." Together, the two teams had among the very best collegiate wrestlers of the era -- a wealth of defending and future NCAA champs, as well as two Tutors who would go on to compete one year later at the 1948 Olympics in London: Bill Nelson, and Gerry Leeman (who earned a silver medal in freestyle). Paul Scott's son R.K. recalls overhearing his dad's instructions to his men before the dual: "Don't get pinned or I'll kill you!" "The meet opened up with a battle of two Waterloo West alums -- (Dick) Hauser and (James) Stoyanhoff, with Hauser winning 4-0," according to Arno Niemand. "Then, the tide shifted with (Gerry) Leeman beating (Leo) Thomsen 10-2. Next, Lowell Lange -- arguably the greatest control wrestler -- shut out Russ Bush, a 1946 NCAA finalist, 3-0 … The momentum stayed with Cornell as Snook beat Neil Johnson 6-0." Bill Koll, defending NCAA champ at 145 pounds, moved up one weight class to 155. Niemand says, "When Scott sent out (Wallace) Littell, he said, 'Don't try to stand up on him, and don't get pinned.' Littell got slammed to the mat by Koll, and was knocked out for a time, but he was revived, and managed not to get pinned." Koll got the 8-1 victory, and started a bit of a streak for the hometown heroes, with Bill Nelson getting a 7-2 decision over Al Partin at 165, and ISTC's 175-pounder LeRoy Alitz defeating Charlie Voyce 10-4. In the last match of the evening, Cornell's Fred Dexter -- normally the Purple's man at 165 -- moved up to heavyweight, where he held Jim Jenson scoreless 4-0. Final score: 12-12. Perhaps an indicator of just how evenly matched these two teams were, none of the matches ended in a pin! The 1947 NCAAs The 1947 NCAA college wrestling championships were held at Huff Hall at the University of Illinois in Champaign on March 28-29. (Back then, the NCAAs were a two-day event.) According to The History of Collegiate Wrestling, thirty-two schools brought 101 wrestlers to the tournament. To put those numbers in perspective, that's slightly fewer schools and participants than at the 1941 NCAAs, but a significant increase over the 1946 championships … and about one-third the number of wrestlers at the 2007 NCAA Division I championships. In its in-depth, pre-event analysis, The Cornellian openly wondered if Oklahoma State would win its eighth straight official team title; those with doubts about the Cowboys seemed to lean towards either Cornell College or Iowa State Teachers as having the mat talent to take the crown. As Cornell's student paper pointed out, two of the three top team title contenders had serious gaps in their line-ups. Oklahoma State was missing its defending champ at 175 pounds, George Dorsch, who had been defeated in wrestle-offs by freshman Jim Gregson … while ISTC was missing its 128-pound titlewinner Gerry Leeman, who suffered torn rib cartilage before the tournament. By contrast, Cornell's entire starting lineup was ready to wrestle for the title. Let's take a look at how the Cornell wrestlers performed at the 1947 NCAAs, weight-by-weight: • 121 pounds -- Dick Hauser -- the lightest of the Waterloo West trio -- made some history by being the first freshman ever to win an NCAA title. Seeded second in the bracket behind Oklahoma State's Bill Jernigan, Hauser got a pin in two out of three of his matches before the finals. The Waterloo West alum continued his role as the fall guy, putting Jernigan's shoulders to the mat at 3:34 to claim the crown. Hauser had entered the NCAAs with an 88-match winning streak going back to Waterloo West. • 128 pounds -- Leo Thomsen -- who had lost only two matches during the regular season -- fell to top-seeded Lou Kachiroubas of Illinois in his first match… but battled back in the consolation bracket to eventually place third, earning All-American honors. In the finals, Kachiroubas lost to Russell Bush of Iowa State Teachers. • 136 pounds -- Lowell Lange, the top seed, pinned his first opponent (Calderaro of Rutgers), then shut out his next two (Waynesburg's Fuller, Oklahoma's Watson) to find himself in the finals vs. Nathan Bauer, the third-seeded wrestler from Oklahoma State. Lange got a convincing 6-3 win over the Cowboy to win the second individual title for Cornell. Nicknamed "Tiger", Lowell Lange had scored 70 straight victories going back to high school before coming to the NCAAs. • 145 pounds -- Rodger Snook: The top seed in this tough weight class was defending champ Bill Koll of Iowa State Teachers… with Cornell's Snook seeded second. "The Milkman" – unbeaten in the regular season -- pinned his way through his side of the bracket, getting falls against wrestlers from Penn State, Wheaton and Navy before facing Koll in the title bout. The Panther got a 7-2 win over Snook, earning his second straight title… and won Outstanding Wrestler honors to boot. By placing second, Snook claimed All-American status. • 155 pounds -- Kent Lange, Lowell's older brother, lost in his opening-round match to Oklahoma's Ledger Stecker, and did not place. In the finals, unseeded Gale Mikles of Michigan State scored a 2-0 upset over top-seeded Bill Courtright of cross-state rival Michigan. • 165 pounds -- Fred Dexter: David Shapiro of host school Illinois was the top seed; Oklahoma's Jim Eagleton was seeded second, and Cornell's Dexter third. Dexter, who had thirteen wins in fifteen matches before the NCAAs, got a 6-2 win over Indiana's Conklin, but was defeated by Eagleton in the semifinals. Dexter came back in the consolations to claim third place, and All-American status. In the finals, fourth-seeded Bill Nelson of Iowa State Teachers pinned Eagleton at 7:36 to win the title. • 175 pounds -- Dale Thomas: Cornell's team captain – and only starting senior -- was unseeded. In his first match, he pinned Ed Ahrens of Iowa State Teachers at 4:01. However, in the quarterfinals, "Whitey" lost to the top-seeded Glen Brand of Iowa State 9-2. Brand then succumbed to Iowa's second-seeded Joe Scarpello 10-6 in the finals. Thomas scored two falls in the consolation bracket to place third, and become the sixth Cornell wrestler to be an All-American. • Heavyweight -- Al Partin -- was unseeded. Freshman Dick Hutton of Oklahoma State was the top seed, with Nebraska's Mike DiBiase seeded second. Partin lost his first match to Purdue's third-seeded Ray Gunkel, 7-2. In the conseys, Partin fell to Iowa State Teachers College's LeRoy Alitz 8-4, failing to place. In the finals, Hutton got a 5-3 overtime victory over Gunkel. When the cheering was over and the mats cleared, Cornell College had two individual champions – Dick Hauser at 121, and Lowell Lange at 136, both freshmen -- and a total of six All-Americans. In addition to Hauser and Lange, Cornell's placers included Leo Thomsen (third place at 128) … Rodger Snook (second at 145) … Fred Dexter (third at 165) … and Dale Thomas (third at 175). Cornell College president Russell Cole, Dale Thomas, and Paul Scott with the trophy The individual performances by the Purple's starters helped Cornell clinch the team title before the finals matches, scoring a total of 32 team points. In second place was its in-state rival to the north, Iowa State Teachers College, with 19 points and a total of three individual champs. Finding itself in third place was perennial team champs, Oklahoma State, with 16 points and just one individual champ. With eleven points and an individual titlewinner, Michigan State placed fourth in the team standings. Key to Cornell winning the team title was its pinning prowess. At the time, a win by decision counted for one team point, while a pin was worth two. Of the 128 matches at the 1947 NCAAs, eighteen ended in pins … with Cornell wrestlers accounting for ten of those. In addition to its pinning power, Arno Niemand believes there were three other factors that made it possible for Cornell to become team champs in 1947: the G.I. Bill which, by paying tuition, made it possible for veterans of any income level to go to a private college like Cornell … the liberal transfer policies that made it easy for students to switch colleges … and that freshmen were eligible to compete in the NCAAs that year. (Most of Cornell's starting lineup would not have been able to compete under traditional NCAA rules.) It's as if all the planets aligned to make it possible for Cornell to win the team title. First again, two weeks later Not content to rest on their laurels, a couple weeks after winning the 1947 NCAA team title, the Cornell wrestlers headed west by train to San Francisco, to compete at the 1947 AAU national tournament. The team proved that the NCAA title was no fluke, winning the NAAU team title with 17 points; Oklahoma State placed second with 12 points. Lowell Lange and Dale Thomas claimed individual titles, while Rodger Snook and Dick Hauser placed second. According to Arno Niemand, the trip was made possible thanks to $1,500 raised by the community, and a $500 gift from the college. On the front page of The Cornellian of April 18, 1947, a thank-you note attributed to "Paul K. Scott and the Champions" said, "All of us who were privileged to make the trip to San Francisco are deeply appreciative of the many who made it possible through their generous financial contributions. Thanks!" That front-page story in The Cornellian describes the scene as the wrestling team stepped off the streamliner back home: "They received a welcome Tuesday that would have honored returning conqueror-heroes. Bands, cars, horns, signs, cheering throngs, radio interviews, pictures for Life magazine, parades, more cheering throngs, and finally a gigantic pep rally in the chapel filled out the celebration welcoming them …" "All of downtown Mt. Vernon was decorated with colorful signs and purple and white bunting. The town fire truck helped out by carrying a load of cheering students in the parade and tooting its siren. The parade contained hundreds of cars, most of them decorated colorfully, and the champs rode from the (train) station through town to the college chapel in regal splendor, the beautiful gold trophy in plain view." The celebration of Cornell's doubly-sweet season continued far beyond eastern Iowa. The story captured the imagination of sportswriters across the country. Some of the wrestlers appeared on a TV game show … and Paul Scott and his grapplers were showcased in a three-page photo essay in Life magazine in early 1948, featuring some action images from a Cornell vs. Illinois dual, and demonstration photos to illustrate the difference between college wrestling and the showbiz shenanigans of the pro ring. Behind the scenes, things were not all sweetness and light, as Paul Scott's son R.K recalls: "In 1947, (Cornell College) President (Russell) Cole was concerned that the school be a place to get a good liberal arts education and a strong dose of Methodism. He thought the wrestling program was getting too much attention. Cole threw out a wrestler -- not one of the starters -- because of some infraction … (Scott) and Cole didn't get along too well. He got only a $300 raise for winning the NCAA title." Hopes of a second NCAA championship crashed Sadly, Cornell College's Cinderella story was truly an once-in-a-lifetime event. The opening paragraphs on the first page devoted to wrestling in the 1948 edition of the Royal Purple student yearbook set the stage: "The season 1947-48 will be long remembered by followers of the Cornell College wrestling team as 'the year of the auto accident.' Undefeated in 24 straight dual grappling meets and defending National Collegiate and AAU champions, the Purple matmen ran the streak to 32 in a row before disaster struck in the form of a head-on collision on the Lincoln Highway." "National titleholders Dick Hauser and Lowell Lange and team manager ‘Jug' Beck, along with three other Cornellians … were injured in the crash, miraculously none of them fatally, and the Hilltop hopes for another double win went glimmering." The accident on US 30 just outside Mt. Vernon in early 1948 seriously injured Cornell's two NCAA champs. Coupled with the graduation of Dale Thomas, and the loss of Fred Dexter -- "who fell victim to the high Cornell academic standards" according to the Royal Purple -- the wrestling team lost three straight duals at the end of the season to top-name opponents, including a shut-out at the hands of in-state rival Iowa State Teachers College with whom they had tied just one year earlier. Quoting the yearbook, "Trying to strike back, the Scottmen, with the ‘B' team dominating the lineup, annexed the Midwest Conference title for the umpteenth time, then passed up defense of the their national collegiate title in order to have a full team for the AAU tourney." In other words, Cornell College did not wrestle at the 1948 NCAAs at Lehigh University; last year's individual champs Dick Hauser and Lowell Lange were not there to defend their titles. However, the team traveled to the 1948 NAAU championships, where they tied for third place, behind Navy and Oklahoma State. Leo Thomsen was the only individual champ, winning the 136.5 pound crown. In what must have been a bittersweet moment, Thomsen qualified for the finals by defeating his teammate Lowell Lange in the semifinals. Kent Lange was a runner-up at 147.5, with Rodger Snook placing fourth in the same weight class. For the 1948-49 wrestling season, the Cornell wrestlers won all but two of their dual meets (losing to Iowa State Teachers, and Michigan State) … claimed the Midwest Conference team title … and placed third in the team standings at the 1949 NCAAs. Lowell Lange won his second NCAA title at 136 pounds, holding defending champ Richard Dickensen of Michigan State scoreless in the finals 6-0. (Some believe Lowell Lange would have been the first four-time NCAA champ if not for the car accident.) Other Cornell All-Americans include Dick Hauser, placing third at 121 pounds … Leo Thomsen, losing in the 128-pound finals to Charles Hetrick of Oklahoma State … Kent Lange, placing third at 145 … and Rodger Snook, earning fourth place at 155. Lowell Lange was the only individual champ from Cornell at the national AAU championships, winning the 135-pound crown. The next season was the swansong for the Cornell wrestlers who had been freshmen in 1947; now they were seniors. During the 1949-50 season, the Purple won all but one dual meet, and swept the Midwest Conference championships, according to the 1950 Royal Purple yearbook. At the 1950 NCAAs up the road at Iowa State Teachers College, Cornell placed third in the team standings for the second straight year. Lowell Lange won his third NCAA title, beating home-crowd favorite Fred Oglesby of ISTC in the finals. Earning All-American honors: Walt Romanowski, runner-up at 128 pounds (losing to Joe Patacsil of Purdue in the finals) … Rodger Snook, placing fourth at 145 …and Bill Nardini, fourth place at 165. At the AAU nationals, Dick Hauser and Lowell Lange won individual titles at 125.5 and 135, respectively. The 1950-51 season signaled a changing of the guard … and the final curtain coming down on the 1947 Cinderella season. After compiling a stunning 56-8-1 dual meet record, coach Paul Scott left Cornell to pursue new challenges as athletic director at Davidson College in North Carolina. Taking the reins as head coach when the original candidate to succeed "Scotty" -- Ed Hitchcock -- died of a heart attack: Lowell Lange. That year, the Purple compiled a 6-3-1 record, placing ninth in the team standings at the 1951 NCAAs … with Walt Romanowski winning the 130-pound title over Bill Borders of Oklahoma. It was impossible to keep Paul Scott away. After a few years at Davidson, he came back to Cornell College in 1954, this time as alumni director. He officially retired in 1976, but continued to serve in an unofficial capacity as a "goodwill ambassador" for the school, hosting alumni trips. Reliving the magic decades later In 1997, the fiftieth anniversary of tiny Cornell College winning the 1947 NCAA and NAAU team titles was marked in a big way. The story got plenty of news coverage, and a number of sports columnists weighed in on the significance of the eventIn 1997, the fiftieth anniversary of tiny Cornell College winning the 1947 NCAA and NAAU team titles was marked in a big way. In addition to the multi-page cover story written by Mike Chapman in the Cornell Report alumni newsmagazine, the story got plenty of news coverage, and a number of sports columnists weighed in on the significance of the event. Cornell College hosted a "1947 Dream Team" luncheon at the Small Life Sports Center on campus, with long-time NCAA announcer Ed Aliverti serving as master of ceremonies, and Myron Roderick, then president of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, making a special presentation. According to the beautifully-produced program for the event, the luncheon concluded with the introduction of a 91-year-old Paul Scott and "The Purple Gang." In June 2007, members of the Cornell team that won the two national team titles in 1947 were honored in a special ceremony at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, which included a PowerPoint presentation produced by Arno Niemand. The 1947 team was inducted into the Hall of Fame -- the first team to be so honored in the 30+ year history of the facility. "This is a great story to tell," said Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "This really demonstrated what a great coach Paul Scott was. He knew how to recruit the type of student-athlete he needed to achieve such a feat. The 1947 championship truly was a milestone. It is one of the greatest feats in college wrestling history." Lasting legacies The 1947 championship team produced some lasting legacies. Two of the wrestlers from the starting lineup became college wrestling coaches: Lowell Lange, who, after one year at the helm at Cornell, then service in the Army as a military intelligence officer, and helping his father with the family farm for a number of years, eventually found his way to Atlanta, where in the 1960s he launched then coached the wrestling program at Georgia Tech until retiring in 1993 … and Dale "Whitey" Thomas, head coach at Oregon State from 1957 through 1990, compiling an incredible 616-168-13 record that made him the winningest coach in college wrestling. Others also had careers in education. Dick Hauser was a high school math instructor … Fred Dexter taught physical education, science and math in West Chicago, Illinois … and Al Partin was director of physical education at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. As of this writing, most of the major players involved in the 1947 Cornell College team title win are still alive, according to Arno Niemand. Two died in the prime of life: Rodger Snook in 1956, and Leo Thomsen in 1974. Coach Paul Scott died in August 2003, just shy of his 98th birthday; Dale Thomas passed away in March 2004 at the age of 81. Wallace Littell died just before the 2007 Stillwater hall of fame ceremony. Because of major structural changes in the national wrestling championships, Cornell College's Cinderella story will never be repeated. In 1963, the NCAA introduced a second division for smaller schools … followed in 1974 with the formation of the NCAA's Division III, where Cornell now competes under the direction of coaching veteran Mike Duroe, head coach of the 2005 and 2006 US Freestyle World Team, and one of the US coaches for the 2007 Pan American Games. However, the story of tiny Cornell College winning both the 1947 NCAA and national AAU team titles is a classic David-beats-the-Goliaths tale that still resonates with today's wrestling fans six decades later. In addition to those quoted in this article, special thanks to Bob Majors, who provided fundamental information for the story, and to Jen Rouse of the Russell D. Cole Library at Cornell College for graciously assisting with on-campus research. All photos in this story courtesy of the archives at the Cole Library at Cornell College.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Dan Gable, Craig Sesker, and Jon Trenge. Gable was the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa from 1977-1997. During his tenure he established a record of domination that has become legendary in sport. In 21 years as head coach, Gable led his teams to 15 NCAA titles, 21 Big Ten titles, and a 355-21-5 record. As a wrestler, Gable won two NCAA titles for Iowa State and compiled a 183-1 record throughout high school and college. At the 1972 Olympics he won a gold medal at 149.5 pounds without surrendering a single point. Sesker is the manager of communications for USA Wrestling and was a long-time journalist for the Omaha World-Herald. In 2000, he was named the National Wrestling Media Association's journalist of the year and is considered one of the nation's top wrestling journalists. He will be discussing the upcoming World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Trenge was a three-time All-American for Lehigh University and is currently serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater. He is also the centerpiece of a new wrestling documentary entitled "Veritas." This feature-length film documents Trenge's senior year at Lehigh as he attempts to become an NCAA champion. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

Former Stroudsburg High School standout wrestler Joey Rivera has been named the interim head wrestling coach at East Stroudsburg University, Director of Athletics Tom Gioglio has announced. Rivera was an assistant coach last season under Jason Kutz. "I am extremely excited about the opportunity that I have been blessed with both for myself and the athletes," Rivera said. "I have always envisioned becoming a head coach, and to be able to do so at the university that I grew up around is an ideal situation for me. I also believe that having a familiar face to work with will provide stability for the student-athletes during this time of transition." Rivera was an NCAA qualifier at Boston University following a standout career at Stroudsburg High School. He was the team's outstanding freshman and outstanding wrestler while at Boston, and was team captain as a senior. He qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and finished his career with a record of 86-30. Rivera earned his degree in Psychology from Boston University in 2005 and was a recipient of the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner's Academic Award. At Stroudsburg High School, Rivera was a four-time state qualifier and set the school record with 137 career wins. He finished fifth in the state as a freshman and sophomore, eighth as a junior and fourth as a senior. As a freestyle wrestler, Rivera placed eighth in the 60kg weight class at the U.S. National Freestyle Tournament last spring. It was the first freestyle tournament in which he had competed. Rivera resides in Stroudsburg and will marry his fiancée, Leah Middleton, in October.

The Higher Calling Wrestling Club and the Chattanooga wrestling team is pleased to announce that they will be hosting wrestling legend Dan Gable at their respective facilities on October 12-13, 2007. The event will kick off at the Jones Wrestling Center in Cleveland, Tenn. It will start with a motivational talk from Coach Gable followed by a technique session by the new Higher Calling Wrestling Club coach and former Gable wrestler, Mike Hatcher. The event will continue the following day at Maclellan Gym at UTC. It will begin with a technique session by Coach Gable, followed by an open UTC practice session, featuring UTC Head Coach and World Team member, Chris Bono. This will be a unique opportunity to learn, meet, and be inspired by the biggest name in wrestling history, Dan Gable. Gable, former head coach at the University of Iowa, directed Iowa to 15 NCAA titles and 21 Big Ten Conference Championships during his career. He was responsible for 45 National Champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 152 All-Americas. As a competitor, he was a two-time NCAA Champion and a Gold Medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Attendees will also be exposed to elite level instruction, training facilities, and practice planning. This is a must for all athletes and coaches looking to better themselves in the sport of wrestling. The cost of the two-day event is only $35, and $25 for groups of 10 or more. Make checks payable to Higher Calling Wrestling Club. Please call Mike Hatcher at (423) 303-0760 with any questions.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Tim Cysewski along with assistants Drew Pariano, Ryan Bertin and Bill Scherr are hosting the 15th annual coaches' clinic at 1 p.m. on Sat. Oct. 20 at Conant High School. Registration will be $50 in advance, $60 at the door and will begin at 12:30 on the day of the event. Following the clinic, all attendees are welcome to join the coaches at Papa's Pizza Place to eat and watch the football games. A season ago, the Wildcats earned a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships and matched the program's best finish. Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) won his first NCAA title and the school's first since 1990. Northwestern also boasted four All-America recipients in Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion), Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward), Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick), and Herbert for the first time since 1990. At the Big Ten Championships, Herbert, Lang, and Tamillow won titles in their respective weight classes. It was the first time Northwestern had three individual Big Ten champions since 1931 and the first time the school had multiple individual champions since 1990. Complete information and a registration form can be found by clicking here or by visiting NUsports.com.

WATERLOO –- Young wrestlers are being invited to participate in one of the most exciting wrestling seminars ever offered. Dan Gable, considered by many to be the most successful coach in collegiate history, will be conducting a special kids clinic at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The clinics will be held in the Dan Gable Teaching Center at the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum located at 303 Jefferson St. in downtown Waterloo. "This in an unbelievable opportunity for wrestlers to learn from the best in a very intimate setting," said Kyle Klingman, associate director of the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum. "It was part of our goal when setting up the museum structure to bring Dan's coaching expertise to the Cedar Valley area. We are very excited about these clinics." A native of Waterloo, Dan Gable set the standard for coaching by winning 15 NCAA titles in 21 years during his tenure as the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. He is considered by many to be the greatest coach of all time, in any sport. Gable was a three-time state champion at West Waterloo and won 181 straight matches in high school and collegiate competition. He won the World Championships in 1971 and captured the gold medal at the 1972 Olympics without surrendering a point. In 2000, Sports Illustrated named Gable as the top sports figure in the state of Iowa. "Now that I've gotten back into coaching as an assistant, it will be nice to be in a head coaching role again," said Gable. "These clinics will be a good start for future success in the area." Dates for the clinic are October 21 & 28 and November 4 & 11. Dan Gable will provide instruction, technique, training, and coaching advice at all sessions beginning October 21. Cost is $250 for all four sessions. Due to the size of the teaching center the enrollment limit will be 40 on a first-come first-served basis. Times for the clinic are 1:30-3 p.m. for Kindergarten through 8th grade and 3:15-5 p.m. for 9th through 12th grade. To reserve a spot in the clinic call the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum at (319) 233-0745.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -– Oregon State assistant wrestling coach Troy Steiner has been named to the coaching staff for the USA Wrestling World Team that will compete in the women's freestyle World Championships from Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Steiner's brother, Terry Steiner, is the head coach; both Steiners had coached at OSU under former Beaver head coach Joe Wells and Troy returned to OSU when Jim Zalesky was hired as head coach prior to the 2006-07 season. Oregon State won the Pacific-10 championship in 2007. The World Team Coaches were chosen by the Women's Coach Selection Committee and approved by USA Wrestling's Executive Committee. "We have talked about having more team unity in the program," Terry Steiner said. "The comfort for me with having Troy in this position is that we will be on the same page. Having the same message and philosophy is important. Troy has a good rapport with the women. They believe in him and trust him. We need to get back on track as a team where we are respected in the world as a power. We have the same people from when we were second in the world and won the World Cup. I expect to be back to that, where we are in position to win the team title and individual titles." Troy Steiner has also had assistant coaching positions at Iowa and Wisconsin. He has coached a number of U.S. women's teams overseas and was a finalist for the U.S. Olympic Team women's coaching position in 2004. Steiner was a 1992 World Cup champion in freestyle wrestling and won the 1996 Pan American Championships. He was a NCAA champion at Iowa and a four-time All-American. "Right now, we are looking at Japan, China and Russia as some of the teams we have to beat," Troy Steiner said. "There may be some things we have to change as a team. I hope to add to what Terry is doing, and help the women in any way they need. I hope to bring a different perspective to help them reach their goals. We have a good core group of athletes. They have the ability to be near the top of the world again."

Every year there are bracket busters at the NCAA Division I Championships. You know ... the unseeded wrestlers who win the matches they're not supposed to win and prevent those matchups that were supposed to happen. So who will the bracket busters be this year in Philadelphia? I've come up with one potential bracket buster in each of the 10 weight classes to watch. These are 10 wrestlers that I think could pull upsets. 125: Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) Zanetta, a two-time EWL champion, went through a sophomore slump at the beginning of this season, but is firing on all cylinders heading into the NCAAs. He has won his last nine matches. Zanetta will face 10th-seeded Alan Waters of Missouri, a true freshman, in the opening round. If Zanetta can get past Waters, he will likely face seventh-seeded Ryan Mango of Stanford. Most fans are expecting to see the rubber match between Waters and Mango in the second round, but don't be shocked if that match does not materialize. In fact, don't be shocked if Zanetta knocks off Waters and Mango en route to a quarterfinal match against second-seeded Matt McDonough of Iowa. McDonough beat Zanetta, 10-6, in the second of last year's NCAA Championships. Nathan Pennesi reached the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions before falling to Andrew Hochstrasser (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)133: Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia) Pennesi is a tough freshman from Pennsylvania who has been on a roll. He likes to wrestle from space and use fakes to set up his leg attacks. He's tough to score on in neutral and tough to ride. The only wrestler to beat him over the last two months is Edinboro's Eric Morrill. Four of Pennesi's six losses this season have come to seeded wrestlers and the other two to Morrill. He is paired in the opening round with two-time MAC champion and All-American Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan, who is seeded 11th. Expect that to be a tightly-contested battle. If Pennesi can pull the mild upset against Sentes, he will likely see another freshman in the second round, either seventh-seeded Tony Ramos of Iowa or Frank Cagnina of Lehigh. Pennesi has the tools to make a run to the quarterfinals. 141: Matt Bonson (Lock Haven) Lock Haven coach Robbie Waller's lone NCAA qualifier, Bonson, a transfer from Virginia, has the potential to make some noise in Philadelphia. He was an NCAA qualifier in 2009 for the Cavaliers and will head to Philadelphia with a 24-3 record. The only wrestler to defeat Bonson in the calendar year is All-American Tyler Nauman of Pitt, who edged him twice by two points. Bonson will face the winner of Levi Jones (Boise State) vs. Corey Manson (Cornell). If he wins his first round match, he will likely see third-seeded Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly, a wrestler who has also had a tight battle with Nauman this season. Eric Terrazas placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)149: Eric Terrazas (Illinois) Buffalo's Desi Green, who is seeded 12th, will have his hands full in the first round against Terrazas, who is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Terrazas has taken more losses this season than Green, but has faced stiffer competition in the Big Ten. If Terrazas can get past Green, he will see Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks, who is seeded fifth, or Minnesota's Danny Zilverberg, a wrestler he has beaten twice, in the second round. Don't be surprised if Terrazas knocks off a couple seeded wrestlers to reach the quarterfinals against Cornell's Kyle Dake. 157: Matt Cathell (Kent State) Cathell is a known commodity as a two-time NCAA qualifier, but he's a dangerous matchup for any wrestler because of his unorthodox style. He likes to throw and funk, plus he's tough on top. Cathell is coming off a disappointing performance at the MAC Championships, where he lost twice, but earned an at-large selection into the NCAAs. Cathell will face fifth-seeded Jesse Dong of Virginia Tech in the first round. Dong has won 18 of his last 19 matches. Interestingly, the one wrestler to defeat Dong during that stretch is Corey Mock of North Carolina, a wrestler Cathell has pinned twice this season. 165: Donnie Jones (West Virginia) The youngest of the Jones brothers, Donnie, a sixth-year senior, is looking to finish his career on the podium for the first time in his fourth appearance at the NCAAs. He has had a productive career at West Virginia, but has not been able to put it together at the NCAAs. Jones has a lot of tools and has proven over the years that he can battle with that nation's best. He beat NCAA champion Jarrod King of Edinboro a month before King won the title in 2009. Last year Jones took two-time All-American Ryan Morningstar of Iowa into overtime in the first round of the NCAAs, before losing, 4-2. Jones will face Ross Tice of Kent State in the opening round this year. If Jones beats Tice, he will face returning All-American Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma, who is seeded third. Jones will certainly be a fairly big underdog if that match materializes, but he has the tools to make it interesting. 174: Matt Demichiel (Navy) Demichiel has only lost to Cornell's Mack Lewnes and Maryland's Mike Lett's over the last two months. He has two wins this season over 11th-seeeded Austin Meys of Lehigh, including one this past Sunday in the EIWA semifinals. Demichiel could find himself in the quarterfinals if he can get past 10th-seeded Nick Heflin in the first round and seventh-seeded Nick Amuchastegui of Stanford, a wrestler who has split two matches with Meys. Luke Rebertus has a win over Robert Hamlin, but lost to Joe LeBlanc in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)184: Luke Rebertus (Navy) Rebertus is arguably the most dangerous unseeded wrestler in the tournament. He has a win this season over second-seeded Robert Hamlin of Lehigh and has wrestled several of the nation's top 184-pounders to close matches, including top-seeded Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro, who beat him 6-4. Assuming Rebertus can get past Gardner-Webb's Jonathan Velazquez, he will likely get another shot at Honeycutt in the second round. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that unseeded Rebertus upsets top-seeded Honeycutt. If that happens, it's anyone's guess who comes out of the top side of the bracket. 197: Brent Haynes (Missouri) Kent State's Dustin Kilgore's, the fourth seed, got a tough first round draw in Haynes, who went 3-2 at the NCAAs last season. Haynes has beaten several wrestlers in this weight class throughout his young career, including fifth-seeded Luke Lofthouse, who he hammered 7-1 last season. Watch the Kilgore-Haynes first round match because it could be interesting. 285: Brendan Barlow (Kent State) Don't read too much into Barlow's double-digit losses this season. He has been up and down this season and lost some tight matches to the nation's top heavyweights. He owns a 10-5 victory over ninth-seeded Cameron Wade of Penn State. Barlow beat second-seeded Jarrod Twice of Central Michigan to win the MAC title last season, but has two close losses to Trice this season. Barlow also has close losses this season to No. 1 Zach Rey of Lehigh, No. 5 Dom Bradley of Missouri, and No. 6 Ryan Tomei of Pitt. Barlow will get another crack at Tomei in the first round. Tomei won 6-5 the first time the two met. Expect another barnburner.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Rob Koll and Shannyn Gillespie. Rob Koll is the current head wrestling coach at Cornell University, a position he has held for the past 13 years. During his tenure, Koll has led his teams to 10 Ivy titles, two EIWA titles and eight top-20 finishes at the NCAA tournament. In 2005, Koll was named NCAA "Coach of the Year" after placing fourth at the NCAA tournament. As an athlete, Koll was a four-time All-American and an NCAA champion for North Carolina. While competing in freestyle Koll was a two-time National Open Champion, a World Cup Champion and a Pan American Games champion. He also placed fifth at the World Championships in 1990. He is the son of Bill Koll, a former three-time undefeated NCAA champion for Iowa State Teachers College (now Northern Iowa). Gillespie serves as the head women's wrestling coach at the United States Olympic Education Center located on the campus of Northern Michigan University. Since arriving at the U.S. Olympic Education Center in 2004, he has guided athletes such as Mary Kelly, Sharon Jacobson, Dany Hedin and Randi Miller to national championship titles. Gillespie grew up in Evanston, Ill., and culminated his athletic career by training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., from 1997-1999. While wrestling at Lock Haven, Gillespie earned All-American honors by placing 3rd place at the 1993 NCAA tournament. In 1989 he won an Illinois state title. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

No Limits Mixed Martial Arts of Irvine, Calif. has signed a sponsorship agreement with USA Wrestling, the national governing body of amateur wrestling in the United States. The sponsorship will designate No Limits as the Official Sponsor for the U.S. World Teams for Grappling and Sombo, as well as other involvement with USA Wrestling�s programs in those styles of international wrestling This agreement will run through the end of 2008, and will encompass both the 2007 U.S. World Teams, as well as the 2008 U.S. World Teams. �This sponsorship provides a unique opportunity for significant resources for our historic World Teams in these new styles,� said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. �This will play an important role in the development of our programs for Grappling and Sombo. We are excited about our partnership with No Limits and its accomplished professional staff.� �We have a significant interest in seeing the sport of Grappling propelled to the forefront as a wrestling discipline,� said Jim Santaniello of No Limits. �The athletes who are representing the U.S. in this historic first Grappling World event are superior in all ways, including their character, integrity and athletic ability. We are so proud to be a part of the USA Wrestling organization and sponsors of this Grappling World Championship Team. All of us at No Limits are determined to make our training center a haven for young people to learn new skills and train with some of the best coaches in this sport. Our partners Colin Oyama and Juliano Prado have been an integral part of encouraging this Grappling program at No Limits Mixed Martial Arts.� As part of its sponsorship, No Limits will fund the costs of the No. 1 athletes, as well as the two official coaches and the team leaders for the U.S. World Grappling Team for both men and women to participate in the FILA World Grappling Championships. Included will be the hosting of an official training camp for the World Grappling Team, which will be held at the No Limits facility in Irvine, Calif. The World Team Coaches for the 2007 World Grappling Team are Bob Anderson of Redondo Beach, Calif. and Jason Townsend of Las Vegas, Nev. The Team Leaders for the 2007 World Grappling Team are Jim and Karen Santaniello of Irvine, Calif. and Gogi Parseghian of Los Angeles, Calif. The 2007 FILA World Championships for Grappling will be held September 9 in Antalya, Turkey. The U.S. Grappling World Team Training Camp is being held at No Limits in Irvine, Calif., August 28 � Sept. 3. The No Limits Mixed Martial Arts facility in Irvine, Calif. has been designated as the USA Wrestling National Training Center for Grappling and Sombo. No Limits is a Mixed Martial Arts training center that offers MMA training and classes for every skill level with an all-inclusive facility. No Limits provides training in most major disciplines of MMA. The center provides instruction for those seeking to learn or improve their skills and performance in Grappling, Sombo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Wrestling or Mixed Martial Arts, where they are trained by professional-level athletes, recognized champions and elite coaches. Juliano Prado is the Head Coach for Jiu Jitsu and Grappling at the USA Wrestling National Training Center for Grappling at the No Limits facility. Bob Anderson is the Head Coach for Wrestling and Sombo there. No Limits also employs a full-time staff of instructors in other Mixed Martial Arts disciplines. The training center is equipped with a Sports Medicine Wellness Center with a full staff for sports therapy and rehabilitation. USA Wrestling has also named Bob Anderson of Redondo Beach, Calif. as its National Mentor Coach for Grappling and Sombo. Anderson, a longtime coaching leader within USA Wrestling and an expert in these new international styles of wrestling, will take an active role in helping USA Wrestling establish its training systems in these sports. FILA, the international wrestling federation, has named both Sombo and Grappling as international styles of wrestling. FILA hosts World Championship competitions in these wrestling styles. USA Wrestling, as the national wrestling federation within FILA, conducts Sombo and Grappling programs within the United States, along with the other styles of international wrestling. USA Wrestling is sending a team of participants to the World Wrestling Games in Antalya, Turkey, Sept. 7-10. The U.S. team will consist of athletes in Grappling, Sombo and Beach Wrestling.

Three very active men in the wrestling community will be honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association with the Dan Gable "America Needs Wrestling" Award. This award is to recognize those individuals who have given significant time and effort to the sport of wrestling. Those efforts must have had significant impact on the preservation or promotion of the sport, through contributions that are financial, service and/or leadership in nature. Greg Hatcher of Little Rock, Ark., John Licata of Fairfax, Va., and Steve Silver of Dallas, Texas have been named recipients of this award for their outstanding work in helping start wrestling, saving wrestling and promoting wrestling. Hatcher has been the driving force behind the movement to start and sanction high school wrestling in Arkansas, which is one of two states that did not have wrestling as a sanctioned sport. Hatcher put up his own money to buy mats for over 10 schools in the state with the hope that enough schools would start wrestling as a means to give high school students another athletic option in the winter other than basketball. This season, Arkansas held its first high school state tournament with Bentonville winning the championship in the 16-school field. The state needs 40 programs to start wrestling for the Activities Association to officially sanction the sport. "People like Greg Hatcher represent what this award means," said NWCA Executive Mike Moyer. "He's been spearheading coaching education, additional avenues for kids, positioning wrestling as a way to combat Arkansas' childhood obesity problem and has been footing the bill for much of it." "His altruistic approach to bringing wrestling into an area where it's been lacking speaks volumes about his love of the sport and his willingness to give the kids in his state additional opportunities to compete," added Moyer. Information about Arkansas' growing wrestling movement can be found at www.arkwrestling.com John Licata, a former wrestler at James Madison University, has been a vital cog in the movement to try to regain 10 athletics programs at his alma mater and dropped programs at Ohio University as well. Licata is the founder and president of Equity in Athletics, a non-profit group aimed at reforming Title IX's interpretation and urging schools to keep and add opportunities rather than take them away in response to the proportionality prong of Title IX. "A lot of us were saddened when James Madison elected to end the athletic careers of athletes in 10 sports," said Moyer. "What John has done is not take this sitting down and has been active in explaining the move and is fighting to regain these Olympic sports." "He's not just focusing on this because it's his alma mater, he's focusing on this because it's taken away opportunities from men and women at other programs as well," said Moyer. Licata has also been a generous donor to the NWCA and its Foundation for the Future, a donation fund set up to help program entrenchment, save threatened programs and start new wrestling opportunities nationwide. Steve Silver, a Dallas-based businessman, is the third honoree and his support of wrestling has been broad and generous. Silver has served as a team leader for various U.S. World Teams and was instrumental in bringing the NWCA All-Star Classic to the state of Texas for the first time. He's also on the committee trying to bring intercollegiate wrestling to the University of Texas. "Steve's just a good man in every aspect of life, not just wrestling," said Moyer. "His contributions to the sport have been well-documented and he's been a key factor in the rise of wrestling in a state where there is not one single college varsity program." "Without him, the 2006 All-Star Classic would not have been possible and it would have not been possible to showcase the nation's best wrestling talent in the Lone Star State." Silver currently has son Luke wrestling at Oklahoma State. "This group is phenomenal," said NWCA President Ron Mirikitani. "Even with their own wrestling careers long passed, they still find the time to try to improve and better this sport with their contributions and support." The Dan Gable "America Needs Wrestling" Awards will be presented to Hatcher, Licata and Silver at the 2008 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Last year, The Hershey Company's Ray Brace, Fresno State's Dennis DeLiddo and Tim Cornish and El Molino High School (Calif.) Athletic Director Greg Dumas were recipients of the award.

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- Jonny Bonilla-Bowman, who captured the Atlantic Coast Conference 157-pound championship as a redshirt freshman at Virginia Tech last spring, has transferred and will compete for the Pride this season, Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet announced. Jonny Bonilla-BowmanBonilla-Bowman comes to Hofstra after two seasons at Virginia Tech, where he redshirted in 2005-06 before posting a 20-13 record, winning the ACC title and being named the ACC Championship Tournament Outstanding Wrestler, and qualifying for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Detroit in 2006-07. He was 16-9 at 149 pounds, 4-4 at 157 pounds, was 9-8 in dual matches and 3-2 in ACC matches last season. In the ACC Championship, Bonilla-Bowman, who was seeded third, posted an opening round 7-4 victory over Maryland's Mike McGill, defeated second-seed Ben Fiacco from North Carolina, 8-5, and downed top-seeded Kody Hamrah from North Carolina State, 10-3 for the title. In the NCAA Championships, he lost a first-round decision to Drexel's Ryan Hluschak, 18-12, and a consolation round decision to Jacob Murphy from Purdue, 4-2. The Pomona, New York native attended Ramapo High School in Spring Valley and earned All-America honors with a seventh place finish at the 2005 Senior Nationals. Bonilla-Bowman earned six letters at Ramapo, was a three-year captain, and posted a 125-10 record with 73 wins by fall during his scholastic career. As a senior in 2004-05, he won four tournaments, captured the sectional title at 152 pounds and placed third at the New York State High School Championships. As a junior Bonilla-Bowman won six individual tournaments, captured the sectional crown, and placed fourth at the New York State Championships. He recorded five individual tournament titles and the sectional championship as a sophomore. In addition to his wrestling accolades, Bonilla-Bowman, who was a member of the Honor Roll and Principal's List as a senior, was also a goalkeeper on the Ramapo soccer team. He is also an accomplished musician, winning the New York State Art Teacher's Association Award for his work on the drums, guitar and song writing. "We are excited about adding a wrestler of Jonny's caliber to our team," Shifflet said. "With his talent and experience we expect him to step right into the line-up and compete for one of the jobs vacated by the graduations of All-Americans James Strouse at 157 and Mike Patrovich at 165." Hofstra, which finished seventh at the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, opens its 2007-08 regular season schedule on Saturday, November 10 against the University of Missouri. Match time at Hofstra's Mack Sports Complex is 7 p.m.

It seemed like a classic mismatch -- one of those wrestling match-ups where the outcome was assured long before the contestants took to the mat. In one corner, the defending champ, from Russia, known as "the Lion" -- undefeated in a long string of bouts with internationally-respected competition. An incredible physical specimen with a 20-inch neck, and 52-inch chest tapering down to a 36-inch waist, the muscular Russian caused more than one opponent to literally submit to end the match early rather than get caught up in the crushing power of his bearhug and risk injury being lifted high overhead and thrown violently to the mat for the fall. Facing this fearsome champion, a farm boy from the heartland of America -- the best big man this country had to offer. Although lacking the showy muscles of his foreign rival, the US wrestler was deceptively strong from years of hoisting hay bales and hogs. This account may sound familiar to modern-day wrestling fans. But, no, this isn't a description of the contestants of the super-heavyweight Greco-Roman finals match at the 2000 Sydney Olympics between defending champ Alexander Karelin of Russia ... known as "the Siberian Tiger" for the ferocity with which he tore into opponents, and "the Experiment" for his almost freakishly muscular physique -- and Rulon Gardner, the Wyoming dairy farmer who shocked the world by handing the three-time Olympic gold medallist his first defeat in thirteen years. What we're describing is a match-up from nearly a century ago between George "the Russian Lion" Hackenschmidt, the massively muscular world wrestling champion ... and Frank "the Iowa Plowboy" Gotch. The two men met in the professional wrestling ring twice -- first, in April 1908, and then on Labor Day 1911 -- both times in Chicago. Why are we talking about pro wrestlers? The first question that may have occurred to many of you is: RevWrestling.com is an amateur wrestling website. What is an article about professional wrestlers and their matches doing here? For starters, George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch were major sports superstars of the early 20th century. Fans of all ages collected cabinet cards and postcards with their images, read their books, and devoured articles about them in newspapers. Their epic matches were front-page news around the world -- akin to today's Super Bowl or soccer's World Cup in terms of garnering global attention -- and helped to launch organized amateur wrestling in the United States in the early part of the 20th century. In fact, a large number of high school and college wrestling programs can trace their roots back to the 1910s and 1920s -- the era when Hackenschmidt and Gotch were still household names, and highly respected athletes. Historical perspective The world of George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch was a vastly different place than we know today. Realize that their first match in April 1908 was less than five years after Wilbur and Orville Wright had their first successful flight of a motorized aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (December 1903), so commercial air travel was still a number of years in the future. Likewise, the automobile was still somewhat rare. Before Henry Ford got into the car business in 1903, only the rich could afford automobiles ... and, outside the cities, paved roads were few and far between. Passenger trains were the primary means for Americans to travel great distances on land; overseas travel was limited to ships. (Note that the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912 was just eight months after the second Gotch/Hackenschmidt match on Labor Day 1911 ... and World War I was yet to occur.) In 1908, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was in his last year of his second term as US President; William Howard Taft would be inaugurated as President in 1909. The US population in 1908 was approximately 89 million, growing to 94 million by 1911 -- one-third of today's census figures. At the time of the Gotch/Hackenschmidt matches, host city Chicago had nearly two million residents, and was the second-largest city in the country. The sports page 100 years ago What were the popular sports of a century ago? Major league baseball got plenty of newspaper coverage and drew thousands of fans; Frank Gotch took in a Chicago Cubs game the Sunday afternoon before the 1911 rematch. Another fan favorite was professional cycling -- bicycle races, usually held on steeply banked oval tracks, was all the rage in the early 1900s. Football was a college game that was working to overcome an image as a violent, brutal and sometimes deadly sport; there was no National Football League. Likewise, the National Basketball Association was a distant dream; basketball was a game played in schools and at YMCAs. As for personal combat sports in the early part of the 20th century, boxing seemed to have a split personality. "The manly art of self-defense" was a staple at private men's clubs and many colleges as a pure, amateur athletic endeavor, while, professional boxing matches were outlawed in many states. Organized amateur wrestling had something of an elite image, as it was pretty much limited to men's athletic clubs, Y's, and eastern colleges such as Penn State and Ivy League schools. Unlike today, professional wrestling was viewed as a legitimate sporting activity by the general public. Among pro wrestling historians, there is some debate as to how "real" it was; some argue that "routine" matches had predetermined outcomes, while many if not most historians seem to be in agreement that championship matches were real contests. It's also important to note that the theatrical elements we associate with today's WWE -- wrestlers portraying roles as "faces" (good guys) or "heels" (bad guys), wearing costumes, performing spectacular moves, and acting out soap-opera-like storylines -- were not in evidence in professional wrestling in the Gotch/Hackenschmidt era. Both of their championship matches were filmed and shown to the public in theaters, but these films cannot be located at this time. However, a number of amateur wrestling champions have viewed the oldest existing film available of a professional wrestling match: a 1920 title bout at Madison Square Garden between Joe Stecher and Earl Caddock -- two Midwestern farm boys who were also World War I heroes -- and have commented on how much it looks like a modern-day college wrestling match. There were no flying chairs, no flying leaps off the top rope, no chokeholds, no whipping the opponent into the turnbuckles. From viewing this film and reading accounts of other professional wrestling matches of the time, it seems the Stecher-Caddock title match was a typical example of professional wrestling in the US up to the early to mid- 1920s, when the theatrical aspect we associate with pro wrestling today started to make its appearance. Say hello to George Hackenschmidt George HackenschmidtAlthough known as the Russian Lion, George Hackenschmidt was actually born in Dorpat, Estonia in the summer of 1878. As a teen, "Hack" developed into a physical specimen who performed feats of strength, even lifting a small horse off the ground. After he turned eighteen, Hackenschmidt worked as an engineer, but dabbled in weightlifting. It was at this time his life took a major turn; after sustaining an injury, he visited a local doctor who had a distinguished guest staying with him, Dr. Vladislav von Krajewski, a physician to the Russian czar. Dr. Krajewski asked Hack to come stay with him in St. Petersburg, Russia with the idea of developing him as a professional athlete and wrestler. At Dr. Krajewski's direction, Hackenschmidt had the opportunity to work out with and compete against the best wrestlers from throughout Europe, mastering Greco-Roman technique. In 1902, Hack won the European Greco-Roman heavyweight title by defeating Tom Cannon of England; in 1905, he beat Tom Jenkins, the American heavyweight champ (and future wrestling coach at West Point), making George Hackenschmidt the first widely recognized World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Meet Frank Gotch Although born the same year as George Hackenschmidt (1878), Frank Gotch's upbringing was significantly different. Born as the youngest of nine children on a farm near Humboldt, Iowa about 90 miles northwest of Des Moines, Gotch grew strong not from lifting barbells but from farm chores ... and learned to wrestle from grappling with his brothers and other boys in the area. By his late teens, Gotch developed a reputation in north-central Iowa as being a tough wrestler. That reputation was cemented when he wrestled a man who identified himself as a traveling salesman but was actually professional wrestler Dan McLeod. Although McLeod won the two-hour bout (wrestled outdoors on a cinder track), he was impressed with the young farmer, and arranged for Gotch to meet Martin "Farmer" Burns, a legendary Iowa wrestler who was well into his fifties at the time. Burns became Gotch's trainer and mentor for the rest of his wrestling career. Frank GotchIn the early days of the 20th century, Frank Gotch first made a name for himself -- and a sizeable fortune -- wrestling in the gold rush country of Alaska and the Yukon, then traveling the US, taking on all comers. In his climb to the top, the Iowa farm boy had a series of eight matches over a number of years with the Cleveland ironman and wrestling champ Tom Jenkins, Gotch won five of them, and, by 1906, had become the US Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. It was destined that George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch -- the two wrestling champs of the same age but vastly different backgrounds -- would meet in the ring not just once, but twice. The build-up to the first bout The first title match between the champion George Hackenschmidt and the challenger Frank Gotch was held the night of April 3, 1908 in Chicago at Dexter Park Pavilion, a shed-like structure seating 10,000 fans on the southwest side of the city, in the area where the Windy City's famous stockyards once were. The general consensus among sportswriters and fans was that the match would be typical for Hack; he usually dispatched his opponents in ten minutes or less, either by submission from his powerful bearhug, or by pin. In fact, some of Gotch's friends actually feared for the Iowan's physical well-being. These fears were not totally groundless, at least when comparing the two men's physical attributes, and their levels of experience. Although Gotch was the same age as Hack (30 years old), the Russian Lion had reportedly wrestled over one thousand matches compared to about one hundred professional bouts for the Iowan. What's more, Hackenschmidt outweighed the challenger by twelve pounds (208 vs. 196), and, in terms of the "tale of the tape," had the farmer beat in just about every measurement other than height (Gotch was 5' 11", while Hackenschmidt was 5'9"). In his prime in 1908, George Hackenschmidt had the same neck, chest and waist measurements as Brock Lesnar when he wowed college crowds as the University of Minnesota heavyweight (though Lesnar was nearly a half-foot taller and sixty pounds heftier). Fans in the stands for the 1908 title bout reportedly ooh'ed and ahh'ed when the muscular Russian stripped off his robe to show his massive chest and v-taper torso. Teddy Roosevelt -- who wrestled and boxed in his youth -- said upon meeting the champion at the White House, "If I weren't President, I'd want to be George Hackenschmidt." Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt shake hands prior to their match in 1908Even Gotch was in awe of Hack's physique: "Picture the most perfect man, and you've described George Hackenschmidt," said the Iowa Plowboy, who, while lacking the muscular definition that was the Russian Lion's hallmark, was no slouch himself in terms of body-build. Gotch had a 44" chest and 36" waist developed from years of farm chores, miles of roadwork, and long workout sessions with Farmer Burns and other top US wrestlers. To put these wrestlers' measurements in perspective in the early 1900s, the typical American man stood about 5'6" to 5'8", weighing in at about 135-145 pounds, with a lean, wiry body-build gained from the physical demands of farming or factory work so both Gotch and Hack were considered physical specimens -- and even "supermen" -- by the standards of the day. "Clash of the Titans" After an evening of preliminary matches, George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch met in the ring at Dexter Park Pavilion (a sports venue built near the now-gone Chicago Stockyards southwest of downtown) after 10 p.m. on an unusually warm early spring night. The two men were cautious at first, with Gotch trying to remain out of the reach of the champion and his powerful bearhug. The Iowan kept Hack at arms' length, wrapping his hands around the champ's powerful neck, exerting downward pressure in an attempt to wear him down. According to accounts of the match, there was plenty of hand-fighting and tying-up in the stand-up position, with some successful takedowns and throws that brought the action to the mat ... but, from most reports, the match had long periods of tying up and pushing each other around the ring, punctuated by bursts of tremendous action. Because it was a warm night -- and the match was contested under intense lights for film cameras -- both wrestlers broke out into a sweat early. (Both men were stripped to the waist; Hackenschmidt wore trunks, while Gotch wore full-length tights.) After about an hour of wrestling, the champion straightened out of his familiar crouch position, complaining to the referee that he couldn't get a grip on Gotch's body, alleging that the Iowan was "oiled up." Hack proposed that the match be postponed so that both men could take a hot bath. The referee refused, telling Hack, in essence, he should have raised the issue earlier, and the match continued. Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt in 1908A few minutes later, Hackenschmidt again straightened up, and said to the challenger, "We shall declare this a draw." Gotch laughed, saying, "Let's wrestle" and tore into the champion. The Iowan later said that he knew at this point he had won the match, that Hack was pretty much admitting defeat. Then again, the Russian Lion usually didn't have to wrestle for more than an hour! At about the two-hour point of the match, Gotch brought the Russian muscleman to the mat on his stomach, and clamped on his favorite submission hold, the step-over toehold, with the Iowan grabbing his rival's ankle, and pulling it up along his back. The pressure would force the opponent onto his back for the pin ... if he didn't cry uncle first. Hackenschmidt was in tremendous pain ... but refused to submit, and fought off attempts to turn him to his back. However, after a few minutes of struggle, he realized there was no way out, other than to say, "I surrender the title to you, Mr. Gotch." The referee told the farmer to release the hold. With that, after a match that lasted two hours and three minutes, there was a new world heavyweight wrestling champ and his name was Frank Alvin Gotch. The Russian Lion's post-match allegations In interviews immediately after the match, George Hackenschmidt was gracious in defeat but his tone changed once he was back in Europe, where he accused the Iowa Plowboy of unsportsmanlike behavior. Hack alleged that Gotch had soaked his body and hair in turpentine to make it impossible for him to get a grip -- a claim that is hard to fathom, since turpentine would have been even more toxic to the Iowan as for the champ. George HackenschmidtHackenschmidt also claimed the new champ was abusive both physically and verbally. From various accounts, Gotch did rough up the champion with headbutts, slaps to the face and other "ungentlemanly" behavior, though Hack engaged in some of this rough stuff, too. Reports at the time also indicate that the Iowan taunted the Russian Lion during the match with statements such as "Who taught you to wrestle?" and "You're going home without the title." (While there are some accounts that have Hack responding to some of Gotch's jibes, his quoted comments were generally not of a taunting nature.) Was this typical behavior in a professional wrestling match of a century ago? From reading accounts of matches of the era, it almost seems as if there were two types of bouts: those that were seemingly "gentlemanly" affairs, held in men's clubs, hotel ballrooms and other places of refinement, strictly adhering to Greco-Roman rules -- the kind of matches George Hackenschmidt normally wrestled in Europe ... and the more freewheeling type matches, held just about anywhere indoors or outside, where there were few rules, and submission holds were allowed -- the kind of matches that were Frank Gotch's bread and butter. While Hack's matches tended to be brief and "polite," he easily defeated Tom Jenkins, the Cleveland steelworker who was known for his brutal, no-holds-barred style of combat ... so it's not as if Hack had never encountered this type of wrestling. It's most likely that Hack was frustrated that the match with Gotch didn't go his way. The Russian Lion was accustomed to a bit of Greco-Roman hand-fighting, then putting an opponent in his powerful bearhug and securing a quick win -- either by having his rival submit from the crushing pain, or throwing him to the mat and pinning him. Most of Hack's matches were over in ten or fifteen minutes. He was unaccustomed to wrestling a two-hour match, and, despite his incredible musculature, lacked the stamina to battle that long, while Frank Gotch was trained for this type of long, grueling match, incorporating miles of roadwork in the rolling Iowa countryside into his daily workout routine to build endurance. The new champ Meanwhile, as the new world champion, Frank Gotch continued his wrestling career and was the star of a playlet "All About A Bout" for the vaudeville circuit in which he played a college wrestling champ called in as a last-minute opponent for a muscular European champion named Atlas. The play concluded with a climatic wrestling match on stage, giving theatergoers an opportunity to see the Iowa Plowboy stripped for action on the mat. Plays like these were common at the time; for instance, boxing champions often appeared on stage in star vehicles designed to showcase their physiques and athletic ability, not necessarily stretch their acting muscles. In addition, films of the Gotch/Hackenschmidt match were also shown in movie theaters. Gotch took "All About A Bout" to England, with the hope of setting up a return match with George Hackenschmidt. But no meeting took place -- on the mat, or anywhere else. Reports in the Australian press claim a rematch was arranged in the Land Down Under for 1909, but there is no record of Gotch ever traveling to Australia, let alone planning the trip. Frank GotchEven with the play and touring the country taking on challengers, Frank Gotch found time for other endeavors. In the summer of 1910, Gotch and Farmer Burns were asked to help their friend, former heavyweight boxing champ Jim Jeffries, come out of retirement in an attempt to take back the title from Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champ, but "the Great White Hope" was knocked out by Johnson in a July 4, 1910 title bout in Reno, Nevada. (Some in the boxing community wanted Gotch to put on the gloves vs. Johnson, but he refused.) In January 1911, Gotch married Gladys Oestrich of his hometown of Humboldt. After many attempts at trying to arrange a Gotch/Hackenschmidt rematch, the champion, who was torn between not granting a second match after the Russian Lion's allegations of cheating and foul behavior, and yet wanting the opportunity to once and for all prove to the public that he was the better man in the wrestling ring -- finally came to terms with promoters. The rematch was set, for September 4, 1911 -- Labor Day Monday -- at Chicago's then-new Comiskey Park straight south of downtown, home of the Chicago White Sox until the late 1980s. The 1911 rematch This time, the pre-match build-up was even more intense than it was three-and-a-half-years earlier. The press camped out at each man's training headquarters, much to the consternation of George Hackenschmidt, who did not want the media attention, and, in fact, broke a contract with the Chicago Athletic Club where he was scheduled to train. Instead, the Russian Lion conducted his training in the weeks prior to the match in the privacy of his hotel ... doing his roadwork late at night on the beaches of Lake Michigan. To avoid a repeat of some of the problems of the 1908 match, both parties approved a detailed set of rules published for all to see in the Chicago papers. The rules mandated that both men wrestle bare-chested, but there was a specific rule outlawing either wrestler from applying oil, grease or other lotions to his hair or body. The rules also stipulated a best-of-three falls format, with the requirement that a match be ended by a fall, not by a submission, to avoid any confusion as to when a match was over. The stands at Comiskey Park were packed with 35,000 spectators -- the most ever to see a wrestling matchOn a sunny, warm Labor Day afternoon, the stands at Comiskey Park were packed with 35,000 spectators -- the most ever to see a wrestling match. To the resounding cheers of the fans, the two wrestlers strode out separately from the home team baseball dugout to the ring set up on the baseball diamond. (The only seats around it were apparently for the press, which numbered nearly 500.) The champion, Frank Gotch, came first to the ring ... then, a few minutes later, the challenger, George Hackenschmidt. Those in attendance were startled to see that the Russian Lion was not quite in the same shape as he had been in 1908, now carrying a 40" waist, and tipping the scales at 224 pounds -- sixteen pounds heftier than in the first match, and nineteen pounds heavier than the Iowan. More than one newspaper mentioned Hack's larger, softer physique; one of the boldest, the Ames (Iowa) Intelligencer declared, "Hackenschmidt, untrained, was hog fat." Astute observers also noticed that Hack was wearing full-length tights, with padding around his left knee; the former champ normally wrestled in trunks without tights. Frank Gotch pins George Hackenschmidt at 14 minutes 18 seconds of the first roundOnce the customary pre-match photos were taken, the bell was rung, and the battle was on. The action was much faster than in the 1908 bout, with Frank Gotch being the more aggressive of the two. After Hack scored a takedown and was on top of Gotch's back, the Iowan managed to escape and bring the Russian Lion down with a heel-pick. Having Hack on his back, the champ feinted his famous toehold; the Russian went to his left side, making it possible for Gotch to grab the left leg with a bar hold, locking his right arm. Pulling up on the leg forced Hack onto his shoulders for the pin at 14 minutes 18 seconds of the first round. Hackenschmidt went back to his dressing room for the fifteen minutes between rounds, while Gotch sat ringside, wrapped in his robe, smiling and waving to the crowd. Newspaper reports indicate that Hackenschmidt started the second round with more confidence than on display in the first ... but Gotch was even fiercer in his attacks on the former champion. Gotch pulled Hack to him by an arm hold, spun the Russian around and down to the mat, landing on top. The Iowan tried for the toehold, with Hackenschmidt yelling, "Don't break my foot" according to the referee Robert Smith, who informed the former champ that there would have to be a fall. After a few seconds of thought, Hack rolled onto his back for the fall at just five minutes 32 seconds into the second round. Frank Gotch was still the world champion! Aftermath Immediately after the 1911 Labor Day title match, newspapers were full of negative reports. For starters, it was reported that the Chicago police chief had declared "All bets off" before the match even started, apparently because betting action was so lopsided in favor of Frank Gotch. Many of the newspaper articles alleged that Hack had quit cold, commenting on his "yellow streak." Later it was disclosed that Hackenschmidt had accidentally injured his left knee in a training session with professional wrestler Benjamin Roller, but had been persuaded to go out and wrestle by the promoter who appealed to the former champ's pride and desire to settle the score with Gotch. (The promoter no doubt had visions of his own payday slipping away if there had not been a match.) A few years later, another professional wrestler, Ad Santel, claimed that he had been hired by someone in Frank Gotch's entourage to purposely injure Hack's knee in training, assuring that Gotch would retain the title. Because it sounds like a plot line on a modern-day WWE broadcast, this story has taken on a life of its own in recent times, being presented in many books and websites as gospel truth. The story was given added credence by the late Lou Thesz, a highly-respected, long-time pro wrestling champ, who said that his mentor Santel told him all the details. Hackenschmidt made no such allegations; in fact, Hack had a long history of knee problems and wrote about them in his books. What's more, the Australian newspapers reported that Hackenschmidt was forced to have knee surgery upon arriving in Sydney in 1906, delaying his wrestling tour of Australia. Frank Gotch battles Farmer BurnsFrank Gotch remained the world champ until he retired in 1913. In late 1916, his health took a sudden turn for the worse. He died in December 1917 of kidney failure at age 40. He left behind his wife Gladys, and their only son, Robert Friedrich Gotch, who, despite legends to the contrary, never wrestled at the University of Iowa. George Hackenschmidt retired from wrestling after the second loss to Gotch, but continued to be a major force in strength training and bodybuilding, writing and lecturing on the subject for decades. He was a learned man fluent in many languages, tangling with issues of philosophy, man's place in the cosmos, and other scholarly subjects. Hack died of natural causes in London in 1968 at age 90, leaving behind his wife Rachel. The world of professional wrestling started to change not long after these two men left the ring. By the mid to late 1920s, pro wrestling had started to take on more of the showbiz aspects today's WWE fans would recognize -- good guys vs. bad guys (often playing on ethnic stereotypes and nationalistic pride), shorter matches with predetermined outcomes, and more spectacular moves like jumping off the top rope that were never part of the repertoire of George Hackenschmidt or Frank Gotch. Promoters of the era thought pro wrestling had to change to compete for audience attention; by the 1920s, it was competing with superstars in other sports, like Babe Ruth in baseball, and Jack Dempsey in boxing. College football and basketball were also gaining in popularity and organized amateur wrestling was also gaining a foothold. By this time, a number of state athletic associations had established state wrestling championships ... and the National Collegiate Athletic Association set up its first national college wrestling championship event in 1928 at Iowa State in Ames, about 60 miles from Gotch's hometown of Humboldt. Despite professional wrestling no longer bearing much of a resemblance to the real wrestling that takes place in high school gyms and college arenas, over the years a number of amateur wrestlers have entered the pro ring. Among the amateur champs who found fame and fortune in pro wrestling: Nat Pendleton, Earl McCready and Ed Don George in the 1920s and 1930s Dick Hutton, Verne Gagne, and Dan Hodge in the 1950s Jack Brisco and Dale Lewis in the 1960s ... and, in more recent times, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. These guys -- and, in fact, all amateur wrestlers in the US -- owe a debt of gratitude to the original superstars who helped make organized amateur wrestling the sport that it is today in America -- George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch. To see exhibits on Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt -- and watch the Caddock-Stecher films -- visit the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org/ or (319) 233-0745. And visit the Web site http://www.frankgotch.com. To learn more -- and to see more photos -- check out the Yahoo group FrankGotchvsGeorgeHackenschmidt: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/FrankGotchVsGeorgeHackenschmidt/

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Chuck Bednarik and Steve Knipp. Bednarik was one the toughest and most devastating tacklers in the history of football. During his 14 years with the Eagles, Bednarik was selected to eight Pro Bowls and was the last player to play full time on both offense and defense. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, the first year he was eligible to be inducted. Bednarik is best known for his devastating tackle of the Giants' Frank Gifford, a hit that shortened Gifford's football career. A long-time wrestling fan, Bednarik currently resides in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania, and is a big supporter of Lehigh wrestling. USA Wrestling recently honored Steve Knipp as 2007 National Events Person of the Year. Knipp is the inaugural recipient of this award, which recognizes a dedicated volunteer who has contributed highly to USA Wrestling's regional and national championship events. Knipp also served as the head coach at Waterloo East High School for 26 years, leading his wrestlers to the Iowa state team title in 1983. During his tenure he coached 30 state place winners and eight state champions. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

Please Note: RevWrestling.com is dedicated to covering and promoting amateur wrestling on all levels. However, on occasion, RevWrestling.com will look at mixed martial arts (MMA) as it relates to amateur wrestling. Event: UFC 74: Respect Date: August 25 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (Mandalay Bay Events Center) UFC 74 is about respect. In trying to make money while wagering on the UFC, there are a few key elements worth noting. Disrespecting the oddsmaker's numbers is one of them. Unlike most national sports, MMA odds are usually posted just days before the event. That means that when the oddsmaker finally posts the odds, bettors have little time to react. Educated handicappers then pounce on "juicy" lines, trying to take advantage of weaknesses or flaws in the posted numbers. Unlike most sports, the volume of betting action is relatively low, and more importantly, few oddsmakers are even capable of establishing a fair number, one in which the public's betting action will be evenly split. Often the posted number will induce well-educated MMA bettors the opportunity to take advantage of a weak number. In a sport that is so young and growing, it is mostly pure MMA fans who wager on these events. Unlike football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, where casual fans often throw their money down just to have action. Simply stated, the UFC bettor is a more educated bettor, while the oddsmaker setting the odds is posting numbers is much more vulnerable to posting a bad number than in any other sport. MMA lines get bet and then frequently get adjusted, often dramatically, to the new posted odds. Nowhere is the line movement so dramatic as it is in MMA betting. Like the fights themselves, the betting lines can be very volatile. This means there is money to be made! So let's follow the money. The strategy here will be to "go with the flow" of the educated MMA bettor. Let's look at the opening and current betting lines of tonight's fights. It is often said that late betting money is smart betting money. Often the "wise guys" wait until late before dumping their dough down. It often pays to watch this line movement and then jump on board. More times than not, you should be heading to the winner's window. The UFC Monster recently spent some time at Randy Couture's gym in Las VegasAs expected, the featured fight pits the popular 44-year old phenom, Randy Couture, against the lethal heavyweight, Gabriel Gonzaga, who is coming off a huge upset over Mirko Cro Cop, with one of the most devasting leg kicks in the history of the UFC. And, once again, the oddsmaker opens with Randy a +120 underdog. The betting public pounds him, and the line gets adjusted, and now Randy is a toss-up with the younger Gonzaga. Couture defies logic. He is a money-maker for UFC bettors, and getting anywhere near underdog or even odds is a bargain! TAKE COUTURE. Josh Koscheck is perhaps the most talented wrestler in the UFC. His mission tonight is to beat the very popular and recent welterweight champion George's St. Pierre, who comes off a shockingly disappointing loss to the much smaller and older, Matt Serra. St. Pierre may be my favorite UFC fighter, but the bettors have backed Koscheck. Late money may come in on St, Pierre, but the bettors feel that Koscheck is a fighter on the rise, while St. Pierre needs to regroup and find his bearings again. Koscheck works almost exclusively on his stand-up skills today, and his progress is amazing. He just gets better with each fight, and he recently gave Diego Sanchez his first loss in almost 20 fights! The money flow says, TAKE KOSCHECK. That may be the case, but I tread with great respect here. St. Pierre is a very dangerous man. Joe "Daddy" Stevenson is a physically strong, up-and-comer, who takes on Kurt Pellegrino. Opening at �280, the bettors have loaded up on Stevenson, driving the line to �325. That's a pretty big move. It's also probably a pretty safe bet, as well. Stevenson is better in all phases, stronger, and maybe even hungrier, with so many mouths to feed. TAKE STEVENSON and lay the big number. Kendall Grove is another talented fighter who gets better with each match. His opening odds were posted as �230, a clear favorite to beat down Patrick Cote, a potent slugger with limited ground skills. Grove is now a steeper favorite at �265. He gets the bacon. TAKE GROVE and lay the lumber. In the final "main event" card, former Augsburg wrestler Roger Huerta continues his blistering act in fighting relative unknown, Alberto Crane. Huerta is the niggest favorite on the card at �450. That line has been solid with little, if any, movement. Either nobody is betting this match, or the oddsmaker has effectively split the action, as intended. I'll PASS. I don't like "bridge jumping" on big favorites, and I'm not betting against someone who is 19-1. PASS. PASS. PASS. On the undercard, three of the four matches are getting betting action. Let's throw out Thales Leites against Ryan Jensen. Leites opened at �285, and that's where the line is stuck today. He may get the job done, but there is no value to the line. PASS again. Submission artist Renato "Babalu" Sobral opened at �185 against David Heath. Sobral had been on a major winning streak until getting KO'd by Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell, and then gassing out in the second round against Jason Lambert, who also knocked him out. Today, Sobral is posted at �235, again a big line movement. Why? Because UFC bettors feel that the value lies with him. Babalu is simply the bettor fighter. If he is mentally prepared, this fight will be his. TAKE SOBRAL to avoid his third straight loss. Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir hasn't looked good since he returned almost two years ago from his motorcycle accident. He opened as a -160 favorite to defeat Antoni Hardonk, a slugger with no ground game. Mir is just the opposite, a rare heavyweight with great submission skills and questionable knockout power. Usually, those who control their opponent's bodies, do well in MMA fighting (see Randy Couture). Mir is getting the bettor's action. Some off-shore books have him as �185 now. I'm not sure if I trust old Frank yet, bit a wager for old times sake may be in order. TAKE MIR as a modest favorite. His career may not yet be over. And, in what the oddsmakers have posted as the closest fight of the night, Marcus Aurelio takes on the experienced, long-haired Clay Guida, who opened as a �155 favorite. But, the bettors are pounding Aurelio who is now even money with some books. TAKE AURELIO. In summary, we are playing WITH the smart UFC bettors and AGAINST the weak UFC oddsmakers. Here's our plays: Couture, at any price. Koscheck, as a 'dog for those brave enough to go against St. Pierre. That's not me. Stevenson, a decisive favorite. Grove, another clear favorite. Sobral, avoiding a third straight loss. Mir, a fighter trying to salvage his career. Aurelio, as a 'dog. Passes on Huerta and Leites. Good luck. Play to win … not just to have action. Enjoy the fights. I'll see you at the winner's window! More later. The UFC Monster

Former Titans' wrestler and graduate assistant coach (2006-07) Risto Marttinen has been appointed assistant wrestling coach at Cal State Fullerton. Marttinen will assist sixth-year Head Coach Dan Hicks, for whom he wrestled four of his five years (2001-02 thru 2005-06) in the program, all as the regular at 165 pounds. His career record was 53-65 including a 21-13 mark as a senior. Marttinen won the team's academic award all five years and in 2004-05 he was Cal State Fullerton's male scholar-athlete of the year. Four times he won Pac-10 academic honors. A native of Lappeenranta, Finland, and a product of Dana Hills High School, Marttinen has dual U.S. and Finnish citizenship. In December, he placed fifth in the Finland national wrestling tournament at 163 pounds.

America's Wrestling Radio talk show is now heard around the world. From our Brute Adidas Studios now broadcast on the following internet outlets: Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. Please be sure to join our live broadcast each and every Saturday as we talk to the worlds greatest athletes. Wrestlers and MMA competitors alike join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and podcast as well. Check out Takedownradio.com for more details. This week Jeff Murphy of Kemin Industries rejoins us in the Brute adidas Studios as we welcome TDR Guests- 9:05 Steve Rivera- 38 year old professional trainer to athletes like Frank Edger specializing in wrestling. Wrestling has been a passion of Steve's for 33 years. Graduated as a Nat'l champ from Trenton State University, NJ, (D3) went one year prior to NC State for Bob Guzzo. Trains guys for MMA including Chris LiGouri, Jose Rodriguez, Dominique Tafuri, Kevin Roddy and many others. Trains wrestlers like Scott Winston (Jackson Memorial HS), Jess, Luke Lanno (USA Wrestling All American), Matt Oliver USA #6 All American, UNC Scholarship Nick Tenpenny, Winnie Dellefav out of Toms River NJ. EliteWrestling.net Jens Pulver and Steve Rivera doing a fund raiser for Allies Inc. alliesnj.org 9:20 Frank Edgar- 25 year old new asst. head coach at Rutgers under Scott Goodale, wrestling since he was in 6th grade. 2 X state place winner, 4 x NCAA Qualifier for Clarion, EWL Champ SNR Year. Ranked 11th in all time wins 9:40 Jeremy Spates- Asst Coach for the Sooners of Oklahoma joins us to discuss summer camps coming to an end, recruiting, getting the campus and kids back on track and relating to today's youth in general. 9:55 Deanna Gilbert - 2 Big PPV's this weekend. Saturday Night its UFC and Sunday night the WWE is back in action and Takedown Radio's Scott Casber will be there. Will you? 10:05 Scott Hinkle-Purdue's long time assist head coach is now the man! The New head Coach at Purdue University is Scott Hinkle. We'll talk bout the challenges he's faced after taking over from coach Reyes. His assist and friend Tom Erickson and what his plans are for the future of the Boilermaker Wrestling Program. 10:20 Paul Bradley- Former Iowa Hawkeye now Asst Head at SUNY Buffalo with Coach Jim Beichner. How's the transition been? I don't think he knows how much it snows in Buffalo. LOL. He's gonna find out this winter. September 28th he heads to Oklahoma City to face Mike Van Meer for a pro MMA battle. Paul's 4-0 as a pro. How will he battle this veteran? Tune in and find out. 10:40 Johny Hendricks- Makes his Pro MMA Debute September 28th in Oklahoma City, OK for Ted Ehrhardt's Team Takedown. he's been training in Las Vegas with Randy Couture and is now in Dallas with Guy Mesger. He's been training with hands, with a real focus on stand up, his wrestling instincts are certain to kick in during competition. How will he handle that? J. H. got knocked out early in his training. Was that a gut check? how's it been with family? Wife Leah? Just got married sep 2nd last year. Is he still a cowboy at heart?

Make your plans now to participate in the first Annual NIACC Wrestling Golf Tournament! Put together your own foursome or ask us to group you with other Trojan Wrestling supporters or team members. You will enjoy a fun, exciting day of golf, followed by a delicious meal, the fellowship of other golfing enthusiasts, and possibly win some big prizes! At the same time you will be supporting the welcoming back of one of the most successful junior college wrestling programs in the country, the NIACC Trojans. NIACC coaches and wrestlers will be on hand at the tournament participating as well as cheering you on! So get your TEAM together today! Unable to play on Sept. 22, consider becoming a hole sponsor or simply send a donation. The proceeds will be used to aid the Trojan Wrestling Department. Download the Golf Registration form at http://www.niacc.edu/athletics/wrestling/Golf%20Brochure.pdf

It's not merely a suggestion, it's a paramount requirement. That requirement is called leadership. Harvard University wrestling coach Jay Weiss and Hood River Valley High School coach Trent Kroll both not only excel at that requirement, it has been the pivotal piece in helping them mentor and coach student athletes. On Thursday, both were awarded the United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award at the Horizon Casino Resort as part of the 2007 National Wrestling Coaches Association Convention. As in past years, the award was presented by former Purdue wrestler Sgt. Maj. Larock Benford of the U.S. Marine Corps. Benford outlined his key points to leadership in a powerful motivational speech prior to announcing Weiss and Kroll as the winners of their respective awards. The United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award is presented yearly to a collegiate and high school coach that represents the core values of the United States Marine Corps in their passion for wrestling and leadership. Weiss, a 1990 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, has been at the helm at Harvard for the past 14 seasons. As he heads into his 15th season in Cambridge, Weiss has coached 13 All-Americans – including three in 2006-07 – and one NCAA champion. Last season, Weiss led the Crimson to a 22nd place finish at the NCAA championships, quite a feat when you consider they lost former All-American Bode Ogunwole at mid-season and All-American candidate Andrew Flanagan, but did pick up a medal from true freshman J.P. O'Connor – one of only two true freshmen to place at the 2007 NCAA Championships. "Jay Weiss is in an extremely competitive conference and always has his wrestlers prepared," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "As any wrestling coach knows, it's not always smooth sailing. He had a litany of injuries in his lineup this season and still came away with a solid showing at the NCAA championships." "It's a testament to his leadership and drive as a head coach that not only makes Jay a great coach, but makes him a valued recipient of this award," said Moyer. "I'm honored," said Weiss. "I don't feel like I've done anything different that I've aspired to do. As coaches, we're supposed to be leaders, that's why I'm the person I am." Weiss has been strong, not just leading his team, but also in leadership roles on the Board of Directors for the National Wrestling Coaches Association as the District I representative in NCAA Division I. He's also served as the president of the Ivy League wrestling coaches and the EIWA. Weiss has also been supportive of the NWCA/USMC Coaching Education initiatives and was one of the first coaches to complete the online leadership course. He's also numerous coaching development and leadership courses through NWCA partner Novations, One thing that Weiss has to deal with is his surroundings and realizing that his wrestlers will be dealing with their own hurdles down the line simply because of where they come from. "I'm dealing with future Harvard graduates, so I have to prepare them for post-college," said Weiss. "A lot of coaches are doing the same thing. Through sport, we get to teach life lessons. My guys are graduating with a Harvard degree and you're expected to lead immediately." "I definitely try to lead by example and try to put my athletes in leadership roles from the get-go," he said. "From the minute they are freshmen … I took a poll on my team to see who were captains of their high school teams and 100 percent were." Weiss explained that his surrounding changed his coaching design and took it from a results based focus to one based around leadership. A part of Harvard's program is getting its wrestlers to join public service inititatives. Recently, Harvard wrestlers have contributed to such groups as the Cambridge School Volunteers, St. Paul's Food Pantry, the Pen Pal program, and the Sports Equipment Drive, just to name a few. "I just felt when I first got into coaching it was about wins and losses," he explained. "When I was younger, the competitive nature in me was wins and losses. I'm fortunate enough to be at a school like Harvard where Harvard changed me." "My job as a leader and a coach is to put my athletes in situations in learning how to lead and what I found out was it eventually came back and we were more competitive. We went in a roundabout way to become a competitive team," he said. With the injuries to Flanagan and Ogunwole, Weiss had to put the pain of losing those two wrestlers aside … and lead by example. "It's very tough," explained Weiss. "You have to be able to keep moving forward. You can't be like ‘Aw, our chances are done without our two guys'." "Bode being a senior and ranked #2 and Flanagan couldn't go, but fortunately he has two years left. Inside, I was devastated for them, but outside -- I have to say, ‘Ok, who's going'." When (the kids) see that kind of attitude, they realize adverse situations, you can get through it, not only that, but you have to get through it." "In real life, they're going to be dealing with a lot harder situations than that," continued Weiss. "You have to keep going, that's my attitude. I was pulling for the kids and myself." Kroll, the current head coach at Hood River Valley High School in Oregon was surprised by the award. "I had no idea, when they said that I had ran the Northwest Wrestling Coaches Clinic for the last seven years, I knew it was me," said Kroll. "When they first started talking, I thought it was Les Combs. I actually turned to him and said ‘Get ready'." Kroll, a humble but appreciative individual, explained his passion for the sport. "I enjoy sharing the sport with the next generation," said Kroll. "I enjoy being around people that enjoy being around the sport and making the sport better in Oregon and I work hard to do it. Sometimes I have to focus on what to attack and what not to attack as far as making the sport better in our community." Not only did he not expect to win an award, he didn't expect to speak. "When they asked me to speak, I looked out into the audience and saw John Smith and Joe Russell," explained Kroll. "Oh my, I'm speaking in front of guys that I had posters of on my wall when I was growing up." "That was pretty cool," said Kroll. "I went to an Oklahoma State wrestling camp in 1987. It was probably the turning point in my career. It took me from being a mediocre wrestler to a person that had an opportunity to compete in college." Kroll went on to wrestle for Mike Clock at then-NAIA Pacific University in Oregon, where he explained he was just a "50/50 wrestler." "Coaches like Trent Kroll show that it's not the most decorated wrestlers that become great mentors and coaches for the next generation of student athletes," said Moyer. "He's directed his athletes to make their own decisions regarding their team captains and he's steered his wrestlers into leadership roles by encouraging them to take the NWCA's online leadership course." It's that leadership course which helped Kroll at Centennial High School before heading to Hood River Valley. "For the last three seasons, I've been working with Jeff Bowyer on the leadership training program," explained Kroll. "I have a mission statement for my team now … and a plan intact for creating leaders, showing them what happens when we do have good leadership and what happens when we don't." Past Winners 2006 College: Jack Maughan, University of Northern Colorado Scholastic: Jose Martinez, North Hills (Pa.) High School 2005 College: Drew Black, Wesleyan University Scholastic: Paul White, South Forsyth (Ga.) High School

University of Minnesota wrestler Brandon Sitch competed in the 2007 Junior World Greco-Roman Championships in Beijing, China on Wednesday, winning his first match but losing his second of the day. Wresting in the 84 kg./184 lbs. weight class, Sitch was one of only four U.S. wrestlers to compete at the event. A native of Kelso, Wash., Sitch defeated Egypt's Mahmoud El Sayed by scores of 3-0 and 3-1 in his first match on Wednesday. However, Sitch lost his next match to Lithuania's Aldas Lukosaitis 0-5 and 0-6, failing to place in the top 10 in his weight class. The Championships were held at the Chinese Agriculture University Gymnasium in Beijing. For more information on the Greco-Roman Championships, visit www.themat.com. Competing at 174 pounds as a freshman for the Gophers last season, Sitch finished with a perfect 4-0 record. All four of his decisions came in the Jan. 27 Jimmie Open in which Sitch recorded two pins and two decisions. Sitch was red shirted during the 2006-07 season and will retain four more years of eligibility. A four-time Washington state champion in high school, Sitch was a four-time Junior All-American and Wrestling USA All-American as well. He figures to challenge for time in the defending national champion Gophers' starting lineup in the 174-pound weight class this winter. The Golden Gophers will begin their national title defense on Nov. 10 when they travel to Fargo, N.D. for the Bison Open. Minnesota's dual meet season starts on Dec. 2 against 2006-07 national runner-up Iowa State.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- In the wake of Jake Rosholt and Eric Bradley's stunning SRO victories at 'Masters of the Cage XV' last month, Team Takedown (TTD) is preparing its latest fighting machines, OSU-NCAA wrestling champ Johny Hendricks and his OSU-NCAA/Big 12 teammate Shane Roller, to headline a ten-fight card for 'Masters of the Cage XVI' on September 28, 2007 at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Event Center in Oklahoma City. "Ultimate Night Of Champions: Masters of the Cage XVI" will feature: -- Johny Hendricks v. Victor Rackliff (Welterweight) -- Jake Rosholt v. Mike Messina (Light Heavyweight Title) -- Eric Bradley v. James Head (Middleweight Title) and -- Shane Roller v. Jake Pruitt (Lightweight) Beginning September 28, 2007 at 8pm (Doors Open 6:30pm), tickets range from$35.00 to $175.00, and are available at http://www.fightpass.com and 888-377-2229. College Wrestling Greats Hendricks and Roller Set for Pro MMA Fight Debuts Since "MOTC XV" sold out well before the fights, it is strongly recommended that those wanting tickets should order them now, as the event will sell out quickly. Hendricks and Roller's professional MMA debut will be officiated by MMA's best-known referee, "Big John" McCarthy, and veteran MMA ring announcer A.L. Haizlip will call the shots. With six title fights, the event will be broadcast live via Internet Pay-Per-View, with Scott Casber, host of nationally broadcast Takedown Wrestling Radio (http://www.takedownradio.com) delivering the play-by-play, with Olympic gold medallist and NBC/ESPN wrestling-MMA news personality Jeff Blatnick offering color commentary. There also will be several wrestling/MMA celebrities in attendance, including Oklahoma City's Own IFL-Veteran Fighter Wayne Cole; Oklahoma and NCAA wrestling champions Jared Hess and Cole Province, three-time Iowa All-American Paul Bradley BACKGROUND: TEAM TAKEDOWN FIGHTERS In April 2007, Team Takedown (TTD) signed Jake Rosholt and Johny Hendricks, former Oklahoma State University grapplers who have won five NCAA titles between them. One month later, TTD signed National Collegiate Boxing Champion and two-time NCAA wrestling All-American Eric Bradley out of Penn State. Most recently, TTD added three-time All-American Shane Roller -- another graduate of the Oklahoma State national championship-wrestling powerhouse -- to its roster. To learn more about Team Takedown, TTD's New Message Board and the Team Takedown Store please visit http://www.teamtakedownfighters.com. 'MASTERS OF THE CAGE XVI' FIGHT CARD MASTERS OF THE CAGE XVI -- "ULTIMATE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS" BRICKTOWN COCA-COLA EVENT CENTER -- Friday, September 28, 2007 –- 8pm RED CORNER *** Denotes Championship Title Fight *** BLUE CORNER PRO MIDDLEWEIGHT - 171 LBS TO 185 LBS 1 JARED HESS 1W-0L --- VS --- DOMINIC BROWN 5W-4L OKLAHOMA CITY, OK KANSAS CITY, KS WRESTLER FREESTYLE PRO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT - 186 LBS TO 205 LBS 2 MIKE VAN MEER 27W-18L --- VS --- PAUL BRADLEY 5W-0L DES MOINES, IA BUFFALO, NY STRIKER / BJJ WRESTLER PRO LIGHTWEIGHT - 146 LBS TO 155 LBS 3 SHANE ROLLER 0W-0L --- VS --- JAMES PRUITT 1W-0L DALLAS, TX YUKON, OK WRESTLER BJJ / MMA *** PRO FLYWEIGHT TITLE - 136 LBS TO 145 LBS *** 4 AARON WILLIAMS 12W-7L --- VS --- COLE PROVINCE 1W-0L BILOXI, MS OKLAHOMA CITY, OK STRIKER / BJJ WRESTLER *** PRO LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE - 146 LBS TO 155 LBS *** 5 TIM ESTES 3W-1L --- VS --- MARCUS LANIER 5W-0L ROLLA, MO MT. PLEASANT, TX STRIKER / BJJ FREESTYLE *** PRO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE - 156 LBS TO 170 LBS *** 6 TJ WALDBURGER 10W-3L --- VS --- CODY SENSENSEY 2W-0L TEMPLE, TX BILOXI, MS GRAPPLER BJJ *** PRO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE - 171 LBS TO 185 LBS *** 7 JAMES HEAD 2W-0L --- VS --- ERIC BRADLEY 1W-0L ROLLA, MO LAS VEGAS, NV STRIKER WRESTLER / STRIKER *** PRO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE - 186 LBS TO 205 LBS *** 8 JAKE ROSHOLT 1W-0L --- VS --- MIKE MESSINA 2W-1L LAS VEGAS, NV OKLAHOMA CITY, OK WRESTLER STRIKER / BJJ *** PRO HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE - 206 LBS TO 265 LBS *** 9 WAYNE COLE 7W-5L --- VS --- HEATH JOHNSON 2W-1L NORMAN, OK DES MOINES, IA STRIKER STRIKER / WRESTLER PRO WELTERWEIGHT - 156 LBS TO 170 LBS 10 JOHNY HENDRICKS 0W-0L --- VS --- VICTOR RACKLIFF 1W-0L LAS VEGAS, NV TALEQUAH, OK WRESTLER BJJ FIGHT CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE

The University of Minnesota wrestling program announced its schedule for the 2007-08 season today, highlighted by home meets with 2006-07 national runner-up Iowa State, Big Ten rival Iowa and the 2007-08 Big Ten Championships, which will take place March 8 and 9 at Williams Arena. After gaining their third national championship a year ago under head coach J Robinson, the Golden Gophers will attempt to make it back-to-back titles and bring home the another national crown this winter. This year's schedule features the program's typically strong non-conference schedule. The Gophers will participate in two early-season open meets in November – the Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State University on Nov. 10, and the Kaufman-Brand Open at the University of Nebraska-Omaha the next weekend. Minnesota will also go against three different opponents (Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado and North Dakota State) in the Northern Quad meet in Rochester on Nov. 24. Minnesota open the dual meet season at Williams Arena with the 2006-07 NCAA runner-up Iowa State Cyclones on Dec. 2. The Gophers defeated the Cyclones 19-13 in their dual meet match-up last season and won the national championship by 9.5 points (98.0 - 88.5) last March. Following their meeting with Iowa State, the Gophers will host Nebraska at the Sports Pavilion Dec. 6 before traveling to California that weekend to take on Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly Dec. 8. Following the holiday break, the Golden Gophers will head to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the Southern Scuffle from Dec. 29-30. Minnesota then enjoys a two-week break before competing in the National Duals from Jan. 12 through 13, hosted by Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. After squaring off against South Dakota State on Jan. 20, the Golden Gophers will open Big Ten action with a weekend in Michigan. Minnesota takes on Michigan State Jan. 25 in East Lansing and will travel to Ann Arbor the next day for a dual meet with the Wolverines. The Gophers come back home to do battle with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Feb. 1 in one of the year's marquee match-ups. The Gophers trounced Iowa 29-13 last season in dual meet competition as the Hawkeyes went on to finish ninth at NCAAs. Two days later (Feb. 3), Coach Robinson's squad will travel to Stillwater for their annual meeting with Oklahoma State, which placed fifth a year ago at the NCAA National Championships. The next weekend the Gophers will travel to Northwestern (Feb. 8) and Purdue (Feb. 10) before returning home for three consecutive Big Ten dual meets. Williams Arena will be the setting for competitions with Illinois on Feb. 15 and Wisconsin on Feb. 17, and Minnesota rounds out the regular season with Ohio State on Feb. 24 at the Sports Pavilion. The University of Minnesota will play host to the Big Ten Championships for the first time in 10 years on March 8 and 9. The Gophers have finished first or second in the Big Ten every year since 1999, including six championships. The NCAA Championships will be held in St. Louis, Missouri at the Scottrade Center from March 20-22. Despite losing two-time national champion Cole Konrad to graduation, the Gophers return a number of talented athletes on the mat. Brothers Dustin (third at the NCAA Championships in the 149 lbs. division) and C.P Schlatter (sixth in 157 lbs.) will be back for their junior and senior seasons, respectively, while national placewinners Roger Kish (184 lbs.) and Jayson Ness (125 lbs.) also return. With seven of their top eight wrestlers coming back, Minnesota should once again be a force both in the Big Ten and on the national stage. Fans looking to get in on the Gopher wrestling action will be able to view select meets this season on the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten Network will broadcast between 65-75 live Gopher athletic events this year, including Big Ten Championship events and a nightly show that will keep you up-to-date on what's going at the U of M. In addition, exclusive Gopher wrestling content (including live video webcasts) will be available on the web via the Gold Zone. Stay tuned to www.gophersports.com and www.bigtennetwork.com for more details.