InterMat Staff

Event: UFC 100 Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center (Las Vegas, Nevada) Date: July 11, 2009 Wow! UFC 100: The best mixed martial card ever (until 101, 102, etc.). Two title fights and a bunch of legendary big name fighters make up this Battle Royal. Tickets for this affair sold out in a few hours, before the public ever got a chance to grab one. I know I tried ... $1000 singles were all that were left. Dana owns a cash cow. The UFC Monster is on a mission to beat the Vegas bookies at mixed martial arts. We have won our previous two cards, with a net profit of $248.50, as posted right here on InterMat. Let’s go for the trifecta, and take a look at tonight’s card for value in the Vegas line. One of the two title fights pits heavyweight Brock Lesnar (3-1) in a revenge match against current champion Frank Mir (12-3). Lesnar, the former NCAA wrestling champion, is a freak of strength and speed. His brute strength and sledgehammer fists, combined with his dominant wrestling skills, make him almost unbeatable. Mir is a rare heavyweight who wins most of his fights by nasty submissions, including breaking Tim Silvia’s arm and taking Brock out with a knee bar. Three years removed from a serious motorcycle accident, Mir is now at the peak of his game. His demolishing of Nogueira is one for the ages. The key to this fight may be Marty Morgan, lifelong University of Minnesota assistant coach, who now serves as Brock’s mentor. If Marty has taught the big man how to defend jiu-jitsu, he wins. If not, Mir will be patient and find a way to win by submission, his only chance. I think Marty did his job, Lesnar at -220 wins this one by TKO in the very first round. Go Gophers!!! The co-main event brings Thiago “Pit Bull” Alves (22-4) into the octagon against Georges St. Pierre (18-2) for the welterweight (170 pounds) title. GSP is recognized as one of the very best fighters in the world. The Canadian’s blend of speed and powerful explosiveness with endless cardio, makes him dominate most fights. Alves is a beast, the biggest welterweight on the planet. His game is hammer-time, knockouts, knockouts, knockouts. Will he be able to catch GSP, or will he spend his evening on his back eating fists? I like the outrageous value the bookies have made on him at +240. You don’t get rich betting against GSP, but I’ll pick my spot with a hungry fighter on a roll. Alves gets his KO early in the second round. Light heavyweight (205 pounds) Dan Henderson (24-7), a former Olympic wrestler and a 12-year veteran of MMA who has never been knocked out, takes on British fighter Michael “The Count” Bisping (18-1). These two were the most recent coaches on The Ultimate Fighter TV show. Bisping’s Brits kicked ass this year! Tonight Hendo gets the revenge. He won’t get KO’d and he has some of the best take-down defense out there. Plus his iron chin and rock hard head make him your worst nightmare. A smart Bisping will dance his way to a decision, but Bruiser catches Twinkle Toes here, and ends this ballet midway through the second period with some ugly ground and pound. Hendo at -220 looks like a steal to me! Welterweight Jon Fitch (22-3) will try to end Paulo Thiago’s undefeated (11-0) streak when they take to the mat. Fitch, the former Purdue wrestler, is better in all phases of fighting than Thiago, except jiu-jitsu, where Fitch has enough defense to avoid getting submitted. Thiago is coming off a surprise KO of Josh Koscheck, who was dominating him until the lucky blow landed. Fitch is the prohibitive -500 favorite, so no value there, but he still takes the Brazilian to school and wins a convincing decision. Middleweight (185 pounds) Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1-2) makes his much heralded UFC debut against veteran journeyman Alan “The Talent” Belcher (13-4), who is supposed to be the reputable first steppingstone in Akiyama’s UFC journey. But, the last time they threw a well-advertised fighter to open up against Alan, he ended it with a guillotine choke against Denis Kang. Very impressive. Can lighting strike twice? ... at +220 I’ll take my chances on Belcher that it can! A surprise knockout in the second period ends this one. Light heavyweight Mark Coleman (15-9) will someday be in the UFC HOF. He invented ground-and-pound, and once looked invincible. But, those days are long gone. Today he is a weather-beaten shell of his best, a gasser with the huge heart of a former champion. It’s hard not to love former Buckeye wrestler Mark Coleman. His opponent, Stephan Bonnar (14-5) is best known for his epic battles with Forrest Griffin. Bonnar is dangerous and well educated in all phases of MMA, including some Muay-Thai work in Thailand. But he looked bad against Jon Jones and he has been plagued by injuries. Both fighters could use a good performance. I have a feeling that there is a reason that Coleman landed on UFC 100’s card. It is in the history of the sport. Tonight we get to see one last G-n-P show for the ages. It’s Hammer time. Mark “the Hammer” Coleman at +270 to end this before he gasses (second-round TKO). The rest of the undercard looks like this: Lightweight (155 pounds) Mac Danzig pulls an upset against Jim Miller (13-2) with a rear-naked choke submission in the third round. Nice underdog at +160. Light heavyweight Jon “Bones” Jones (8-0) is mowing down his UFC opponents. His unorthodox spinning kicks and strikes with lightning fast attacks have overwhelmed his opponents. His opponent, Jake “Irish” O’Brien (11-2), is an aggressive former Purdue wrestler, whose best chance will be to take it to the mat and smother Bones. I see little value on laying -400, but that’s the side I’d be on. Bones ends it with a second round KO. O’Brien goes back to the drawing board. Welterweight Dong “Stun Gun” Hyun Kim looks to keep his unbeaten (11-0-1) record intact as he does battle with Canadian TJ Grant. A precision striker (Kim) against a good submission artist who always pushes the pace. Will he get an armbar submission before he goes lights out? I don’t think so. A small play on Kim at -250 is in order. He KO’s Grant early in the third. Middleweight CB Dollaway (9-2) is a former Arizona State All-American wrestler, and a product of the TUF show. Dollaway looks better every time out, but he will have his hands full with former Central Florida NCWA national champion Tom “Filthy” Lawlor (5-1-1). Lawlor’s conditioning and wrestling skills will set him up to spring a surprise triangle choke upset over CB in the third round. Lawlor at +200 is too good to pass up. Lightweight Matt Grice (10-2) can brag of being a four-time Oklahoma state wrestling champion, but those credentials won’t impress Shannon Gugerty (11-3) who at -140 will earn a convincing decision and send me to the winner’s window (again). That’s six (6) favorites and five (5) underdogs, a nice balance with some luck. OK, now let’s go for three (3) in a row. With our fictitious $1000 bankroll let’s make the following wagers with your favorite Las Vegas sportsbook: Lay $154 to win $70 on Brock Lesnar to get his revenge over Frank Mir. Lay $100 to win $240 on “Pitbull” Alves to shock the world with a 1st round KO of GSP! Lay $176 to win $80 on Hendo to school Bisping. Lay $100 to win $20 on Fitch to crush Thiago’s unbeaten streak. Lay $60 to win $132 on Belcher to ruin Akiyama’s UFC debut. Lay $60 to win $162 on Mark Coleman to honor his HOF career with a victory in UFC 100. Lay $80 to win $ 20 on Jon “Bones” Jones to stay undefeated. Lay $60 to win $ 96 on Danzig to upset Jim Miller. Lay $60 to win $120 on Tom Lawlor to upset CB Dollaway. Lay $75 to win $25 on “Stun Gun” Kim to put TJ Grant’s lights out. Lay $70 to win $50 on Gugerty to use his good ground game to beat Grice. In total, we are laying $995 to win $1020. Good luck, and please don’t forget to donate some of your winnings to your local youth wrestling program! Enjoy the fights.

Cody Ruggirello of Walden, New York has informed InterMat that he has given a verbal commitment to Hofstra. Ruggirello, the younger brother of current Hofstra wrestler Louie Ruggirello, is a four-time New York state placewinner and a 2007 state champion. This past season, Ruggirello placed third at the NYSPHSAA (Division I) State Championships at 125 pounds. In April, Ruggirello placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals at 130 pounds. "I decided to give a verbal to Hofstra because I have a lot of confidence in Coach Shifflet and the rest of the coaching staff," Ruggirello told InterMat. "I believe that I can reach all of my academic and athletic goals there. My older brother, Louie, wrestles for Hofstra and it will be awesome to be on the same team as him. Hofstra seems like a perfect fit for me and I'm really excited to be going there." Hofstra has already received a verbal commitment from Nick Arujau, who is ranked as InterMat's No. 42 senior recruit. Ruggirello defeated Arujau to win the 2007 NYSPHSAA (Division I) state title at 103 pounds. Ruggirello is expected to compete at 141 pounds for Hofstra.

The 11th class is comprised of living wrestlers Nick Bockwinkel, longtime world heavyweight champion in the AWA; Ricky Steamboat, a superstar in the WWF, and Fritz Von Goering, who wrestled many of the top stars of the 1950s and '60s, and all five of the other inductees at one point in his long career. Three deceased wrestlers are also being inducted: Bronko Nagurski, Luther Lindsay and Karl Gotch. Bockwinkel was the son of former pro star Warren Bockwinkel and was a top college football prospect at Oklahoma University before injuries put him on the sidelines. He then turned his attention to pro wrestling full time, early in the 1950s. Over the next 30 years, he wrestled every major star in the business and held the AWA world heavyweight title for nearly seven years, as well as dozens of lesser belts. One of the most popular heels in wrestling history, he has been president of the Cauliflower Alley Club (CAC) for the past several years and resides in Las Vegas. A native of Hawaii, Steamboat was an amateur wrestler in Florida before entering the pro ranks in 1976, for Verne Gagne's AWA. He entered the WWF in 1985 and became known as The Dragon and often struck karate poses in the ring, and electrified the crowds with his skills and antics. His title bouts with Ric Flair are among the best matches of the past two decades. Ricky captured the NWA world championship in 1989. He retired 1994 and lives today in Denver, N.C., working for the WWE. Von Goering was a street-tough kid from Chicago when he turned pro in 1950. He learned the business the hard way, traveling around the country to take on the biggest names in the industry and learning all he could. He spent gym time with pure wrestlers like Dick Hutton, Lou Thesz and Luther Lindsay to learn the craft and today is one of the last from his generation. He won numerous regional titles in his 27-year career. He lives in Campbell, California. From northern Minnesota, Bronko Nagurski is one of the greatest football players of all time, and is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Professional Football Hall of Fame. While starring with the Chicago Bears in the late 1930s, Nagurski approached Lou Thesz about wrestling in the off-season and used his great athletic skills to become a huge draw in wrestling, holding the world NWA title several times in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He died in 1990, at age 82. Lou Thesz was one of many who considered Luther Lindsay the best African-American wrestler of all time. Big, powerful and fast, he played football at Hampton Institute in Norfolk, VA, and later in the Canadian football league. He then turned to pro wrestling and was trained by Stu Hart in the art of hooking. Well known for his skills and athletic abilities in the ring, he was popular outside the ring as well. He died from a heart attack during a match in 1972, at the age of 47. Karl Gotch holds a near mythical spot in the history of wrestling. A native of Belgium, he made the 1948 Olympic team at age 18. He then moved to England, where he trained in the legendary Wigan “Snake Pit,” learning hooking and ripping techniques that made him one of the most feared wrestlers of all time. He was an absolute legend in Japan and all places were shooting ability is revered. He died in 2007 at age 82 in Florida. The official inductions will take place at noon on Saturday in the Gable museum right after our broadcast. For more information, persons can contact Kent Sesker, marketing director, at 319-233-0745. Sure to be a good time. Be sure to join us LIVE for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

Hempstead, NY -- Three-time NCAA Championship qualifier and 2009 All-American Zach Tanelli has been named an assistant coach on the Hofstra Wrestling coaching staff, Pride head coach Tom Shifflet announced Thursday. A University of Wisconsin graduate Tanelli placed fourth at the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri in March. The Short Hills, New Jersey native recorded a 6-2 record, including five straight victories, in the National Championships to earn his first All-America honor. Tanelli, who was the top-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds for eight weeks through the conference tournament, placed second in the Big 10 Championships. The 2008 Midlands champion finished the year with a 31-6 record, including a 15-1 mark in duals and a 7-0 record in the Big 10 and ranked second in the country. Tanelli earned his first NCAA Championship bid in 2007 as a wildcard after placing eighth in the Big Ten Championships. He recorded a 21-10 overall record including a 19-3 mark in dual matches and a 5-3 record in the Big 10. Tanelli also led the Badgers in dual points with 80. As a junior in 2007-08, he earned his second NCAA Championship bid by finishing fifth in the Big 10 Championships. Tanelli posted a 3-2 record at Nationals to finish the season with a 28-12 record including a 13-5 mark in duals and a 5-3 record in conference action. A two-time New Jersey State Championship runner-up out of Millburn High School, Tanelli notched an 8-3 record and captured the Pointer Open title as a red-shirt freshman at Wisconsin in 2005-06. During his four-year career at Wisconsin, Tanelli posted an 88-31 overall record including a 49-10 mark in duals and a 17-6 record in the Big 10. Tanelli holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wisconsin. He replaces Joe Dubuque, who left Hofstra in June to become an assistant at his alma mater, Indiana University.

Jared Frayer

Arno Niemand

Jacob Ballweg, a two-time Iowa Class 3A state champion for Waverly-Shell Rock, has given a verbal commitment to Iowa. Ballweg, who is ranked as the No. 58 senior recruit in the country by InterMat, has two older brothers, Matt and Mark, who are members of the Hawkeye wrestling team. This past season, Ballweg, won the Class 3A state title at 135 pounds and led Waverly Shell-Rock to both the individual and dual team state titles. Ballweg had a successful spring in freestyle. In April, he won a Western Regionals title in Las Vegas at 135 pounds. In May, Ballweg claimed a title at the Northern Plains Regionals in Waterloo, Iowa. Ballweg is projected to wrestle at 141 pounds for the Hawekeyes.

Liberty head wrestling coach Jesse Castro has announced the addition of Joe Pantaleo as an assistant coach to his three-time defending NCAA East Regional champion coaching staff. “We are very excited to have someone of Coach Pantaleo’s background and experience become a part of the Liberty wrestling program,” commented Castro. “He is a former world class wrestler himself, and he coached at the highest level of collegiate wrestling during his time at Iowa and Michigan State. “We expect Coach Pantaleo to help raise the level of intensity in the practice room, and to greatly benefit our wrestlers through his focus on individual workouts. This is an important step in our effort to build a Top 25 wrestling program at Liberty.” Pantaleo brings with him a vast array of top level collegiate experience, including stints at storied wrestling programs like Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State. Pantaleo was a two-time NCAA All-American at Michigan, where the 158-pounder finished second at nationals in 1988 and 1989. As a team, Michigan captured the Big 10 team title during Pantaleo’s junior season (1987-88), while the Wolverines finished fifth at nationals during his senior campaign after a 20-2 season and an unblemished 12-0 mark in conference action. The two-time Big 10 runner-up completed his bachelor of science degree in physical education from Michigan in 1989. After graduation, Pantaleo remained with the Wolverine program as a graduate assistant for two years (1990-91), where he helped Michigan to a pair of Top 30 finishes at the national championship and a Big 10 team title in 1991. Following his days at Michigan, Pantaleo continued his graduate work at Iowa, where he coached under the tutelage of legendary wrestling coach Dan Gable. In 1992, the Hawkeyes finished the year undefeated at 16-0-0 and won their third-straight NCAA team national championship. Pantaleo got his first full-time coaching position at Michigan State, coaching with the Spartans for five years (1992-97). During his time at Michigan State, he helped the program improve from a 63rd-place finish at nationals in 1992 to a fifth-place ranking in 1995. Four out of his five years at the Big 10 school the squad finished in the Top 10 at the national title event. From 1998 to 2006, Pantaleo served as the head wrestling coach at Grosse Pointe High School in Grosse Point, Mich., before returning to Michigan as a volunteer assistant coach, while pursuing other business interests. “I am really excited to be joining Coach Castro's staff and Liberty University,” commented Pantaleo. “This is a young and upcoming program with great support, and I am looking forward to working with this team. I believe that my experience can be used to have a positive impact on the young men on and off the mat.” Pantaleo, who was a 1987 Junior World Champion and two-time Olympic alternate at 149.5 pounds (1992 and 1996), is the uncle of current Flames wrestler Joe Pantaleo. The 125-pounder was 11-7 during his first collegiate season before suffering an injury during mid-January that sidelined him for the remainder of his rookie campaign.

Robbie Waller

Barry Davis

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Lock Haven University has announced Robbie Waller as the new associate head wrestling coach for the Bald Eagle wrestling team. Waller, a Western, Pa. native and former NCAA Division I champion at the University of Oklahoma begins his tenure in Mat Town, U.S.A. after four seasons as the assistant coach at his alma mater. Waller, a 2003 graduate of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in English has spent the last four seasons as a top assistant for the Sooners, helping the team to a third-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships. As an assistant with the Sooners under head coach Jack Spates, Waller assisted in all facets of coaching, including recruiting. Waller, who claimed an individual National Championship in 2003, is very excited about the opportunity to coach at Lock Haven. “I’m very excited to start here at Lock Haven,” Waller said. “Lock Haven has such a great tradition and it’s in the hot bed of scholastic wrestling.” Waller, who is originally from Latrobe, Pa. and is a graduate of Mount Pleasant Area High School, is also very excited to be back to the area, but with his return he brings lofty goals. Waller, who’s worked at some of the nation’s top youth wrestling camps, spent time at the University of Missouri, Columbia, one of the nation’s top wrestling programs before returning to Norman, Okla. Waller was a graduate assistant and assistant at Missouri, where he earned his Master of Education degree in 2007. As a coach, Waller has coached 12 NCAA Division I All-Americans and four NCAA Finalists. In 2006 he helped OU to a third place finish at the National Championships. Waller also helped Missouri to an 11th place showing at the NCAA Championships in 2005 and a 13th place finish in ’04. Waller is no stranger in getting to the elite level. Along with his 2003 National Championship, he was also an All-American in ’02 and was a four-time NCAA qualifier. In 2006 Waller was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame. The 1998 Pennsylvania State Champion finished his scholastic career with a remarkable 128-3 record. He was a two-time State Runner-up and FILA Junior Freestyle Champion. Lock Haven head coach Rocky Bonomo (eighth season) is very excited to bring someone of Waller’s caliber to The Haven. “To bring this caliber of a person to Lock Haven, it just goes to show the type of place Lock Haven is when it comes to wrestling,” said Bonomo. ‘He’s been a Pennsylavnia State Champion and a NCAA Champion, so he knows what it takes to win at the highest levels.” “He brings with him great energy, great people skills and he’s proven that he can recruit some of the top athletes in the country,” added Bonomo. Lock Haven Director of Athletics Sharon E. Taylor is also excited about Waller’s hire. “We are all very pleased to have Robbie (Waller) on our wrestling staff at LHU,” Taylor said. “His credentials and experience, as well as his Pennsylvania roots, made him a very attractive candidate and an easy selection for everyone that has met him.” “Coach Bonomo’s respect for and confidence in Robbie is reflected in his role of Associate Head Coach, a designation that we utilize very infrequently,” Taylor added. “He’s a super young man and I look forward to having him in our program.”

Mike Duroe

Dillon Dennis

Troy Larsen

Lars Jensen

Morgan McIntosh

Ed Aliverti

Professional and amateur wrestling legend Jim Raschke and author Mike Chapman will be radio show guests Wednesday night. Jim Raschke won state titles in both football and wrestling for Omaha North High School in the late 1950s. He went on to wrestle for the University of Nebraska where he won a Big 8 title at heavyweight in 1962. He also won national AAU titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Raschke won a bronze medal in Greco-Roman at the 1963 World Championships. As a professional, he went by the name of Baron Von Raschke and had a long and successful career. Raschke will be in Waterloo this weekend playing in the 10th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament on Friday and also attending the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame activities. Raschke was inducted into the Hall in 2002. Author Mike Chapman has written 21 books, 13 of those about wrestling. He is also the founder and executive director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo. Mike spent 35 years in the newspaper business and has been named Writer of the Year five times by four different wrestling publications. He was inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa in April and is the founder of WIN Magazine and the Dan Hodge Trophy. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show.

Stephen Dutton of Miller Place, New York has informed InterMat that he has given a verbal commitment to Lehigh. Dutton, a 2009 state champion for Rocky Point High School (NY), is InterMat's No. 68 senior recruit. He is a three-time NHSCA Nationals All-American. In 2007, Dutton was a NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion at 125 pounds. The following season, Dutton placed fourth at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals at 130 pounds. This past season, Dutton, who competed at 135 pounds, followed up his undefeated season with a runner-up finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Dutton is the second top 100 recruit Lehigh has received a verbal commitment from. No. 19 Frank Cagnina of Queen of Peace High School in New Jersey has also given a verbal commitment to Lehigh. Dutton is projected to wrestle at 141 pounds for Lehigh.

Lee MunsterLee Munster of Grant Community High School in Fox Lake, Illinois has found a great deal of success both on the wrestling mat and in the classroom. He is a two-time Illinois state champion and three-time Scholar Athlete who maintains a 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). He is also a seven-time judo national champion. Munster, who competed at 171 pounds this past season, is InterMat's No. 8 senior recruit in the country. He has given a verbal commitment to Northwestern and is projected to compete collegiately at 174 or 184 pounds. InterMat recently caught up with Munster. Why did you choose Northwestern? Munster: I chose Northwestern because they have the perfect balance and emphasis placed between wrestling and academia. The wrestling program is developing and becoming one of the best in the country and the coaches at Northwestern are extremely supportive and devoted to their current and future wrestlers. The academics at Northwestern rank very highly in the country and this will lead me to success hopefully both on and off the mat. Two-time NCAA champion and U.S. World Team member Jake Herbert is around your weight. Have you met him before or had a chance to work out with him? If so, what has that been like? Munster: I have had the pleasure and opportunity to both work with and get to know Jake. After a few select workouts with Jake, I have found that it's an amazing experience to be able to stand opposite someone with such success. Jake is a premier example of a Northwestern product; having both success in athletics and academics, which proves that this is the type of person I hope to continue to become in the future. Having him as a coach and workout partner will hopefully help me to emulate his current and future success. You're a seven-time judo national champion. How has your judo helped your wrestling? Munster: Judo helped me in wrestling specifically because it increased my mat awareness and although the mental approaches to each of the sports are different, it still enabled me to have success through complimentary movements in both arenas. Judo has helped me to understand and learn about defeat because this is a sport that can be won or lost in a second to even the most surprising of opponents. Along with Judo helping my mental abilities in training and competition, judo has helped me tremendously with my balance and footwork; especially in throwing situations in wrestling. Judo has also helped me keep composed in stressful situations and this helped me to have an edge on my opponent. My experiences in the national judo championship matches definitely helped keep my composure in many of the most defining matches of my wrestling career. What are your plans for the summer? Munster: My summer plans are to continue my offseason training by wrestling freestyle this spring and summer. I have participated in the Junior Western Regional, the Junior National Duals, and I plan on wrapping up this summer's competition by competing in the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals in Fargo. I am also preparing myself for my senior season and will continue to try to be as prepared for college as possible. What are your wrestling goals at Northwestern? Munster: My wrestling goals at Northwestern are to be a four-time All American and hopefully an NCAA champion.

Tom Owens is one of the most significant individuals in the sport of amateur wrestling from the past 15 years. No, he never won a state or national high school title, an NCAA championship, or an Olympic medal or world title. Nor did he coach a team to a state or national championship. Nor is he a behind-the-scenes bureaucrat in the NCAA, USA Wrestling, or FILA. Yet Owens’ contributions to the sport have had a significant and lasting impact on wrestlers, coaches, and wrestling fans. Tom OwensIn 1995, Tom Owens launched InterMat, the first independent Web site dedicated to covering the nation’s amateur wrestling scene. For today’s wrestlers and young fans, it’s hard to imagine NOT being able to follow wrestling online. These days, there are thousands of Web sites dedicated to the sport (over 6,200 listed at Tom Fortunato’s “The Web's Best of Amateur Wrestling” Web site) … Web sites that provide live streaming video of events around the world, audio and video interviews, athlete profiles, action photos, up-to-the-minute statistics, historical information, and online forums for fans to discuss the sport. However, 15 years ago, the Internet was in its infancy … at least for individuals outside the government, or major universities or corporations that viewed the Internet as a research/communication tool. For wrestling results, photos and athlete profiles, the wrestling community had to wait for the latest issue of Amateur Wrestling News (or their favorite regional wrestling newsletter) to be snail-mailed to their mailbox. Want to see wrestling action from your home? You’d have to wait for one of those rare TV broadcasts … or score a videotape shot at an event. There was no InterMat, no TheMat, no TheWrestlingMall, no RevWrestling.com, no Flowrestling, no TheWrestlingTalk forum. You could say that all these Web sites can trace their roots ultimately back to Tom Owens. From wrestling mat to InterMat Tom Owens was born in Iowa, raised in the small community of Moville in the western part of the state, near Sioux City. He wrestled at Woodbury Central High for Jim Fisher, a coaching legend in the state of Iowa with an incredible 389-95-9 record. Owens continued wrestling as a walk-on in college, but, a neck injury sustained years earlier ended his on-the-mat career. In 1989, armed with his college degree, Owens started a career at Pioneer, the hybrid agricultural business … and also launched his coaching career, at Dallas Center-Grimes. “In the early 1990s, we used the Internet at work, but it was in its infancy stage,” according to Owens. “At the time, it was very much a business tool, but that started to change. ESPN started its Web site in the early 1990s.” “At the time, I started thinking, 'Wrestling just doesn’t get attention online.'” InterMat's logo in 2002“There was also a boom in interest in wrestling recruiting about the same time,” Owens adds. “I remember thinking, 'Too bad college coaches don’t have easy access to information on wrestlers -- records, stats, GPA, outside interests.' Everybody knows the top 20, but beyond that, resources weren’t available.” With that, Tom Owens had a vision for an online college wrestling recruiting service. “I talked to a few college coaches, to see if this would be used, and they said yes.” With that, in June-July 1995, Owens unveiled his amateur wrestling Web site with the clever-but-direct name InterMat. (When asked about the origin of the name, Owens immediately replied, “I have to give credit to my wife, Anne. Before we launched the site, she said, 'InterMat!' tying in 'mat' with the Internet.”) Paying a premium for one-of-a-kind information Following ESPN’s lead, InterMat was introduced as a premium paid subscription service. “I used to do a state-by-state ranking for individual wrestlers, then would put together national rankings based on that information,” according to Tom Owens. To determine rankings based on solid information -- and not just gut feelings -- Owens compiled a one-of-a-kind databank of up-to-date information on individual wrestlers. Click on a name, find a wrestler’s won-loss record and specific statistical information. Because it was online, the stats were updated constantly. Because it was gathered all in one place, it was easy for anyone to access the data. Not just a coach scouting out a particular recruit. Wrestlers and coaches could use InterMat to scope out future opponents. And fans could follow their mat heroes from anywhere. What’s more, by being the first to provide complete results from the Cadet and Junior Nationals, InterMat also helped bring Fargo to members of the wrestling community unable to travel to North Dakota. Tom Owens describes how this came about: “My wife and I spent two weeks the first summer typing in complete results from here in Iowa. Then the second year, we actually went to Fargo and I spent at least 18 hours a day entering results. There were a couple evenings that I was up until 2-3 a.m. entering results. We had to do this for about 4-5 years before USA Wrestling were able to catch up with the technology and enter results so we could actually cover the event instead of spending the whole week entering results.” Tom Owens coaching his oldest son, Zachary, at a kids district wrestling tournament in IowaInterMat provided one-stop shopping convenience for anyone in the wrestling community who sought up-to-date, independent information. Realize that the Internet was a vastly different place 15 years ago. Here’s how Tom Owens describes the online world of the mid 1990s: “There was no DSL, all dial-up, using a 540k phone line. Showing video was a distant dream. A heavily graphic site took minutes to load onto the screen.” “I had to introduce coaches to the Internet,” explains Owens. “When we got started, hardly any schools had a Web site. With that in mind, we offered templates for schools and wrestling camps to create webpages.” “It pretty much was a full-time venture right away,” says Owens. “We saw that we needed to be more than just recruiting information to be financially successful … make it more an online magazine, with rankings, results, stats for both high school and college.” “When we started that, business really took off. If it hadn’t, we wouldn’t have lasted 6-8 months.” “It took a lot of effort, and even more of an investment.” Grappling for their share of the wrestling audience Even in the early days of InterMat, there was competition. “There’s some question as to who’s first,” says Tom Owens. “TheMat was online first, in February 1995. However, it was not as 'national'; it was developed in North Carolina. It was not part of USA Wrestling back then; it was purchased later, around 1999-2000, instead of USA Wrestling starting from scratch. TheWrestlingMall started about the same time.” “This competition put pressure on me. We were set up as a for-profit business, requiring paid subscriptions, competing against Web sites that were not for profit, who had deep pockets and could absorb losses.” One incident that didn’t help InterMat’s situation involved its online forum. “We had a good message board/discussion group up to about 2000,” says Owens. “However, it was difficult to monitor. The administrator shut it down on his own without my permission. By the time it was restored 2-3 days later, many of its users had already migrated to TheMat Forum.” Despite that setback, Tom Owens found a way to expand his business and generate more income. “In 2000, we expanded by opening a retail store for wrestling in Johnston, Iowa, and offering the wrestling merchandise online, too.” “The grand opening was huge,” says Owens. “We had (Dan) Gable, Bobby Douglas, Jim Miller, Tom Brands. Got a lot of press.” “The store offered shoes, singlets, posters, etc. If it had to do with wrestling, we probably had it.” “We had a really good first year,” the InterMat founder continued. “However, 9/11 really hit us hard. After that, we experienced much slower growth, and got stuck with inventory. However, we came out of that OK, and stayed in e-commerce for about four years.” “In spring 2004, we sold the Web site to NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association), and got out of the retail business.” “I worked for NWCA’s InterMat for one year,” according to Owens. “It gave me a chance to stay within the business without the financial risk.” “I think about how much happened in my personal life during the InterMat years. I went from being a newlywed to a father of three.” Why sell? Why did Tom Owens sell InterMat, and, eventually leave the world of wrestling Web sites -- a world he helped establish a decade earlier? A screen shot of what InterMat looked like in 1997“It was harder to separate our product from the competition,” says Owens. “A lot of things that were our backbone as a subscription business were being offered for free elsewhere.” “We had to change our business paradigm almost every year. I was putting in long hours, and having to hire people to update the site. It was getting more costly for servers. We didn’t have deep pockets.” ”We were seeking to present information in a cleaner, more efficient way. But there was no sign the other Web sites were backing off.” The competitive landscape continued to change. According to Owens, “Within a year of the sale, TheMat stopped offering college results. At that point, the NWCA-owned InterMat then focused on college.” Life after InterMat Since selling InterMat to the NWCA (which has since sold the brand to Rev Wrestling Corporation earlier this year), Tom Owens has employed his fascination with statistics in a whole new way separate from the world of amateur wrestling. Owens is now working in risk management for Wells Fargo in Des Moines, and is presently pursuing his MBA. What’s more, Owens also retired from coaching at the end of the 2008 season. “I had been a head coach for two years, an assistant coach for 14 years, and had some volunteer coaching, too,” says Owens. Has Owens divorced himself completely from wrestling? ”I’m just a fan now,” Owens discloses. “I still follow the sport. I attend 4-5 college duals a year, and Nationals each year. I also go to a few high school meets and the state tournament. Most of my time is spent at youth tournaments which my two sons are heavily involved. I really enjoy watching Zachary and Eric compete.” “I use the Internet for wrestling news and scores. If I look at the boards, it’s for factual news stories, not the gossip.” Still passionate about the mat Tom Owens is no longer an amateur wrestling Web site guru -- and is no longer involved in coaching -- but he still cares passionately about the sport in ways that go beyond attending wrestling events. During our interview, we talked at length about ways to promote wrestlers and wrestling … including the need for a career option for wrestlers once they’ve graduated from college that doesn’t necessarily involve WWE or MMA. Owens also has strong feelings about making college wrestling a sport that attracts a larger fan base -- and holds onto it. “There are too many matches that aren’t particularly exciting to watch,” says the one-time wrestler and coach. “There’s just not enough action. Too many wrestlers ride an opponent without making any attempt to score. And, there’s too much reluctance on the part of officials to call stalling.” Tom Owens with his youngest son, Eric, before a wrestling matchOwens would like to open up more scoring opportunities for wrestlers. His proposal: Create an offensive takedown -- one where the scoring wrestler initiates the move -- worth three points. A defensive takedown would be worth two points, and an escape would remain a one-point move. “This would reward an offensive wrestler for being more aggressive, to create more action,” according to Owens. “It could really open up the scoring, and eliminate these too-close, 1-0, 2-1 matches that won’t win over potential fans.” Who decides what’s an offensive takedown? “Give the second mat official more responsibility. Let him decide the scoring on offensive and defensive takedowns.” That’s the kind of creative thinking that helped launch InterMat nearly 15 years ago, and revolutionized the way that wrestlers, coaches and fans get stats, scores and more.