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Some backgorund on the Div. 3 wrestler with losses. And by the way, Dan Hodge himself was 100 pecent in favor of honorirng Nick Ackerman in this fashion, as was Olympic champion Randy Lewis (read his comments below):: BUT WHILE SANDERSON was destroying the record books in Ames, 60 miles to the south, a story of equal impact was taking place. On the campus of Simpson College, in Indianola, another wrestler was also making history….in a far different fashion and with staggering emotional impact. Nick Ackerman was inflicted with spinal meningitis as a young boy and both legs had to be amputated below the knees to save his life. Yet by showing determination and courage which outstrips anything ever seen before in the 73-year history of NCAA wrestling, he won the 174-pound national championship at the Division III tournament in Waterloo, IA. And he did it by defeating defending national champion Nick Slack of Augsburg, who was riding a 60-match winning streak of his own! The 3,000 fans in Young Arena responded by a prolonged two-minute standing ovation to show their respect for what had just been accomplished. Ackerman finished his senior season with a 38-4 record, 13 of which were pins. “The story of Nick Ackerman has uplifted the entire sport,” said Randy Lewis, 1984 Olympic champion. “When I read about it, I got emotional. I started calling people and saying, ‘Have you read this story?’ What other sport could do this for an athlete? Wrestling should be so proud of this guy. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s the best story of the year…of the decade…maybe ever….in wrestling history. Someone should make a movie of it!” “I never even dreamed about winning the Hodge Trophy. I don’t put myself in that class. It’s so overwhelming that I can’t put it into words,” said Ackerman when told of the award. “This has been the most unbelievable year of my life.”

You are correct Fadzaev2. BTW, I always enjoy your posts and appreciate your historical comments. If you get a chance, stop by our booth at the WIN Show/Fan Festival in KC and have your photo taken with the Dan Hodge Trophy. -- Mike Chapman, creator of the Dan Hodge Trophy

"For the Love of Catch" is a documentarry film with Randy Couture, Dan Severn, Dan Gable, Tom and Terry Brands and Mark Johnson in featured roles. It tells the history of the sport and even goes to the location where Abe Lincoln wrestled Jack Armstrong in 1831 in New Salem, Illinois. ... and to the hometown of Frank Gotch, world heavyweighr champion back in the 1911-1915 era. Curran Jacobs, captain of the Michigan State team in 2012 and winrer of four major catch tournaments, is the star and director. He and Mike Chapman wrote the sciprt. Curran has a degree in theater arts from MSU and has appeared in five movies, while Chapman has written 32 books, 17 about wrestlng. "For the Love of Catch" can be seen for free on You Tube and has over 80,000 view sofar.

Dan Hodge had a pretty good year as a junior at OU in 1956. He pinned his way through both the Big Seven Conference and NCAA meets with a total of six straight and was named OW at both meets. Two weeks later, he won the national AAU freestyle title with six straight pins and was named OW. The next day, he won the Greco-Roman nationals with three pins. In the span of 16 days, Hodge won national titles in three styles and a tough conference meet -- with 15 straight pins! A few months later, on April 1, 1957, he became the first (and only) wrestler ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

ionel -- my error in not including the 1950 season when Lange won his third NCAA title. Thanks to Jason B. for cleaning that up, and to Wrestlingknownothing for that important addition.

My pick is Lowell Lange, who won three NCAA titles for tiny Cornell College in Iowa. As a high school senior at West Waterloo (Iowa), he won the AAU national freesstyle title in 1946, at 135 pounds. In 1947, he won the 136-pound NCAA title as a pure freshman. He missed the 1948 season with injuries from a car accident but won his second title in 1949 by defeating the 1948 NCAA champion in the finals. According to Lange's biography at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, "he swept through the 1949 collegiate tournament without surrending a single point, perhaps the only wrestler to do since scoring rules were adopted." His overall record, including three freestyle national titles, was 160-1. My second choice is Dan Hodge and my third pick is Gray Simons. -- Mike Chapman, creator of WIN and the Dan Hodge Trophy.

Sherwyn Thorson was a three-year starter on the Iowa football team's offensive line in the early 1960s and played many seasons in the CFL and is in the Winnipeg Bluebombers Hall of Fame. He was NCAA heavyweight champion for Iowa in 1962 after being runnerup as a sophomore in 1960. He missed the 1961 seson due to a strange academic situation. "Thumper" Thorson was one of the first college wrestlers to lift weights seriously and he is a member of both Iowa wrestling halls of fame. Art Baker (191 pounds, 1959) and Jim Nance (hwt, 1963 and '65) were NCAA champions for Syracuse and also were football stars in college and had successful pro careers, while Curley Culp did the same at Arizona State. Culp was a rare double, being first-team All-American in football and NCAA wrestling champion (1967). He had a lenghty pro career and is a member of the Pro Footall Hall of Fame. There are others too.

Ever heard of Dan Hodge? And thanks to Gus for including Dan Gable. His junior year he was 31-0 with 29 pins, and he set the all-time NCAA record with 24 pins in a row. between his junior and senior years. During his college career, he defeated 5 NCAA champions, including three 2-timers! He was 181-1 over seven years of high shcool and college. And Gray Simons belongs on any all-time college list, winning 7 collegiate titles (4 NAIA and 3 NCAA) and being OW six times. .

In the 50 years I have been writing about college wresltlng, Dan Gable is the most dominating force on top I have ever seen. He was relentlless in pursuit of the pin, working the double bar arm to perfection. His junior year he was 31-0 with 29 pins. He set the collegiate record of 24 in a row between his junior and senior seasons, breaking the record of 22 held by Dan Hodge. He then squeaked past Lehigh's Herb Campbell 23-3 and rolled off eight more pins in a row. Mark Churella and Mike Sheets were also brutal on top. .

Guys -- there are many very good candidates every year and the voting is often controversial, for sure. As the creator of the Dan Hodge Trophy, I am sometimes disappointed in the outcome too, but I understand there are different viewpoints. You may be interested to know that Dan Hodge was very supportive of Emmett Willson's selection when we discussed the candidates and he learned that Emmett had won Vegas, the Midlands and the All-Star Classic. -- Mike Chapman