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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