Gambatte

This topic got my 75-year-old brain wandering down memory lane and I’m sure a few old-timers will be able to reminisce with me and fill-in a few details. Back in the early 1970s, Andy Fitch, Yale 1959 NCAA champion (115 lbs), 1963 Pan Am freestyle champion, and 1964 Tokyo Olympic freestyle team member, tried to start a professional wrestling league. The inaugural event brought together former and current NCAA champions and took place at Lehigh’s Grace Hall. If memory serves me well, one of the competitors was Doug Blubaugh, Olympic Gold medalist. The event got decent media coverage and the wrestlers were competing for prize money. However, the event was scheduled for the first Saturday in April which coincided with the opening of trout season. This, according to Sports Illustrated, severely impacted attendance and the nascent professional wrestling league. To my knowledge it was the one and only event.

Very moving. Brought a tear to my eye. Thanks for posting.

Tom Martucci, Trenton State (College of NJ), 1981 NCAA 190 1st, from Palisades Park, NJ. 3rd place finish at States.

Matt Kolodzik

125 Brendan McCrone (OHST) 20 133 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) 17 141 Dylan Chappell (BUCK) 21 149 Jaden Abas (STAN) 17 157 Ed Scott (NCST) 22 165 Jack Thomson (UNI) 19 174 Joshua Ogunsanya (VT) 21 184 Maximus Hale (PENN) 18 197 Mikey O’Malley (DREX) 22 285 Cory Day (BING) 19

Ivy League Finals at 6:30 https://ivyleague.com/feature/25wrestling?path=wrestling

The first “Eastern” championship tournament in 1905 was organized by Columbia, Penn, Princeton, and Yale student bodies long before an Ivy League existed. The Ivy League was not established until 1954.

Looks like a funky variation of a Spladle. See Rick Sanders in the ‘72 Olympics at the 1:20 mark, pinning his opponent with a spladle. Ends up in similar position as Knox v Orine.

https://gopsusports.com/lion-vision

Dave Joyner. 1971 NCAA Hwt runner-up and consensus football AA. Was also PSU Athletic Director as well as orthopedic surgeon.

Of course, you mean, F&M is the only team ….. that’s been in the EIWA since before 2011. F&M joined the EIWA in 1948 and has had a wrestling program since 1923.

Ditto. No annoying ads popping-up mid-screen while scrolling through forum replies. One, small, silent ad off to the side. Firefox on iPad.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1291-the-documentary-podcast-61342614/episode/heart-and-soul-wrestling-for-redemption-201704993/ Dan Russell story, a podcast recently aired on BBC. Interesting story, about 26 minutes long. I was out of the wrestling loop mid-80s-mid through the 90s and would be interested in some Dan Russell stories. Enjoy. Gambatte!

Billy Stuart, Lehigh, 1965 NCAA Champ (137 lbs), transferred from Brown University. Greg Ruth, Oklahoma U, 2x NCAA Champ (‘65, ‘66), transferred from Lehigh after a stint in the Army

Good point!