Takedown Report

Championship Wrestling Coaches – All Divisions

Championship Wrestling Coaches – NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA & NJCAA
In previous articles we have looked at a listing of the coaches who have led their college teams to national championships.  They were ranked by most championships within a division.  This list looks at the coaches ranked with all of their championships combined.  With teams tying for championships and those with two coaches as co-head coaches the total number of championships tops 320 titles.
Dan Gable won 15 titles while leading the University of Iowa in just 21 seasons.  Gable won championships in over 70 per cent of his seasons as head coach.  This was after a stellar career as a wrestler and assistant coach for their in-state rival, Iowa State.   David James won all 12 of his titles at Central Oklahoma State.  The first five were in the NAIA and the rest in the NCAA Division II after the school transitioned its’ affiliation.  James won these titles in a 34 year career with championships in over 1/3 of his seasons. 
E.C. Gallagher is third with 11 championship titles with Oklahoma State in just 23 seasons, which is a 47.8 per cent of his seasons.  Oklahoma State has more than 1/3 of all Division I titles and the most team championships with 34.    Iowa has the second most with 23.  Jeff Swenson of Augsburg University is 4^th with 10 titles on his own as the head coach.  One could have Jim Miller of Wartburg College tied for 4^th as he also won ten yet three of those were as a co-head coach so we’ll place him at 5^th.  Joe Seay places 6^th with nine titles and he is the first coach that won his championships with two different teams in different divisions.
Art Griffith is the 2^nd Oklahoma State coach in these rankings as he is tied for 7^th with eight championships, from the 1940s and 1950s, with four other coaches.  Vaughn Hitchcock won his eight titles in Division II at California Polytechnic in the late 1960s & early 1970s.  John Owen won eight championships in the NJCAA over a wider span of years with North Idaho College.  Two coaches have won eight titles in the most recent decade.  They are Cael Sanderson in Division I with Penn State and Nick Mitchell in NAIA with Grand View University.  As defending championship coaches both are strong favorites to continue their success.  Mitchell won his 8 in 11 seasons and this 72% rate tops Gable and all other coaches.  Sanderson and Griffith are tied 4^th in percentage with 8 titles in 11 seasons as a head coach.  Sanderson coached three seasons at Iowa State.
Tied for 12^th with seven championships are three coaches with Mike Denney of Nebraska-Omaha in Division II, Myron Roderick of Oklahoma State (their 3^rd coach here) in Division I in the 1950s & 1960s and Eric Keller of Wartburg College in Division III.  Keller is the 2^nd Wartburg coach on this list and three of his titles was when he was a co-head coach with Miller so we will rank him a fraction behind Roderick and Denney.  Keller has a 70% rate as he won seven titles in ten seasons as a head coach. Denney is still an active coach so he could move up.  He is now coaching at Maryville where he started the program  after the A.D. abruptly and unreasonably dropped wrestling at Nebraska-Omaha. Harold Nichols of Iowa State leads three coaches tied for 15th with six titles in the 1960s & 1970s in Division I.  He is tied with two active coaches with championships in the NJCAA.  Luke Moffitt of Iowa Central Community College won most recently in 2017 and Joe Renfro led Northeastern Oklahoma A&M to a championship title in 2018.  Renfro won three titles each at the two schools he coached with Labette Community College in Kansas being his first before moving on to Oklahoma.
Five coaches are tied for 18^th place with five titles each.  Dave Icenhower of The College of New Jersey and Donald Murray of SUNY Brockport won their championships in  Division III.  Joe Parsi won his titles with Lindenwood University in the NAIA.  Two active successful coaches are John Smith at Oklahoma State in Division I and coach Steve Costanza leading the defending Division II championship team at St. Cloud State.
Six coaches are tied for 23^rd with four titles each.   Earl Lynn won four junior college titles in the early 1960s yet records are incomplete on how long he coached there.  Pat Whitcomb at North Idaho College and Rex Branum also won four junior college titles.  Branum split his with two at Lincoln College and two at Lassen College.  Bucky Maughan won four at North Dakota State in Division II before the school moved to Division I.  David Ray won his four titles in the NAIA at Montana Northern while Frank Romano won two in NAIA and two in Division II while at the same school, Notre Dame College as they moved from one division to another
15 Coaches are tied for 29^th with three national championship titles.   The only active coaches are in Division I.   Jim Zalesky and Tom Brands coached Iowa University to three championships each.  Zalesky moved on to coach at Oregon State while Brands leads the Iowa team.  J. Robinson won his at Minnesota University and Port Robertson at Oklahoma University.  Four coaches won their trio of titles in Division II. They are Richard Ulrich at Adams State, Eddie Griffin at Central Oklahoma State, Marc Bauer with Nebraska-Kearney and Larry Kristoff at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.  John Murray of Ithaca is the only coach to win his with a Division III school.  Three coaches won their titles at a Junior College program.  They are Mark Leen at Garden City, Kansas, when they had a team, Bill Lanham at Northeastern Jr. College in Colorado and Art Kraft at Triton Junior College in Illinois.  NAIA schools have three coaches with championships in Russ Houck at Bloomsburg State, Mike Machholz at Missouri Valley College and Robert “Rummy” Macias at Mankato State with two in the NAIA and the last in Division II.  65 other coaches have one or two championship titles.  Some championship teams from the NCWA, Women’s Teams, California Jr. College and others will be researched and considered to determine if they would be applicable for inclusion in these listings.

II/NAIA Mankato State (Minn.)                   Robert “Rummy” Macias       3           1958           1965
19 coaches are tied for 43^rd with two championship titles.

46 coaches are tied at 62^nd with one championship.

(cl) = the school has closed
(t) = teams tied for the title
 ** = school no longer has a team
(cc) = won title as a co-head coach
  # = active head coach

Championships by school

1^st – Oklahoma State … (34),    2^nd – Iowa Univ. … (23),    3^rd – Central St. Okla. … (15)
4^th –(tie) Wartburg Coll., & North Idaho Coll. … (14),              6^th – Augsburg Univ. … (13), 
7^th – Penn State … (9),        8^th –(tie) Adams St. Coll, Cal. St. POLY SLO, Cal. St. Bakersfield, Grand View Univ., Iowa Central C.C., Iowa State, & Nebr.-Omaha** … (8),
15^th – Oklahoma University  … (7),                      16^th – Montana State-Northern … (6),  
17^th-(tie) Lamar Jr. Coll. (Col.)**, Lindenwood Univ.,  SUNY-Brockport, & T.C.N.J. … (5)
21^st-(tie) Lassen College, Lock Haven University, North Dakota State, Notre Dame College, Southern Oregon State, & St. Cloud State … (4)
27^th -(tie) Bloomsburg, Clackamas Comm. Coll., Garden City Comm. Coll.**, Ithaca College, Minnesota, Minnesota State-Mankato, Missouri Valley Coll., Nebraska-Kearney, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Northern Iowa Univ., Portland State**, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Triton Junior College … (3)
Eight schools with two championship titles each.
24 schools with one championship title.We welcome input about college wrestling history.  We are compiling a historical record of each year a college has had a wrestling team, their dual meet win-loss record and the name of the head coaches.   

November 18, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NORTH CAROLINA BEGINS SEASON

TAR HEELS INK FOUR TO 2020 RECRUITING CLASS
November 18, 2019CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina wrestling has signed four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for its 2020 signing class, head coach Coleman Scott announced Monday. The four prep wrestlers listed below are set to enroll at UNC next fall and begin their competition in Chapel Hill during the 2020-21 season.
Wil Guida, Rockaway, N.J. (St. Paul’s)
Gavin Kane, Alpharetta, Ga. (Cambridge)
Cade Lautt, Olathe, Kan. (St. James Academy)
Julian Tagg, Brecksville, Ohio (Olympic EAP)
“This group we have is special for two reasons,” Scott said. “First, their talent is going to make us better. That’s obvious when you watch them wrestle. But second, we have three brothers of student-athletes currently on our roster. That’s special to me because this class continues our family atmosphere. When you come to Carolina, you join a family. And that’s what I love about this group.” Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/18/wrestling-tar-heels-ink-four-to-2020-signing-class.aspx

NO. 17 NORTH CAROLINA FALLS TO STANFORD, 21-11

November 16, 2019
STANFORD, Calif. — No. 17 North Carolina dropped its first dual of the season to Stanford on Saturday, a 21-11 loss. Jaime Hernandez and Clay Lautt both picked up major decision wins for the Tar Heels on the afternoon. The two teams traded wins at 125 and 133 pounds, with Jaime Hernandez winning with a major decision over Brandon Kier, 15-5, to give Carolina its first lead of the dual. At 141 pounds, Zach Sherman took No. 13 Real Woods down to the wire and looked as though he would force overtime with a late takedown in the third period. However, as time expired, Woods turned away on bottom and secured an escape, good for a 3-2 win that provided Stanford with momentum at Burnham Pavilion. After Woods’ win, Michael Goldfeder captured a special moment in his dual-meet debut for Carolina, a 9-4 decision over Steven Abbate. The California native notched the win in front of his family, tilting the team score in Carolina’s favor, 7-6. Rest of the story and match results at https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/16/wrestling-no-17-north-carolina-falls-to-stanford-21-11.aspx

HEADLEE EARNS ACC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK HONORS
November 12, 2019
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina senior A.C. Headlee has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week after his pivotal match win over a top-10 opponent helped the No. 17 Tar Heels slip past No. 19 Michigan in a battle of ranked teams.  
Wrestling in his first dual meet at 157-pounds – up two weight classes from where he competed prior to this season – Headlee turned back the Wolverines’ 10th-ranked Will Lewan by a 5-2 score. The Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, native’s win by decision loomed big as UNC went on to post a 19-17 team victory on the road. Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/12/wrestling-headlee-earns-acc-wrestler-of-the-week-honors.aspx

TAR HEELS PICK UP ROAD WIN OVER MICHIGAN, 19-17
November 8, 2019
ANN ARBOR, Mich. —Clay Lautt’s first-period pin and A.C. Headlee’s win over No. 10 Will Lewan helped lead No. 17 North Carolina to a 19-17 win over No. 19 Michigan Friday night at Cliff Keen Arena. After Michigan scored bonus points at 125 pounds, Jaime Hernandez stormed out of the gate to collect a 20-7 major decision over Austin Assad. Zach Sherman followed up Hernandez’s standout performance with a 9-3 with over Ben Freeman, giving the Tar Heels their first lead of the night, 7-4 in the team score. Michigan picked up a win at 149 pounds, but A.C. Headlee’s upset win over Lewan proved to be one of the major turning points of the night. Leading 3-2 late, Headlee used strong defense and late-match effort to fight Lewan’s pressing offense, ultimately scoring a takedown late for a 5-2 decision. Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/8/wrestling-no-19-unc-picks-up-road-win-over-no-17-michigan-19-17.aspx

GUNNING’S TITLE LEADS NO. 17 NORTH CAROLINA AT SOUTHEAST OPEN
November 3, 2019
ROANOKE, VA. — Andrew Gunning won the Southeast Open at 285 pounds while Zach Sherman (141) and Kennedy Monday (165) earned runner-up finishes in No. 17 North Carolina’s first competition of the regular season.
Other placers included third-place finishers Jaime Hernandez (133) and A.C. Headlee (157), while three more Tar Heels finished sixth in the tournament: Clay Lautt (174), Brandon Whitman (197) and Mark Chaid (285). Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/3/wrestling-gunnings-title-leads-no-17-north-carolina-at-southeast-open.aspx

November 18, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tavakolians excel in corporate world, lead charge with charitable work

By Craig Sesker, InterMat Senior Writer
They are corporate executives by day. And superheroes by night.
For Hooman and Lorelei Tavakolian, that is the life they lead. They start their days before sunrise in suburban New York City, work 12-hour days in midtown Manhattan and then commute home together to raise their three young children. They leave and return home when it’s dark. Their schedule is wild, crazy and hectic, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Tavakolians, both 43 years old, are C level employees for New York City-based hedge funds in one of the world’s financial meccas in Manhattan. “We are very dedicated to our careers and we make a significant time commitment to what we do,” Lorelei said. “We work long hours keeping our firms in line with compliance requirements. It can be stressful and hectic times, but we are partners in everything we do and it works well for us.” The Tavakolians come from vastly different backgrounds. Hooman Tavakolian grew up in Iran, a country with a rich and storied history in the sport of wrestling. He and his wife have become known globally for their immense contributions to the sport. Hooman and Lorelei manage and operate Hoomanities, the nonprofit they founded to provide assistance to underprivileged youths around the world through wrestling. “There is a lot of poverty and neglect around the world,” Lorelei said. “It’s sad to see families who are struggling to make it and that’s why it’s so important for us to help people who are less fortunate. I am totally supportive of Hooman’s vision and what we’re doing to help young people. It’s so gratifying to see a smile on a kid’s face after we are able to help them — it makes it all worth it. It’s amazing to be able to give back.”
Hooman Tavakolian came to the U.S. at age 9 after his family left Iran in 1986. He went through some hardships as he and his family adjusted to a new culture when first coming to America. “We lived in poverty when I was growing up,” he said. “I never lived in an air-conditioned room until I was 22. I grew up poor and that’s definitely one of the reasons why I am so committed to helping the people who are less fortunate. I can relate to what they are going through. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22559?fbclid=IwAR3fzmVGQ40-ZYx55ZNbR3a7PO90peteN6kXVHnblF3Ot1P_3lh0XYE6haM

November 18, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hand Raised with News and views on the Worlds greatest sport

3rd Season, Column 11: Darn fine duals done and yet to come, Tourney talk, Oh my, VMI, you’ve grown, and small notes on the big boys
SO COOL, SO HOT, SOCON… VMI PREVIEW
The year was 1839. William Otis received his long awaited patent…for the steam shovel. (cousin Elisha was the elevator guy). Former prez. John Quincy Adams beat up (legally, not physically) then-current prez. Martin Van Buren, convincing the Supreme Court to free 53 African Americans in the Amistad case. Some guy named Doubleday invented a way to make drinking beer, eating bad food, and yelling for 3 hours an American pastime. And, in the Great Commonwealth of VA, The Virginia Military Institute was established. Cadets of all branches but Cadets ONLY, please, Army, Navy, or Air Force ROTC is a requirement. The current VMI team has a 99 years running, 27 page wrestling record book to add to this season. For perspective, THE Ohio St. University and Michigan are tracking at 100 and 98 years this campaign. The team numbers for VMI…33 strong and only 4 seniors, and theres NO doubt who’s the Big ‘Roo in this troop/mob/court(1). That’s RS Senior Neal Richards, 174LBs of homegrown Virginia nasty. He’s been profiled before in this column, along with his team (SECOND SEASON, COLUMN 18, 1/23/19) and he enters his senior season 74-25, with 22 bonus point wins out of 28 W’s last year. Combined career won-loss records for the rest of VMIs seniors: 60-122. The class make-up for the Keydets is definitely skewed to youth. 2 Juniors, 3 Sophomores, and 24 Freshmen. The Great Commonwealth leads the way with 19 Virginians on the roster. 8 states in total are represented, but other than VA, only Pennsylvania has more than 2 competitors on the team. That empty pouch in the middle of the wrestling roster is probably due in no small part to the March 2018 arrival of Head Coach Jim Gibson. An ’07 Edinboro grad with years of PA coaching toughness at Clarion and Bucknell, Gibson brought big expectations to the small military college. VMI picked up 3 conference wins last year. With such a young squad numerical improvement will be hard to come by. So far this seasons been highlighted by the aforementioned Richards 5th place win at the Southeast Open. Rest of the story at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2019/11/11/3rd-season-column-11-darn-fine-duals-done-and-yet-to-come-tourney-talk-oh-my-vmi-youve-grown-and-small-notes-on-the-big-boys/?mc_cid=8eac02cb54&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

November 18, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TOM’s Campus Visit – Maryville

What do you do when you are trying to bring more Division II wrestling coverage to the fans and you have a weekend off from work? I was faced with that conundrum last week and I had myself an idea, what if I traveled four hours south to St Louis. I even had a built-in babysitter in my oldest sister and her family. I have a four-year-old and she has two kids right around the same age. I could drop her off with my sister and give my wife a weekend with just her and our eight-week-old while I took the chance to visit three Division II wrestling powerhouses all within 45 minutes of each other. How could I miss up an opportunity like this? Three emails later and I had visits set up with #4 McKendree University, #5 Lindenwood University, and #9 Maryville University. The trifecta! Rest of the story and video at https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/toms-campus-visit-maryville/75325?mc_cid=8eac02cb54&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

November 18, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

#9 NC STATE Wolfpack Opens Season in winning fashion

The WolfPack Opens Season with 22-11 Win Over Old Dominion
Pack scored three straight wins in middle of bout, including pin at 197
RALEIGH, N.C. – The ninth-ranked NC State wresting team opened its 2019-20 season with a 22-11 home win over Old Dominion in Reynolds Coliseum. With the Monarchs (0-1) up 9-3 after the first four bouts, the Pack (1-0) scored three straight wins, including a pin and a major decision to seal the dual win. ODU took the first bout, which opened the dual at 149 pounds. The most exciting match of the day on paper proved to be the most excited bout of the dual. #1 Hayden Hidlay used a takedown with just five seconds left and downed #4 Larry Early (6-4), avenging his loss in last year’s dual. The Monarchs took decisions at 165 and 174 pounds to stretch their lead to 9-3. Back-to-back bonus point wins gave the Pack its first lead of the night. The first bonus points of the night went to #13 R-Fr. Trent Hidlay in his Wolfpack debut. Hidlay scored a pair of takedowns in both the first and second periods for the 12-4 major decision. Rest of the story and details at https://gopack.com/sports/wrestling

N.C. State Claims Three Wins at Wolfpack Duals
Pack wins 27 of the 30 bouts, 18 by bonus points
RALEIGH, N.C. – The ninth-ranked NC State wrestling team went a perfect 3-0 in the annual Wolfpack Duals. The Wolfpack (4-0) won 27 of its 30 matches, including 18 going for bonus points.
Rest of the story at https://gopack.com/sports/wrestling

Five from the WolfPack Claim Tournament Titles
Eight top-three finishes in Wolfpack Wrestling Club Open
RALEIGH, N.C. – Five members of the ninth-ranked NC State wrestling team claimed first place honors at the annual Wolfpack Wrestling Club Open held Sunday at Carmichael Gymnasium. A total of eight Pack wrestlers finished in the top-three in their weight class, and 17 in the top-six overall. R-Fr. Jakob Camacho defeated teammate R-So. Zurich Storm in the finals at 125 pounds, 3-2. Camacho went 5-0 on the day with three bonus point wins. Fellow R-Fr. Jarrett Trombley also brought home a title, his at 133 pounds with a 10-2 major decision over North Carolina’s Joe Heilmann in the finals. Trombley was also 5-0 on the day, and the highlight was a 3-2 win over #12 Codi Russell of Appalachian State in the semifinals. R-Jr. Tariq Wilson rolled to the title at 141 pounds. All six of his wins went for bonus points, as he outscored his foes 76-13, including a 12-2 major decision over Maryland’s Danny Bertoni in the finals. R-Jr. Hayden Hidlay and classmate Thomas Bullard both claimed their first place finishes with a pair of first period pins in the finals. Hidlay took first place at 157 pounds with a pin over North Carolina’s Josh McClure in his final match. Hidlay went 5-0, outscoring his foes 53-2 in addition to the pin. Rest of the story at https://gopack.com/sports/wrestling

November 18, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment