Takedown Report

Wrestling History

Leistikow: NCAA needs to do right thing — vote ‘yes’ on eligibility after mass coronavirus cancellations
There’s a seismic vote planned for Monday that could change the near future of college sports. The NCAA’s Division I Council is set to determine whether athletes whose seasons were cut short from concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic should be granted an extra year of collegiate eligibility. The decision, especially for spring sports athletes whose seasons were just getting under way when the NCAA determined to cancel all winter and spring championships, would on the surface seem to be a no-brainer. And the 40 or so administrators who are convening Monday know that, too. But in this case, the right decision is going to be the most difficult decision. Voting yes to an extra year of eligibility would mean signing off on the possibility of millions of extra dollars in scholarship costs to universities already in more precarious cash-flow positions by the cancellation of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament … with the possibility of a washed-out or shortened football season further crippling budgets. The easiest, cleanest decision for the Council on Monday is to vote “no” — to both winter and spring athletes who saw their seasons (or careers) end. Wash your hands of this, say it was an act of God and this was an unfortunate, extraordinary circumstance. You can go to bed knowing that future competitive balance won’t be thrown out of whack and knowing that America has far greater losses to worry about right now during the coronavirus pandemic.
But the right decision Monday is to vote “yes” to eligibility relief. Vote “yes” to spring sports athletes. Vote “yes” to winter sports athletes whose postseasons were cut short. It was extraordinary and unprecedented for the NCAA to cancel the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, the wrestling championships, hockey’s Frozen Four, the baseball and softball College World Series and every other spring sport. Likewise, administrators should search for extraordinary solutions in the wake of this pandemic to do what is right for what aligns with their core values. Coaches at all levels encourage their athletes to fight to the finish. Never give up. When the game or match is on the line of when unforeseen circumstances like injuries occur, always search for a path to success. Will administrators hold themselves to the same standard? Probably not. They are too often led by the bottom line, not by what their own core values address. From the NCAA’s website: The missive is about “prioritizing academics, well-being and fairness so college athletes can succeed on the field, in the classroom and for life.” …. story and pictures at https://amp.hawkcentral.com/amp/2938124001?__twitter_impression=true&mc_cid=1270ffe756&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Introducing the Dynasty Duals: Cast your vote to determine the best college team of the last 40 years
How would this year’s Iowa squad stack up against the Hawkeyes of Gable’s glory years? How would the powerhouse Penn State teams fare against some of Oklahoma State’s loaded lineups?  Welcome to the Dynasty Duals. 
We’re taking every national championship team from the past 40 years, plus the top-ranked Iowa squad from this season, and putting them up for a fan vote. The top 16 teams in the balloting will go into a dual bracket that will begin Saturday and play out over the course of a two-week stretch to determine the top team of the past four decades — or at least how wrestling fans see it.  We’ll put each individual matchup up for vote with the winners picking up dual points based on the outcome using the following scale: …. story at  https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1585709491042&twSessionId=hoqlsectkh&postId=779192135&mc_cid=1f2298c90d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

ESPNU to air NCAAs from 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019 on Saturday
Want to catch some NCAA wrestling on TV while in quarantine? ESPNU will be airing five years of NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday, April 4, from noon until 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 on ESPNU
Noon 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships
2 p.m. 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships
4 p.m. 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championships
6 p.m. 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships
9 p.m. 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships …. story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23489?mc_cid=c504aeb86a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Breaking Down Oklahoma State’s Legacy in Professional Wrestling
Seth Duckworth looks at former wrestlers with a history in pro wrestling
Collegiate wrestling is a unique animal in that it produces professional athletes in a few different fields. Naturally, Olympians or Senior level wrestlers is the main arena and more recently MMA has been an outlet dominated by wrestling and notably by a number of former Cowboys. Something I haven’t really written much on, but felt was worth discussing with Wrestlemania coming up this weekend, is OSU’s legacy in professional wrestling. Here’s a brief synopsis of a few former Cowboys’ careers in pro wrestling.
1. Earl McCready
Before Chuba Hubbard, Earl McCready was the first “Canadian Cowboy” to make his way to Stillwater. He went undefeated in his college career from 1928-1930 and was the first three-time NCAA champ, and he also played football for Oklahoma A&M at the time. He wrestled for the Canadian Olympic team in 1928 and went on to a professional wrestling career. According to the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, he was a “top-notch competitor” during his career that spanned the next three decades before he retired in 1958.  He competed mainly in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and worked for Stu Hart’s Stampede Promotion during the time. …. story at https://pistolsfiringblog.com/breaking-down-oklahoma-states-legacy-in-professional-wrestling/?mc_cid=1f1b7bdc6e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Dynasty Duals: Iowa 1997 vs. Oklahoma State 2003
First Round 
No. 1 seed Iowa 1997 vs. No. 16 seed Oklahoma State 2003  …. lineups and story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1586054948351&twSessionId=fiqxcdtpaw&postId=779371135&mc_cid=3d6cefac15&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

’92 Iowa downs ’18 Penn State on bonus points after 5-5 split
 ’92 Iowa downs ’18 Penn State on bonus points after 5-5 split
Iowa’s 1992 team used one-sided wins from the first three wrestlers in its lineup to knock off fifth-seeded 2018 Penn State 22-20 on bonus points in the first round of the Dynasty Duals after a 10-match split in the voting.  Chad Zaputil, Terry Brands and Tom Brands won more than 80 percent of the fan vote in the first three weight classes. Terry Brands topped the 90-percent pin threshold by picking up 93.1 percent of the vote — the highest total in the tournament to date.  Penn State’s five national champions — Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal — each won their respective votes. …. story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1586314002397&twSessionId=usyfopeeob&postId=779456135&mc_cid=9b0303e966&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

April 16, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized