Takedown Report

Wrestling History # 3

Dynasty Duals finals: ’91 Iowa vs. ’92 Iowa
Championship — No. 10 seed ’91 Iowa vs. No. 12 ‘92 Iowa
‘91 Iowa 
Coach — Dan Gable 
125 — Chad Zaputil (NCAA runner-up)
133 — Terry Brands (NCAA runner-up)
141 — Tom Brands (NCAA champion) 
149 — Troy Steiner (NCAA runner-up)
157 — Terry Steiner (Third)
165 — Tom Ryan (NCAA runner-up) 
174 — Mark Reiland (NCAA champion) 
184 — Bart Chelesvig (Third) 
197 — Travis Fiser (Sixth) 
285 — John Oostendorp (DNP) 
Season Synopsis: Iowa followed up nine consecutive national titles by going four years without an NCAA championship. Then this squad came along and put the Hawkeyes back on top. Iowa set a program record for dual wins in a season, finishing 25-0-1 with a 19-19 tie against Penn State. Zaputil, the Brands twins, Troy Steiner and Tom Ryan …. rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1587267309439&twSessionId=xqahrklffo&postId=779882135&mc_cid=c43b02d0ed&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

THE LOST GENERATION OF MINES ATHLETES
This article sucks. The fact that I even have to write about this situation that is unfolding before our eyes is a real horrible moment. Other than that this is the absolute lowest point of my Mines career.  I have been the sports editor here at The Oredigger since the October break and am a sophomore here at Mines in geological engineering. I also work in the best job on campus with the athletic department, which I have done since my first day of school at Mines. Some of you may know me as Mop Guy, have had me scan your Blastercard, or seen me sprinting along the sidelines to keep up with Michael Zeman as he is running the length of the field for a touchdown. So in other words, I am very passionate about our athletes here. I love sports and Mines Athletics. Eli and I frequently argue in The Oredigger office about who the bigger Mines sports fan is. So what has transpired over  the past few weeks really has hit me hard and made this article even harder to write.
It seems like something out of a horror movie that has just happened. The Sunday night before the decision was made to shutter in-person classes and most of the campus I was finishing up an article that would preview the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships with some quotes from the wrestlers who were competing. This was in addition to a preview for the NCAA Division II Track and Field National Championships and the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament that were about to happen (Our swimmers were also competing this week.) There was also a short health article about you know what. The articles turned out really good and I was so excited to see how the athletes performed at their respective champions from Mines. All those articles turned out to be for nothing. To give the one sentence summary about what happened just like at Mines the NCAA and RMAC restrictions went from 0 to 100 in a span of a few days. ….. rest of the story at http://oredigger.net/2020/04/the-lost-generation-of-mines-athletes/?mc_cid=8ec233ede0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(The Case For) Shutting up in the Corner
This is what Cael Sanderson looks like 95% of the time when he’s coaching. Go pull up a Penn State dual and watch. He is immaculately calm no matter the situation. I enjoy watching Jason Nolf highlights and paying attention to Cael. Nolf does the craziest things and Cael does not jump up and down nor does he scream-count back points for the ref. Is this because he doesn’t care? Does he not have advice for his athletes? Of course not.
So what gives? Why are the rest of the wrestling coaches of the world leaving meets with sore throats exhausted from screaming meticulous instructions while the most dominant coach of the past 10 years just claps 90% of the time?
I, like many excitable coaches, have started down the path of constant screaming. When I began coaching I got riled up and upset every single match with refs, my own wrestler, opposing coaches, and the like. But over the years I’ve realized the value of calming down. and I think I finally understand why. If you pay attention to any coach who has been in the sport for a long time you will notice that almost every single one of them calms down in the corner over time. Some may say those coaches are “getting soft” but I think what is happening is that they are getting wise.
Simple reasons why we all need to calm down in the corner:
1. They can’t hear you.  Most of us coaches were athletes and most of us wore the same Cliff Keen “Signature” headgear that our athletes wear today. I think we all know that those 8 little holes don’t allow much sound to come in. …. rest of the story at https://www.pushpullwrestling.com/blog-1/the-case-for-shutting-up-in-the-corner?mc_cid=8ec233ede0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 underrated and underappreciated NCAA champions
There is nothing wrong with being underrated. It just means more credit is deserved. Sometimes, much more credit is deserved. Timing can play a factor. So can likability and relevance. Some of our greatest college stars did not have international success. Some did not pursue coaching, which means their windows of stardom were limited to four years. Teammates and competitors can overshadow you, too.
Here are 10 college wrestlers who deserve way more credit.
1. Dwayne Keller, two-time NCAA champion, Oklahoma State
Dwayne Keller only lost one match during his career as a Cowboy but it came at a crucial time: during the finals of the 1971 NCAA Championships during his senior season. His first son (named Roderick after his coach Myron Roderick) was born the day of the finals and likely weighed heavily on his mind.  He finished his college career with a 64-1 record with NCAA titles in 1968 and 1970, and one of the biggest upset wins in college wrestling. His victory in the 1968 finals over two-time Division I NCAA champion and returning World medalist Rick Sanders (Portland State) capped an incredible run for the Cowboy sophomore. 
2. Darrell Keller, two-time NCAA champion, Oklahoma State
Like his identical twin brother, Darrell won two NCAA titles for the Cowboys. He won as a junior in 1970 at 134 pounds in the weight class immediately preceding Larry Owings’s upset over Dan Gable at 142 pounds, then defeated Owings in the finals in 1971 at 142 pounds, 16-12.
3. Jason Kelber, one-time NCAA champion, Nebraska
It’s too bad Jason Kelber wrestled in an era with two of wrestling’s biggest superstars or else he might be a household name. Kelber placed sixth at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore in 1989, second as a junior in 1990 and first as a senior in 1991. It just so happens that future World and Olympic champions Terry Brands (Iowa) and Kendall Cross were in the 126-pound weight class, too. And Kelber beat them both when it counted most. The former Husker star beat returning NCAA champion Cross in the semifinals of the 1990 NCAA Championships before falling to Brands, 3-2, in the finals — then he beat Brands, 10-5, in the 1991 finals. 
4. Jeff Prescott, two-time NCAA champion, Penn State
You can make a case that Jeff Prescott was one of the best two wrestlers in Penn State history prior to Cael Sanderson’s arrival as head coach. After a fifth-place finish at the NCAA tournament as a sophomore in 1990, Prescott dropped only one match at 118 pounds during his finals two seasons. His only other loss was to Iowa’s Terry Brands when Prescott moved to 126 pounds during the early part of his senior season. Prescott’s 1991 NCAA tournament run was particularly memorable. Known for his ability from the top position, Prescott scored two falls, a 20-10 major decision in quarterfinals, a 5-0 decision in the semifinals, and a 14-0 major decision over Iowa’s Chad Zaputil in the finals. 
5. T.J. Jaworksy, three-time NCAA champion, North Carolina
Can a three-time NCAA champion be underrated? Yes, if you’re T.J. Jaworsky. He won NCAA titles at 134 pounds in 1993, 1994, and 1995. He beat Cary Kolat (Penn State) during the finals of the 1993 NCAA tournament when Kolat was a freshman and Jaworsky was a sophomore. …. rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1587524193266&twSessionId=dqfooslcza&postId=779903135&mc_cid=945de33a33&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

A decade in athletics: Wrestling attempts to recover from program-shaking scandal
BY ELIZABETH KARPEN | APRIL 24, 2020, 5:19 AM
The nation’s oldest wrestling team spent the past decade struggling to break through to the front of the pack. The team has remained unable to clinch an Ivy League title since 1982 and has been unable to capture an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association title in the program’s 126-year history. Over the past 10 seasons, the Light Blue has only had two with a winning Ivy record. Prior to the arrival of current coach Zach Tanelli, the Lions began the decade with one of their two victorious Ivy seasons under former coach Brendan Buckley. Buckley had revolutionized the historically mediocre program into one that sat at a solid middle-tier with exceptional individual performances. At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Buckley left the Light Blue to become head coach at California Polytechnic State University. He left the Mustangs in 2016 to become the executive director of Beat the Streets …. rest of the story at https://www.columbiaspectator.com/sports/2020/04/24/a-decade-in-athletics-wrestling-attempts-to-recover-from-program-shaking-scandal/?mc_cid=78e39ca524&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

J’den Cox Named Mizzou Male Athlete of the Decade
Cox won three national championships at Mizzou
The date is March 18, 2017. J’den Cox has just defeated Minnesota’s Brett Pfarr, 8-2, to win his third national championship in front of 18,000 fans at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. In his home state, he has just finished one of, if not the most magnificent collegiate career in Mizzou history, becoming the first three-time National Champion in Mizzou Athletics history.  Three national titles. Four All-America honors. Four conference championships. 136 victories. The resume is lengthy. But when asked about his journey to get to where he is, Cox simplifies it.  “I’m just a boy from Columbia, Missouri, named J’den Cox and I just love to wrestle,” said the homegrown talent after finishing off his spectacular collegiate career.
It’s a mindset he still carries to this day. 
“Obviously there’s more that stems on to it, but that right there carries it,” said Cox. “I’m just a boy from CoMo who likes to scrap it out. That will never change. It will always be that for me and I am proud of that. I’ll carry that for a long time.” …. rest of the story at https://mutigers.com/news/2020/4/28/baseball-j-den-cox-named-mizzou-male-athlete-of-the-decade.aspx?mc_cid=b693ccac6a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

May 8, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized