Takedown Report

Wrestling History – # 13

TDR Editor’s Notes; We have enclosed the link to several stories about wrestling heroes, great wrestlers of the past and some of the coaches that have made an impact. Enjoy and please send input to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 } – Joe Rau: My Wrestling Hero
Today’s installment of My Wrestling Hero features Joe Rau. The two-time Greco-Roman World Team member shares his thoughts on his wrestling hero: Wade Schalles. 
These are Rau’s words on his wrestling hero: 
“I have a lot of wrestling heroes but my number one wrestling hero is Wade Schalles. It’s because he was the most prolific pinner and he wrestled the most styles. He’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most pins and the most wins and he’s beaten the most World champs. He’ll wrestle sambo, Greco, freestyle, folkstyle — he doesn’t care.
“One of the coolest things I heard about him was when he was in college he wrestled a great wrestler and, not only did he beat this guy, but before the dual meet he marked an X on the mat where he said he was going to pin him exactly at that point. Sure enough, he put that guy on his back and he dragged him to where he put the X and he pinned him right there and his coach was pissed. His story is legendary and I’ve never heard of anybody that crazy and I wish I would have gotten to watch him wrestle more. There’s one video or two online. … rest of story at _{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1595993513639&twSessionId=fclpumzqxl&postId=787353135&mc_cid=90928adc9b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

2 } – David Kjeldgaard: ‘Wrestling is great because it teaches you about life’
David Kjeldgaard battled injuries at Oklahoma after one of the best prep careers in high school wrestling history. Find out how the Council Bluffs, Iowa, native ended up in Norman and how his unique view of wrestling continues to shape his life. … rest of story at _{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1595993513639&twSessionId=fclpumzqxl&videoId=787395135&mc_cid=90928adc9b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

3 } – United World Wrestling partners with Nike for recovery campaign
United World Wrestling (UWW) has announced a new partnership with Nike Wrestling, in a bid to boost its campaign to provide financial relief in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The “We Will Wrestle Again” initiative will look to raise money through the sale of t-shirts, supplied by the sporting brand, with the funds going directly to National Federations, competition host cities and grassroots activities impacted by the virus. “We are pleased to join with Nike Wrestling for this important mission,” said UWW President Nenad Lalović.  “We are facing unprecedented times and the strength of our future will depend on our ability to come together in support of our community members around the world – from athletes to national federations.  “We must remember that we will wrestle again.” A scholarship fund will also benefit from the money generated from the campaign. It will be managed by the development department, which looks to provide financial aid to athletes aiming to compete at international level. … rest of story at _{https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1096759/united-world-wrestling-nike?mc_cid=90928adc9b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

4 } – A Cowboy, a Fireman, and an Assassin: Greco Wrestler Chandler Rogers is One of a Kind
This article is part of our first “long article” request through Patreon! A huge thank you to Alteroc (@crwate01) for this excellent topic suggestion.  In an effort to learn more about combat sports, Alteroc laid out an article format that covers three athletes from a specific sport: 

1. An all-time great
2. A specialist
3. Someone “weird”
   For our first edition of the Greco-Roman series, we’ll start with #3 – someone “weird”. There’s a saying in American wrestling circles that “wrestling is wrestling”. That is, the differences among the various rule sets are minor, and the truly skilled can translate their skill sets from one style to another. In reality, this adage doesn’t really hold true, thanks to the level of specialization at the highest levels of the sport and differences in what the rules reward or minimize. For Chandler Rogers, though, wrestling is wrestling. As a college wrestler, he was unique for his upper body skills and propensity for big moves; now, wrestling Greco, he stands out for his movement from space and attacks that are more common in freestyle and folkstyle. 
4. College
5. Chandler Rogers excelled in all styles of wrestling in high school. He won four folkstyle state championships in Washington and Oklahoma, and at the national championships in Fargo he claimed multiple All-American finishes in freestyle and three Greco titles. After graduating in 2014, he joined the Oklahoma State Cowboys, one of the top college programs in the country. Unable to break into the stacked lineup, he redshirted his first year and then served as a backup to two-time All-American Kyle Crutchmer at 174 lbs in 2015-16. He actually beat Crutchmer at the Southern Scuffle, but only got his break after Crutchmer suffered an injury late in the season. Rogers jumped in and performed well, earning a win over the highly-ranked Ethan Ramos of North Carolina and reaching the round of 12 at the national tournament. The next year, with Crutchmer back and three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer gone, Rogers went down to 165 and had an even better season, eventually finishing fifth at NCAAs. … rest of story at _{https://www.thefight-site.com/home/a-cowboy-a-fireman-and-an-assassin-greco-wrestler-chandler-rogers-is-one-of-a-kind?mc_cid=b3b7655607&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

5 } – Dan Gable: College wrestling stats, titles, history
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”  These words, written about Gable from an interview and not directly spoken by the wrestling legend, still stand out as a true marker of the mindset of this champion. Gable had his fair share of golds, and, as a three-time conference champion and two-time NCAA champion, he’s one of the best to ever compete in the sport. Gable amassed a college record of 117-1 — losing just once in his career as a senior in the NCAA finals — when he wrestled for the Iowa State Cyclones from 1966-1970. While the loss ruined Gable’s chance of a perfect record, the Iowa native built upon his legacy further as a coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1976-1997. He won 15 NCAA team titles to etch his name in history as one of the greatest coaches of all time. Gable’s coached 45 NCAA champions, 12 Olympians, 152 All-Americans and 106 conference champions. Dan Gable is synonymous with wrestling and his presence hangs over the Hawkeye wrestling room that bears his name. … rest of story at _{https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2020-07-24/dan-gable-college-wrestling-stats-titles-history?mc_cid=84274241b0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

6 } – Jaydin Eierman: My Wrestling Hero
Today’s installment of My Wrestling Hero features Jaydin Eierman. The three-time All-American and 2019 U23 World Team member shares his thoughts on his wrestling hero: Mike Eierman. 
These are Jaydin Eierman’s words on his wrestling hero. 
“My wrestling hero would have to be my dad, Mike Eierman. He came into my life when I was 6 years old and he really took me in as his own kid from the very start. He and my mom dated for a good 10 years until I was a freshman in high school and then they broke up, but he was still my dad and he really saved my life by teaching me, not just wrestling, but being my dad. He changed my life and I will always be grateful for him. He has always been my hero on and off the mat. The things he could do in wrestling and how far ahead he was thinking, it was all about mental when it came to wrestling. He really helped us out with that big-time … rest of story at _{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1596423789349&twSessionId=ykgrwbldfx&postId=788011135&mc_cid=c6e5782be1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

7 } – Kenneth Bergstedt, longtime wrestling coach in Roseville, dies of COVID-19 complications at 97
In 2014, Roseville Area High School recognized the contributions of longtime wrestling coach Kenneth Bergstedt by renaming its wrestling facilities after him. Bergstedt started the wrestling program at Roseville’s Alexander Ramsey High School in 1953 — the school’s first year — and taught at the school for 32 years. Bergstedt told reporters in 2014 that his main goal while coaching at the school, which was renamed Roseville Area in 1986 after it merged with Roseville’s Frank B. Kellogg High School, “was to develop young men into gentlemen on and off the mat. That was my main push and it worked out.” Bergstedt, of Maplewood, died from complications of COVID-19 on July 3. He was 97. “Our family was amazed by how many of his former athletes and students stayed in touch with him,” said daughter Sue Figg, who lives in Colorado. “He made so many friends in every chapter of his life. What a difference he made.” In his 22 seasons as Ramsey’s wrestling coach, … rest of story at _{https://www.startribune.com/kenneth-bergstedt-longtime-wrestling-coach-in-roseville-dies-of-covid-19-complications-at-97/571997112/?mc_cid=a357f66b67&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b&refresh=true}

8 } – Ex-Steelers player, champion wrestler Haselrig’s family donating his brain for head injury research
Carlton Haselrig’s family will donate the former Pittsburgh Steelers star and college wrestling champion’s brain to Boston University for brain injury research. Haselrig, who died on July 22 at age 54, played five seasons in the National Football League, four with the Steelers and one with the New York Jets. He was a six-time national champion heavyweight wrestler at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center is among the leading brain injury research institutions, with the largest tissue repository in the world, the family said. The Boston University center specializes in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – “a common term used to describe the brain of an individual who repeatedly faced head traumas, specifically those, like Carlton, who played aggressively vigorous sports a majority of their life,” the family statement said. “Life starts with family. Carlton was big on family, … rest of story at _{https://www.tribdem.com/news/ex-steelers-player-champion-wrestler-haselrigs-family-donating-his-brain-for-head-injury-research/article_a65c915c-d683-11ea-a45b-e72273bfe030.html?mc_cid=490d601747&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

9} – Ep. 34 – Wayne Catan on Hemingway, Wrestling, and Grace Under Pressure
Wayne Catan is not only a world class wrestler, but a Hemingway scholar. He lives and breathes Hemingway. And he’s published reviews of 37 books about Hemingway. In wrestling, Wayne was a two-time NCAA finalist for the Syracuse University. After college, he wrestled internationally and even placed third at the legendary Tbilisi Tournament in Georgia.
Now Wayne is an English teacher and the head wrestling coach at Brophy College Prep. Wayne would read Hemingway’s short stories on the bus when they were traveling to away meets for wrestling in college. Even though he rose to the top of the wrestling world, he got a bit of a slow start. He first trained in judo and when he transitioned to wrestling, he never even placed in New York states. But the summer after his senior year of high school, he wound up placing at nationals and getting recruited to wrestle in college. Wayne and I first met in the Blair Academy wrestling room many years ago. In this episode he talks about how he first became friends with Blair coach Jeff Buxton and what it was like working out with Steve Mocco. Back in the day, Wayne and I connected because we always loved talking about books. … rest of story at _{https://rolliepeterkin.com/wayne-catan-hemingway-wrestling-grace-under-pressure/?mc_cid=490d601747&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

10 } – A Closer Look at Oklahoma State’s 1925 NCAA Wrestling Title
It could be argued that Oklahoma State has more National titles than 34.
We speak at length about the legendary history of Oklahoma State wrestling. Most notably, the Cowboys are able to lay claim to 34 NCAA team titles and 142 individual titles. What’s not often talked about is there was 12 years of OSU wrestling before the NCAA started sanctioning the sport and its national title. With that, there is a real argument to be made that they’ve actually won more than the 34 that everyone talks about.
Oklahoma State wrestling started in 1915 under head coach A.M. Colville. He coached the program in one dual vs. Texas, which they lost. In 1916 he handed the reins over to Ed Gallagher. The rest is history. The actual NCAA tournament didn’t get its start until 1928, and the Cowboys had some very dominant teams leading up to that first tournament. Gallagher won eight conference titles before 1928 and had seven seasons where his teams won each dual they competed in. In that period before the NCAA tournament, the AAU National Wrestling was viewed by many as the national tournament for wrestling and the winners were declared national champions of those years. Gallagher’s Aggies won some of those tournament tournaments and crowned a number of individual champions there, specifically in 1925. In 1925 the Aggies went undefeated … rest of story at _{https://pistolsfiringblog.com/a-closer-look-at-oklahoma-states-1925-ncaa-wrestling-title/?mc_cid=490d601747&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

August 13, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized